The Met Gala is often called fashion’s biggest night, but it has also become the must-attend social event of the season for stars from all industries. On the first Monday in May, guests can expect to mingle with some of the world’s most famous actors, models, singers, activists—and even politicians.

Here are 14 politicians who have made memorable appearances at past Met Galas.

Brad Lander
New York City’s comptroller—and potential mayoral candidate—attended the 2024 Met Gala with his son, Marek. Lander later shared a heartfelt birthday tribute to Marek on Instagram, writing: “Love what a loyal teammate, coach, brother, grandson, nephew, jet-ski & Met Gala partner, and especially son you are—even when the dad jokes are unbearable.”

Michael Bloomberg
The former NYC mayor joined his daughter Georgina and longtime partner Diana Taylor at the 2024 gala. Bloomberg is no stranger to the event—his Met Gala history dates back to at least 1998, when he attended with his then-partner Mary Jane Salk.

Laurie Cumbo
In 2022, Bobby Digi Olisa surprised Laurie Cumbo, NYC’s Department of Cultural Affairs commissioner, with a proposal on the Met Gala red carpet. The couple married the following year.

Adrienne Adams
The NYC Council Speaker made her third consecutive Met Gala appearance in 2024, wearing a dramatic pink gown. When asked about attending in 2023, she simply said, “Let’s go Met.”

Chi Ossé
The NYC council member turned heads in House of Aama at the 2022 gala, then wore a custom suit-style look by Advisry in 2023. “I worked with Keith Herron, a young Black designer,” Ossé told Vogue. “The piece referenced Karl Lagerfeld’s 1983 Chanel collection—I felt amazing in it.”

Keith Powers
The NYC Council District 4 rep has attended multiple times but keeps it humble. “I’m just wearing the tux I own,” he said in 2023.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
AOC made a bold debut in 2021 with a Brother Vellies gown emblazoned with “TAX THE RICH” in red. Designer Aurora James said, “We must always push the culture and the country forward.”

Hillary Clinton
The former first lady and secretary of state attended the 2022 Met Gala.Here’s the rewritten text in clear, natural English:

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Her first Met Gala appearance was over two decades ago, and she made a triumphant return to the red carpet in 2022 wearing a custom Joseph Altuzarra gown. The dress featured 60 women’s names embroidered along the neckline and hem, including Rosa Parks, Lady Bird Johnson, and Clinton’s mother, Dorothy Rodham. Altuzarra said of the design, “It felt like something unexpected for her, which she was into.”

Carolyn Maloney
Former New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney, known for her strong advocacy for gun control, used her fourth Met Gala appearance in 2021 to honor the suffragette movement. She wore a purple, white, and gold Antonios Couture gown with the words “ERA” and “Equal Rights for Women” emblazoned on it. Two years earlier, she attended in a custom New York City Fire Department jacket paired with a neon yellow dress.

Bill de Blasio
The former New York mayor didn’t attend the Met Gala often during his time in office, but in 2021—his final year—he walked the red carpet with his then-wife Chirlane McCray and their son Dante. Both de Blasio and McCray wore designs by Brooklyn-based labels (Dreu Beckemberg and Fe Noel, respectively). A spokesperson for the mayor called it “a notable way to highlight the return of the city’s fashion industry jobs” after the pandemic.

Eric Adams
New York’s famously unconventional mayor attended the 2022 Met Gala with his partner Tracey Collins, wearing a waistcoat with “End Gun Violence” printed on the back.

Caroline Kennedy
When former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy attended the 2017 Met Gala, which honored Rei Kawakubo’s work at Comme des Garçons, she fully embraced the theme. She walked the Met steps alongside her son, Jack Schlossberg, in a voluminous tiered Comme des Garçons babydoll dress—paired with practical black heels. Her first Met Gala appearance, however, was 16 years earlier, at an exhibit honoring her late mother, “Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years.”

Christine Quinn
No, not the Selling Sunset star—this is the former New York City Council Speaker! Christine Quinn attended the 2009 Met Gala with her wife, lawyer Kim Catullo, for the “The Model as Muse” exhibit. (It wasn’t her first time—two years earlier, she wore a chic black dress to the “Poiret: King of Fashion” gala.)

Ronald (and Nancy) Reagan
Between serving as California governor and U.S. president, Reagan attended the 1977 Met Gala—during Diana Vreeland’s era—for the “Vanity Fair: A Treasure Trove” exhibit.

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