Jennifer Aniston may be one of Hollywood’s most popular and celebrated stars, but she has never walked the iconic Met Gala red carpet. Now, the “Friends” alum is finally opening up about why she’s skipped fashion’s biggest night, telling Glamour in a September 2 interview that the star-studded event simply “overwhelms” her.
“Yes, I have [been invited], but I don’t go,” Aniston, 58, told the outlet. “It overwhelms me.”
Getting Ready Feels Like a “Mental Game”
(Photo by MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images)For many celebrities, preparing for the Met Gala is a full-day affair, involving hours of glam, fittings, and red-carpet preparation. While Aniston enjoys dressing up on occasion, she admitted that the thought of it feels more draining than exciting.
Aniston Says She’s a ‘Jeans, flip-flops & tank top’ kind of girl
“It’s the getting ready, the putting on the dress,” she explained. “I’m a ‘jeans and flip-flops and tank top’ kind of girl. I love dressing up too, but for me it’s a mental game of… ‘Let’s get dressed up, put on a fancy dress, makeup, get your hair all ‘purdy’ and go sit in a big room with your peers.’ [And yes,] everyone’s there to celebrate each other and have some fun, but I get nervous.”
A Complicated Relationship With Red Carpets
The “Morning Show” actress also reflected on her love-hate relationship with carpeted events, pointing out how public appearances often come with a wave of scrutiny.
“Some people find it like a sport where they build you up and then they love to tear you down,” Aniston said. “What’s the reason why people do it? Who knows? But I just try as best I can [to tune it out] because it doesn’t do you any good.”
Other A-Listers Who Have Never Attended
(Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)Aniston is far from the only major star who has never stepped foot on the Met Gala stairs. Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Mariah Carey, Ryan Gosling, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, and Adele are among the A-listers who have also skipped the annual event.
(Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images)The most recent Met Gala was held on May 5, 2025, with the theme “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” (not “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which was the theme of the 2022 Met Gala), honoring Black dandyism. Guests included Rihanna, Zendaya, Cardi B, Gigi Hadid, and Sabrina Carpenter, while Colman Domingo, Pharrell Williams, A$AP Rocky, Lewis Hamilton, and Anna Wintour served as co-chairs.
(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)Zendaya may be one of the most highly anticipated stars at the Met Gala, but her fiancé, Tom Holland, prefers to stay out of the spotlight. As he told Men’s Health in January, “It’s not my moment, it’s her moment, and if we go together, it’s about us.”
By contrast, Zayn Malik has made it clear he won’t be returning to the event after attending once in 2016 with then-girlfriend Gigi Hadid. “It’s not something I would go to,” Malik told GQ in 2018. “I’d rather be sitting at my house, doing something productive, than dressing up in really expensive clothes and being photographed on a red carpet.”
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