May 02, 2026 6:11pm IST
Priyanka Chopra Jonas to Skip the 2026 Met Gala; is Heading to LA for Major Honor Instead (EXCLUSIVE)
Priyanka Chopra Jonas, a regular sight at the Met Gala, will be skipping it this year. The annual fundraising event held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York is considered to be fashion’s biggest night. This year, the Met Gala theme is “Fashion is Art”.
Variety India has exclusively learnt that the “Varanasi” actor won’t be walking the red carpet at its 78th edition on May 4.
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There has been speculation for weeks now, around her attendance, but Variety India can now confirm that the actress won’t be present at the Gala. Her calendar has been blocked by a prior work commitment. Nevertheless, she will be serving a look at another prestigious gala a few days later.
Chopra is scheduled to receive the Global Vanguard honor at the Gold House Gold Gala, to be held at the Music Centre, Los Angeles, on May 9, 2026. The award celebrates her 25-year-long career, cultural influence on both the Asia Pacific and Western entertainment industries and her efforts to build South Asian representation globally. This is Priyanka’s second consecutive Global Vanguard award, which she will be receiving alongside other Gold honorees like Jet Li, Eileen Gu, Charles Melton and Simu Liu. The theme of this event is “A New Gold World”.
Priyanka made her debut on the iconic Met steps in 2017, alongside Nick Jonas, back when they weren’t married. They both wore Ralph Lauren, and her iconic beige trench coat look even spawned several memes due to its exaggerated tail. Though Priyanka Chopra has not attended every year, she has made sporadic appearances at the Gala over the years with her husband, Nick Jonas.
In 2018, for the “Heavenly Bodies” theme, she stunned in Ralph Lauren again, opting for a velvet burgundy gown and a hand-beaded gold-and-jewel-encrusted hood covering her head. For 2019, the theme was “Notes on Camp”, and Chopra’s take on it was a silvery Dior Haute Couture gown, "Alice in Wonderland" makeup, and even a crown. She returned to the Met red carpet in 2023 with a black-and-white Valentino gown, for a theme that paid homage to Karl Lagerfeld. Her latest Met Gala look came in 2025; for the theme, "Tailored for You", Chopra sported a custom Balmain by Olivier Rousteing halter-neck suit and a black hat.
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