Katherine Schwarzenegger throws shade at the Met Gala

Katherine Schwarzenegger has shared a cryptic post about the Met Gala.

The children’s book author, 34, appeared to make a shady comment about the annual fashion fundraiser in a since-expired Instagram Story posted on Monday 6 May. It began when Schwarzenegger’s mother, Maria Shriver, took to Instagram to share a throwback photo from the Met Gala more than 20 years ago.

“It’s the first Monday in May and the Met Gala is underway! Things were a little more low key when I attended back in 2001, but I thought I would share some photos from that wonderful night,” Shriver captioned her post, which featured an image of Shriver attending the event in New York City with her famous Kennedy family.

“Not only did I get to wear this beautiful dress, but I got to attend with both my parents, as well as my cousin, Caroline,” the former First Lady of California wrote. “What do you think: would we rock the red carpet in these same looks tonight?”

Schwarzenegger, whose father is former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, reshared her mother’s Instagram post to her Story. Above the post, she added the text: “When the Met Gala was chic and classy,” per the Daily Mail.

In the comments section of Shriver’s post, it seemed that many people agreed with Schwarzenegger’s opinions about the annual fashion event, which raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

“Back when people had class. Now it’s a freak show. One of the dresses was twigs. I wanted to prune the dress!!! Lol,” one person commented.

“Much better glamour then than now. Now it’s a costume party,” another user chimed in.

“I miss the ‘low-key’ days,” a third follower wrote. “It’s become quite the circus.”

The 2024 Met Gala took place on Monday at the Met museum in New York City to celebrate the opening of the Costume Institute’s exhibit, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion”. This year’s exhibit is centered around 50 historically significant pieces, some of which are far too fragile ever to be worn again. Nearly 250 items were drawn from the Costume Institute’s permanent collection, featuring designs from Elsa Schiaparelli, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, and Givenchy to span 400 years of fashion history.

Much like every year, the Met Gala also came with its own dress code, called “The Garden of Time” –  taking inspiration from a short story of the same title, written by JG Ballard in 1962. Guests were instructed to dress in line with themes of fleeting beauty, such as wearing florals to represent an actual garden or items featuring clocks and sand to represent the passing of time.

There were many star-studded celebrities at this year’s Met Gala. In addition to Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, the co-chairs for the annual event were Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, and Chris Hemsworth. La La Anthony, Gwendoline Christie, and Ashley Graham hosted the Vogue red carpet, while influencer Emma Chamberlain was Vogue’s special correspondent.

Zendaya made her return to the Met Gala red carpet for the first time in five years, wearing a peacock-coloured Maison Margiela Artisanal gown designed by John Galliano. After her arrival, the Challengers actor did a surprise outfit change into a black dress from Givenchy’s spring/summer 1996 couture collection, paired with a floral bouquet as a headpiece.

The Kardashian-Jenner family also graced the Met museum steps. Kim Kardashian arrived in a cinching, silver corset gown also designed by John Galliano for Maison Margiela, which she accessorised with a simple grey cardigan. Self-proclaimed “momager” Kris Jenner attended the event with her boyfriend, Corey Gamble, while sisters Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner also walked the red carpet.

While there were many best dressed stars at this year’s Met Gala, there were also some stars who missed the mark on the “Garden of Time” theme.