Once again, the Met Gala’s iconic carpet will be rolled out without so much as the echo of Meghan Markle’s stilettos.
This year’s theme, centered on sleek tailoring and Black style, promises to be a true celebration of Black excellence—emphasis on actual excellence. And once more, Anna Wintour has made it abundantly clear that Meghan’s talents—be they in voicing complaints or making jam—aren’t required. While true fashion forces, sports legends, and cultural icons like Pharrell Williams, Colman Domingo, and Lewis Hamilton prepare to showcase their show-stopping looks, Meghan is reportedly gearing up for a potential walk past the venue—perhaps feigning surprise when no one asks her to pose. The official lineup of co-chairs includes Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell, and Anna Wintour herself, with LeBron James stepping in as honorary co-chair for his Met Gala debut. Meghan, on the other hand, isn’t even in the proverbial nosebleed section.
But this isn’t just any Met Gala—it’s one curated by Monica Miller, a respected academic and chair of Africana Studies at Barnard College. The theme highlights not just style, but also substance and meaningful cultural contributions. Naturally, the guest list is packed with standout names like Usher, Sha’Carri Richardson, Simone Biles, Janelle Monáe, and Edward Enninful—individuals with legitimate talent, accolades, and cultural relevance. In contrast, Meghan’s résumé seems to hinge mostly on her past royal status and current air of perpetual victimhood.
And what about her much-publicized 43% Nigerian DNA? Surely that would merit at least a courtesy invitation? Apparently not. It seems Anna Wintour wasn’t swayed by Meghan’s Ancestry.com results. Maybe next year’s theme will be “Grifting Through the Ages”—that might finally earn Meghan a moment in the spotlight.
Yes, names associated with Meghan do hover around the Met Gala orbit—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Edward Enninful, Audra McDonald—but they’ve all earned their place through substance and achievement. Meghan, meanwhile, has launched and lost a podcast, signed and dissolved deals, ventured into jam-making, and dabbled in becoming a lifestyle guru à la Gwyneth Paltrow. None of it has stuck. Maybe that’s because no one ever knows which version of her is going to show up: the duchess, the humanitarian, the Netflix voiceover artist, or the “Archetypes” archetype. It’s like a different reboot every week.
Real talk: if Anna Wintour had to choose between inviting Meghan or Catherine, Princess of Wales, she’d probably pave the carpet all the way to Buckingham Palace for the latter. Wintour is not only a proud Brit, but a Dame, and hardly the type to jeopardize relations with King Charles for a photo op with the woman who cried racism on Oprah, then decamped to Montecito to carry on the grievances.
Let’s not forget last year’s PR fiction, when Meghan’s camp suggested she could have attended the Met Gala but declined in the name of privacy. Sure, Jan. And this year? We’re likely just hours away from headlines claiming she chose not to attend in order to “focus on family.” Translation: once again, not invited.
Sources say Meghan’s Met Gala hopes have fizzled faster than her Spotify contract. Evidently, sharp tailoring and looking polished just isn’t her aesthetic. But all is not lost—she can always swing by, take a selfie on the sidewalk, dramatically open a random door, and walk away as though she simply happened to be in the neighborhood.
