Will Kanye West Attend the Met Gala?
May 4, 2018Last year at the Met Gala, Kanye West was noticeably absent from wife Kim Kardashian West‘s side when she made her return to the red carpet months after her traumatic Paris robbery and his hospitalization. But amid the rapper and Yeezy designer’s latest drama, including controversial tweets supporting President Donald J. Trump, explosive comments calling slavery a “choice” and more, many are wondering if West will make his grand return to the Met Gala staircase alongside his wife this year. As of right now, it seems unlikely.
A Keeping Up with the Kardashians source tells PEOPLE that West escaped to the small ski town, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he is focusing on his upcoming music.
“Kim happily joined Kanye in Jackson Hole. She wants to be supportive so he can finish his album,” the insider shares. “The album has caused Kanye a lot of stress. He is a perfectionist and wants the music to be amazing.”
The source adds: “Kim is absolutely concerned about Kanye. She likes being in Jackson Hole so she can keep an eye on his health. She wants to make sure he eats and sleeps enough. She doesn’t want him to push himself beyond his limits. She wants a healthy Kanye.”
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West has a long history with the Met red carpet and has famously called the ball the “Grammys of style.”
While we’re most likely guaranteed a stop-and-stare red carpet moment from Kim at Monday’s Met Gala, it’s still unclear if Kanye will be her date. Until then, take a look back at the rapper’s most iconic Met Gala moments thus far.
From 2013 to 2016, West accompanied his wife to fashion prom, and the couple commanded the carpet with a signature pose: Kanye always standing to Kim’s right sans smile.
At their most recent Met Ball appearance in 2016, West wore a dress code-breaking pair of ripped Fear of God jeans teamed with a crystal-covered Balmain jacket and icy blue contacts. Kim matched her man in Balmain, but her look paid homage to the theme, “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology.”
“He was wearing these crazy contacts and he really liked wearing denim to the Met,” Kardashian West told Ellen DeGeneres on a recent episode of Ellen. “No one has ever worn denim to the Met Ball so that made him very happy.”
Their coordinating outfits caught Vogue‘s attention, with the publication naming the duo “best dressed.”
“I’m really excited to get our first best dressed at the met … This Gala is like the Grammys of style,” West Tweeted at the time.
In 2015, for the “China: Through the Looking Glass” themed-affair, Kim channeled her icon Cher in a sheer crystal-embroidered Roberto Cavalli gown and Kanye selected an all-black velvet suit.
Kimye nailed the theme in 2014 celebrating couturier Charles James and both looked like Old Hollywood stars. Kim selected a blue strapless Lanvin gown with a black waistband and thigh-high slit (there had to be a little skin), teamed with black strappy heels, side-swept waves and Lorraine Schwartz danglers. And Kanye actually paid homage to Charles James in a black tux with coattails.
And who could forget their Met Gala couple debut in 2013. While Kim’s floral Givenchy gown with the built-in gloves received most of the buzz, her husband supported her outfit choice. Kim was pregnant with the couple first child, North West, at the time.
In 2012, West hit the Met steps solo in a tux that would make James Bond proud. The year before, he attended with designer Tory Burch, who created the custom tux he wore for the evening.
At the rapper’s first-ever Met Gala in 2009, he attended with then-girlfriend Amber Rose and he once again opted for a classic tuxedo this time paired with a rare smile. Rose wore a strapless red dress, matching lip and her chic platinum blonde buzz cut.