The Met Gala 2026 took place on May 4 at the iconic Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
This year’s dress code — Fashion Is Art. It set the tone for bold and experimental looks. Leading celebrities and hosts came together to push the boundaries of style on one of the world’s biggest red carpets.
However, the Internet quickly turned the night into a full-blown meme fest. From Heidi Klum being hilariously compared to Hrithik Roshan to Hailey Bieber sparking a Shava Shava meme trend, desi humour gave the global event its own entertaining twist.
A Viral Meme Fest
Heidi Klum fully embraced the Costume Art theme by transforming into a living marble statue. Her highly theatrical ensemble made her nearly unrecognisable and drew immediate comparisons to Hrithik Roshan’s look in Dhoom 2.
Hrithik Roshan did it way before pic.twitter.com/llejZfoTaj
— isHaHaHa (@hajarkagalwa) May 4, 2026
The internet noticed similarities between Hailey Bieber’s high-fashion look and the backup dancers in the iconic Bollywood song Say Shava Shava from the 2001 film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Her blue-and-gold colour palette outfit reminded fans of the traditional Indian performance outfits worn by the background dancers in the music video.
hailey bieber is giving the backup dancers in shava shava #metgala ???? pic.twitter.com/eR5gBgH9wQ
— celina ❦ (@bollyvfx_) May 4, 2026
Actress Rachel Zegler attended the event dressed in a custom Prabal Gurung gown and a gauzy white blindfold. The outfit was directly inspired by the 1833 painting The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche. Internet users compared the actress’s appearance to the Hindu mythological character Gandhari due to the visual similarity, as both wear blindfolds.
She is giving GenZ Gandhari vibes pic.twitter.com/xYQO5wGBsE
— isHaHaHa (@hajarkagalwa) May 5, 2026
Even Met Gala lead chair Anna Wintour wasn’t spared from becoming meme fodder online. Fans drew humorous comparisons between her appearance at the 2026 Met Gala and Ajay Devgn’s iconic character from the Indian film franchise Golmaal. The meme paired Anna’s look with the character Gopal cosplaying a woman, specifically referencing scenes where his style or expression matches the fashion industry’s most powerful figure.
She is giving Gopal from Golmaal at the Met Gala pic.twitter.com/W186vuj3xm
— isHaHaHa (@hajarkagalwa) May 5, 2026
Here are some other desi memes from the Met Gala 2026:
Met Gala se pehle kal sabne Dhoom 2 dekhi hai pic.twitter.com/zPHRqmiYMs
— Amber (@BeydardiRaja) May 5, 2026
inspector chingum from motu patlu https://t.co/9eJ6ZXGBhG
— shanaya (@kuttijannani) May 4, 2026
That moment you realize you’re matching with the sofa cover#MetGala pic.twitter.com/wmhHigCkkE
— ट्वीटचोर (@DevnFlix) May 5, 2026
Me when my manager ask to join call in the late evening #MetGala pic.twitter.com/29bF2SglOJ
— ट्वीटचोर (@DevnFlix) May 5, 2026
steel wool scrub
new after use pic.twitter.com/nryWWC3NRf— Dr Gill (@ikpsgill1) May 5, 2026
As the night of high fashion faded, the Met Gala 2026 proved once again that its real afterlife lives online. Red carpet moments quickly transformed into global pop culture memes in true internet style.
