Billie Eilish, Zendaya, Kylie Jenner and More Stars' First Met Gala Appearances Are a Blast From the Past

See pics of celebrities making their Met Gala debuts over the years ahead of the 2024 ball at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on May 6.

By Corinne Heller May 06, 2024 4:00 AMTags

You never forget your first time...at the Met Gala.

Just ask Billie Eilish, who made her debut at the annual star-studded fashion event at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art in May 2021.

"It's nuts," the singer, who turned heads at the event with a Marilyn Monroe-like blonde hairstyle and strapless peach Oscar de la Renta gown, said on the Howard Stern Show that December. "It's famous people famous people-ing."

When you get so many celebs together showcasing extraordinary fashion styles, it's not easy to stand out. "Everybody's just embarrassed and insecure about what they're doing and saying," Billie said. "It was amazing though. It just was beautiful in there."

But her favorite part is the lack of fangirling. "What's nice about other people that are in the same kind of world that you're in," she explained, "is they're not getting their phone out and shoving it in your face because they don't want that themselves and that is really relieving."

Billie did go on to attend the two subsequent Met Galas and even snuck in an epic bathroom selfie with fellow celebs at the 2023 event.

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Met Gala 2023: Red Carpet Fashion

The Grammy winner was not the first celeb to break a longstanding no-selfie rule. At the event in 2017, a year after making her Met Gala debut in a sparkling Balmain gown, Kylie Jenner snapped her own group bathroom pics at the bash, featuring stars such as first-time-attendee Paris Jackson, then 19, wore a black Calvin Klein dress.

Zendaya, one of the upcoming 2024 Met Gala co-chairs, was also a teenager when she made her Met Gala debut. At 18, the Euphoria star walked the red carpet at the 2015 event in a custom black and red Fausto Puglisi dress with a short, flared skirt, complete with a long train and sun design embellishments. She went on to attend four more Met Galas before taking a break for half a decade. Now, she is euphoric about her return to the charity ball on May 6 celebrating the museum's "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" exhibit.

"It felt like the right time," Zendaya told E! News' Will Marfuggi at the Challengers premiere in Los Angeles April 16, "to try to go back to the Met."

Look back at more stars' Met Gala debuts.

Billie Eilish in 2021

In Oscar de la Renta

Timothée Chalamet in 2021

In a Haider Ackermann tuxedo and a Rick Owens turtleneck

Dan Levy in 2021

In Loewe

Olivia Rodrigo in 2021

Megan Thee Stallion in 2021

In Stella McCartney

Naomi Osaka in 2021

In Nicolas Ghesquière

Lil Nas X in 2021

In Atelier Versace

Pete Davidson in 2021

In Thom Browne

Megan Fox in 2021

In Dundas

Laverne Cox in 2019

In Christian Siriano

Lilly Singh in 2019

In Moschino

Harry Styles in 2019

In Gucci

Billy Porter in 2019

In Sam Ratelle

Cardi B in 2018

In Jeremy Scott

Céline Dion in 2017

In Versace

Paris Jackson in 2017

In Calvin Klein

Kylie Jenner in 2016

In Balmain

Zendaya in 2015

In Fausto Puglisi

Gigi Hadid in 2015

In Diane von Furstenberg

Hailey Bieber & Bella Hadid in 2015

Both in Topshop

Lady Gaga in 2015

In Alexander Wang for Balenciaga

Selena Gomez in 2014

In Diane von Furstenberg

Kendall Jenner

In Topshop

Gabrielle Union in 2014

In Prada

Kim Kardashian in 2013

In Givenchy

Jonas Brothers in 2012

In Brooks Brothers (Kevin), Calvin Klein Collection (Joe) and Richard Chai (Nick)

Chrissy Teigen & John Legend in 2011

In Chris March (Chrissy) 

Cara Delevingne & Douglas Booth in 2011

In Burberry (Cara)

Kristen Stewart in 2010

The Twilight alum wore a black taffeta asymmetrical Chanel spring 2008 Couture gown.

Karlie Kloss in 2010

In Donna Karan

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