Met Gala 2023: Red Carpet Invaded by Single Cockroach That Goes Viral Trying to Crawl Into A-List Party

The Met Gala is notoriously one of the toughest tickets in New York, but one brave cockroach threw caution to the wind on Monday night and pressed its luck anyway.

While hordes of press, photographers and security waited for the night’s final fashionista to arrive — an always fashionably late Rihanna, who arrived with beau A$AP Rocky — a single cockroach bolted down the carpet, causing a major stir. Veteran Getty Images photographer Kevin Mazur crossed paths with the roach, even snapping a series of up-close images.

At one point, Mazur faux-stomped on the insect as it neared a flight of stairs, though it remained undeterred. The cockroach in question did not have its Cinderella moment, however, as Variety reported that it met its demise before making it inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Unless going viral in death is considered a win?

A cockroach makes its way through the #MetGala carpet.

pic.twitter.com/CHJLsYDIP8

— Pop Base (@PopBase) May 2, 2023

But hey, who can blame the little guy for giving it a go, especially after reading some fast facts about the pesky insects. According to Pest World, they’re built for party-crashing, as they become adults in as little as 36 days, have an attraction to alcohol, can run up to 3 miles per hour, can hold their breath for 40 minutes, and aren’t afraid of security as they can live for a week without a head. (Even insect control brand Raid got in on the action, posting, “Looks like our invite was lost in the mail” on Instagram.)

Exterminators aside, see the best looks from the Met Gala here. The event, held as the annual fundraiser for New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, has been organized and presided over by Vogue’s Anna Wintour since 1995. It is timed to coincide with the unveiling of the museum’s annual fashion exhibition, and this year is focused on Karl Lagerfeld. Titled “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” the collection honors the life and legendary career of the late designer who died Feb. 19, 2019, and features more than 150 pieces, including sketches.

The Met Gala program features Penélope Cruz, Michaela Coel, Roger Federer, Dua Lipa and Wintour as the night’s co-chairs.

Only in New York.

An uninvited guest showed up on the #MetGala carpet. It was a … cockroach.🪳 pic.twitter.com/3mJcAeHNxF

— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) May 2, 2023