The Vogue special events office can cross another celebrity name off their Met Ball 2019 guest list: Zayn Malik.
It seems that Malik’s first appearance at the fashion extravaganza, in 2016 with his then on-again girlfriend Gigi Hadid, will be his last, as the singer spoke out against the museum fundraiser in his new cover story for GQ.
“I did go, but I didn’t go there to be like, ‘Yo, take me serious,’ ” Malik told the magazine of his attendance in 2016. “The Met Gala is not necessarily anything that I ever knew about or was about. But my [former] stylist…would say to me, ‘This is really good for you to do.’ And no matter how strong you are mentally, you can always be swayed to do certain things. Now, it’s not something I would go to. I’d rather be sitting at my house, doing something productive, than dressing up in really expensive clothes and being photographed on a red carpet.… To do the self-indulgent Look at me, I’m amazing thing on the red carpet, it’s not me.”
Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik at the 2016 Met Ball (Getty Images)
The pop star, though, was quick to say he understands why some “people” (cough, cough Gigi) enjoy the event. “I get it, and I understand that people gain enjoyment from it,” he told the magazine. When asked if he watched this year’s show via the Vogue livestream from his couch, Malik said: “No, no.” Though he added, “Gi stole the night, though. The stained glass on her dress. Everyone else just put a cross on.”
Malik is the latest celebrity to disaffect. In the past few years, Amy Schumer, Tiny Fey, and Gwyneth Paltrow have all verbally rolled their eyes at the Met Gala, with Schumer calling it a “farce,” Fey deeming it a “jerk parade,” and Paltrow characterizing it as “un-fun.”
Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook to stay up to date on all the latest fashion news and juicy industry gossip.
