Cardi B powered through illness to attend the 2026 Met Gala, revealing she wasn’t feeling well during the event.
On Monday, May 4, the 33-year-old performer shared on the red carpet that she had been sick leading up to the major fashion night and still had a fever as she made her way up the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
“You want to know a secret? I’m actually sick and I have a fever,” she told reporters, according to a post by Variety on X.
Despite not feeling her best, she didn’t let it stop her from attending. Cardi B showed up in a custom gown by Marc Jacobs from his Fall 2025 collection. The outfit featured intricate lace from head to toe, along with dramatic oversized detailing at the shoulders and hem.
The dress blended shades of purple, pink, and orange into a nude-toned base. She completed the look with soft pink gloves layered under satin and black leaf-like embroidery throughout the gown.
According to Vogue, the design drew inspiration from German artist Hans Bellmer, known for his life-sized doll sculptures.
Earlier in February, Vogue announced that the 2026 Met Gala dress code would be “Fashion Is Art,” aligning with the museum’s spring exhibition, “Costume Art.” The event’s co-chairs include Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour.
The exhibition’s curator, Andrew Bolton, explained that it would explore how clothing plays a central role within the museum’s vast collection by pairing garments from the Costume Institute with artworks spanning 5,000 years.
Cardi B is well known for making bold fashion statements at the Met Gala. At the previous year’s event, themed “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” she wore a rich ivy-colored suit by Burberry, designed by Daniel Lee.
Under the suit, she styled a silk devoré blouse with ruffled details and paired it with green velvet tailored trousers matching the coat. The outfit also featured a back cutout that revealed her floral tattoos.
In 2024, she turned heads in a dramatic black gown paired with a beehive-inspired headpiece. The year before that, she went viral after wearing four different outfits throughout the event and its afterparty.
She initially stepped out of her hotel in a jeweled pink dress with a tulle headpiece before switching to a silver wig and a bold black headband, which she described as her way of honoring both Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld at the same time.
