Numerous stars were caught sneaking into the smoking area at the 2026 Met Gala for a sly cigarette break. The biggest night in fashion is finally here, with an array of A-listers gathered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on Monday night. But despite the glittering spectacle taking place both on the red carpet and inside the museum, it seems some of the celebrities needed to escape the star-studded event to smoke.
In footage taken by the Daily Mail, a few very famous faces were seen slipping past photographers to an area behind the carpet so they could puff away. The Daily Mail caught singer Charli XCX and Heated Rivalry star Connor Storrie heading into the smoking area together. The two were seen chatting as they enjoyed a smoke break before they left together to head back inside the event.
Charli, 33, opted for a black dress from Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello for the star-studded gala. The fitted bodice featured a 3D, translucent, floral corsage and was complete with a dramatic two-meter train. Charli completed her outfit with a pair of platform heels and styled her hair into a messy ponytail to top off the look.
The theme of this year's event - widely considered the Super Bowl of celebrity red carpets - is 'Costume Art,' while the dress code is 'Fashion Is Art.' The dress code called on the A-list attendees to explore how designers use the human body as a blank canvas.
As for Storrie, 26, he wore a custom Saint Laurent black suit over a polka-dotted turtleneck top that featured a long train. Ahead of the event, photos taken inside the Met showed cautionary measures taken against indoor smoking, with a large red sign set up outside the women's bathroom reading: 'No Smoking.'
Following his smoke break, Storrie had an extremely awkward moment with Ashley Graham and Cara Delevingne, who co-hosted Vogue's coverage of the red carpet, and the 'painful' interview sparked immense backlash for the hosts. During the chat, they asked Storrie if he was nervous since it was his first time attending the Met Gala. But as he was answering, Delevingne cut him off to talk about her first Met Gala. 'Weirdly, I wasn't ever nervous my first year,' she said, which prompted Storrie to ask what the theme was.
Delevingne admitted that she couldn't remember before Graham chimed in and tried to turn the spotlight back on Storrie by asking what he did to prepare for the ball. 'It was just a bunch of conversations with my stylist James,' he said. But then Graham interrupted him to yell out, 'Hi James!'
Read More: Lauren Sanchez debuts VERY taut complexion at Met Gala as plastic surgeons weigh in on her new look. Graham and Delevingne went on to ask the star what designer he was wearing, as he revealed his stunning ensemble was made by Saint Laurent.
Afterwards, many viewers took to X, formerly Twitter, to slam the interview. 'If only they hired real fashion journalists for these interviews… Ashley and Cara are just saying anything there,' one user wrote. 'Vogue Met Gala live interviews with Ashley and Cara are abysmal,' slammed another. 'Asking about who people are wearing as an afterthought... Cara keeps talking about herself.'
'Cara and Ashley are so boring,' a third person chimed in. 'Ashley and Cara?! What’s going on? They have been super awkward,' read a fourth post. A fifth said: 'That interview was painful to watch. And not because of Connor. I love Cara and Ashley but it was so awkward.'
'Who the f**k picked Ashley and Cara to host this stream?' asked a different user. 'Ashley Graham and Cara Delevingne are completely terrible at interviewing,' penned someone else.
