Is the Met Gala Curse Real? 12 Couples Who Broke Up After Making Their Debut on the Red Carpet

The Met Gala has set the stylish stage for former couples like Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson to make their debut. However, the couples curse might be real as these stars who attended the event later broke up.

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Each year, the Met Gala attracts the biggest names and stylish duos who deliver the drama on the steps, from Lady Gaga's evolving outfit transformation to statement-making entrances and surprise proposals.

Though some celebrity couples have chosen the special night to hard launch their relationships, not every couple who dresses on theme together stays together. Over the years, speculation of a "Met Gala curse" has plagued the annual charity event, where fans have noticed a pattern of stars who split up soon after attending "fashion's biggest night out."

For example, Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez made their Met Gala debut in 2017 and returned in 2018, sharing some PDA. However, they officially called off their engagement in April 2021, just two years after attending their third (and last) Met Gala together in 2019.

Whether a curse, fate or bad timing, these famous pairs broke up after walking the Met Gala red carpet hand-in-hand.

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Phoebe Bridgers and Paul Mescal attend the Met Gala celebrating 'In America: An Anthology of Fashion' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in N.Y.C. on May 2, 2022.

Taylor Hill/Getty

Phoebe Bridgers and Paul Mescal first connected on X in 2020, after the "Kyoto" singer shared her thoughts on the Irish actor's performance on the Hulu drama Normal People. Following some playful online banter, the two took their connection offline and met up in person.

During the COVID-19 quarantine period, they grew closer and made their romance Instagram official in 2021.

Bridgers joined Mescal as his date on the red carpet at the 2022 Met Gala, though technically, Mescal attended as the guest of designer Jonathan Simkhai, who also created Bridgers' sparkling gown.

However, in December 2022, Bridgers contributed a verse to SZA's track "Ghost in the Machine," with lyrics seemingly alluding to a nasty fight with a significant other.

Though neither confirmed the split, it became apparent that Mescal and Bridgers were no longer together. In 2023, the Gladiator II star refused to address breakup rumors, telling Vanity Fair, "The temptation still exists to be like, 'Shut the f--- up. This is my life. This is what's going on. Or this is what's not going on.' But moving forward as much as I can, that's going to be my life that is private."

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Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth at the Met Gala celebrating 'Camp: Notes on Fashion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art' in N.Y.C. on May 6, 2019.

Kevin Mazur/MG19/Getty

Fresh off their wedding ceremony in Tennessee in December 2018, newlyweds Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth arrived in coordinating outfits to the 2019 Met Gala. Cyrus wore a custom-made Yves Saint Laurent green and black sequin striped dress, while Hemsworth matched in all-black formal wear.

The two split a few months later in August, less than a year after tying the knot.

"Liam and Miley have agreed to separate at this time," a representative for Cyrus told PEOPLE at the time. "Ever-evolving, changing as partners and individuals, they have decided this is what's best while they both focus on themselves and careers."

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Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian at the 2022 Met Gala celebrating 'In America: An Anthology of Fashion' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022, in New York City. Gotham/Getty

Kardashian and Davidson were first linked in 2021 after the pair were spotted holding hands on a ride at Knott's Scary Farm during Halloween weekend.

While the couple's first official red carpet was technically at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in late April 2022, the pair made their Met Gala red carpet debut a few days later.

That Gala was also the one at which Kardashian sparked controversy for wearing the infamous dress Marilyn Monroe once wore to sing "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy in 1962.

For his part, Davidson let his love shine at the event, showering Kardashian with kisses and helping her navigate the famed Met Gala steps in the super-delicate dress.

However, in August 2022, PEOPLE confirmed Kardashian and Davidson ended their relationship, with a source citing their "busy schedules" as a reason for the split.

See All of Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson's Photos Together

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FKA twigs and Robert Pattinson at the Met Gala celebrating 'China: Through The Looking Glass' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in N.Y.C. on May 4, 2015.

Larry Busacca/Getty

Robert Pattinson and FKA twigs, who began dating in 2014 and were engaged in 2015, made their red carpet debut at the 2015 Met Gala.

After attending the high-profile event together and dating for over two years, PEOPLE confirmed she and Pattinson broke up in October 2017.

"He is on a press tour, and she is working on her new album. And I think it's timing," a source told PEOPLE. "They've been all over the place. They have not seen each other in probably two months."

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Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner attend the Met Gala celebrating 'Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in N.Y.C. on May 7, 2018.

HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty

Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott had an on-again, off-again relationship from 2017 to 2023.

In 2019, the Kylie Cosmetics beauty mogul and rapper first announced they were taking a break after making their red carpet debut as new parents at the 2018 Met Gala.

The pair continued to date on and off, attending events, co-parenting their daughter Stormi, and even welcoming a second child, son Aire, together in 2022 before sources confirmed they had split up again in 2023.

Kylie Jenner Makes Red Carpet Return at the Met Gala with Travis Scott 3 Months After Welcoming Stormi

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Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart at the Met Gala celebrating 'Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in N.Y.C. on May 7, 2018.

Taylor Jewell/Getty 

The 2018 Met Gala was the official debut of the much-shipped "Bughead," but the relationship between former Riverdale costars Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse wouldn't last.

Reinhart and Sprouse — who met while playing lovers on-screen on the CW series and dated off and on in real life for nearly three years — made their couple debut on the Gala's red carpet, confirming what fans suspected for some time.

The pair broke up two years later in 2020, with Sprouse telling GQ in 2022 that their romance was "as real as it gets."

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Grimes and Elon Musk attend the Met Gala celebrating 'Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in N.Y.C. on May 7, 2018.

Taylor Hill/Getty

Elon Musk and Canadian electronic singer-songwriter Grimes were first linked as a couple when they appeared on the red carpet at the 2018 Met Gala.

In 2022, Grimes told Vanity Fair that she and Musk were back together after a split in 2021, with Grimes referring to the relationship as "very fluid."

However, the same day the Vanity Fair story was published, Grimes posted on X (formerly Twitter) that their status had changed since the interview.

"Me and E have broken up *again* since the writing of this article haha, but he's my best friend and the love of my life, and my life and art are forever dedicated to The Mission now, I think Devin wrote that part of the story rly well. Sique - peace out," she wrote.

Grimes and Musk share three children: X Æ A-Xii, Exa Dark Sideræ and Techno Mechanicus.

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Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez at the Met Gala celebrating 'Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in N.Y.C. on May 1, 2017.

Kevin Mazur/WireImage

The former couple made history with their memorable fashionable moments on red carpets, including at the Met Gala.

The 2017 event marked their debut, where Lopez stunned in a flowing mint-colored dress reminiscent of Old Hollywood. The pair attended again in 2018 before the newly engaged couple made their third and final appearance at the 2019 celebration. Not only did Lopez turn heads in her silver fringe Versace ensemble and matching beaded headpiece, but her 16-carat engagement ring also stole the show.

Two years later, the pair announced their split in 2021, with a source telling PEOPLE Lopez and Rodriguez had a friendly discussion about their future.

"They spent time together in the Dominican Republic last week and decided that it's best to go separate ways," the insider said. "The split is very amicable."

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez's Most Iconic Red Carpet Moments

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Selena Gomez and The Weeknd at the Met Gala celebrating 'Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in N.Y.C. on May 1, 2017. Karwai Tang/WireImage

After meeting for the first time at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2015, where they both performed on the runway, Selena Gomez and The Weeknd were spotted a year later on a dinner date at Giorgio Baldi in Los Angeles — following Gomez's split from Justin Bieber and The Weekend's with Bella Hadid.

The singers made their relationship official on the red carpet at the 2017 Met Gala, one year after The Weeknd attended with Bella.

In October, just five months after attending the Gala together, sources confirmed to PEOPLE the pair had called it quits.

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Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid at the Met Gala celebrating 'Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in N.Y.C. on May 2, 2016. George Pimentel/WireImage

Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid — who share daughter Khai — were an on-again, off-again couple from 2015 to 2021. The former One Direction member and the supermodel officially split in 2021 after Malik was accused of "striking" Gigi's mother, Yolanda Hadid.

Long before the incident, the two walked the red carpet at the 2016 Met Gala, making their red carpet debut as a couple. The pair's outfits complemented each other, reflecting the year's theme of "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology."

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Sarah Silverman and Michael Sheen at the Met Gala celebrating 'Charles James: Beyond Fashion' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in N.Y.C. on May 5, 2014.

Kevin Mazur/WireImage

After beginning their relationship in February 2014, Sarah Silverman and Michael Sheen made their official couple debut in May at the Met Gala.

They went on to date for nearly four more years before Silverman announced on X that the two "consciously uncoupled over Christmas" in 2017. 

"I mean, not 'over Christmas' – like that wasn't the fight that ended it," she wrote, before clarifying there was "no fight."

She added, "We just live in different countries & it got hard. Felt we should just tell y'all so u stop askin, 'How’s Michael/How’s Sarah?' "

In 2018, Silverman appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where she discussed her past relationship with Sheen.

"He moved back to the U.K., and his life is really there, and my life is really not there, but I love him to pieces," she said. "If he's in town and we're both single, we will make love."

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Jake Gyllenhaal and Kirsten Dunst at the Met Gala celebrating 'Goddess: Costume Institute Benefit Gala' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in N.Y.C. on April 28, 2003.

Mark Mainz/Getty Images

Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal attended their first red carpet event as a couple at the 2003 Met Gala. Jake started dating Dunst in September 2002 after the actor's sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal, introduced them. Maggie costarred with Dunst in the 2003 film Mona Lisa Smile.

In July 2004, however, PEOPLE confirmed the actors had called it quits.

"Kirsten and Jake remain the best of friends," Jake's representative, Stephen Huvane, told PEOPLE. "Details regarding when and why their romantic relationship stopped are not being provided, but suffice it to say it happened some time ago. They are still very close."

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