Ben Stiller slams Met Gala as ‘second alternative’ as he

Ben Stiller made clear Monday night time the place he’d reasonably have been.

The actor and director, attending the 2026 Met Gala alongside spouse Christine Taylor, did not mince phrases when requested about style’s greatest night, ranking it firmly behind the New York Knicks’ first playoff game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

“This is a great place, this is a great second choice, you know.”

The couple appeared to lean into their NBA loyalty via their wardrobe selections, arriving at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in coordinating outfits that mirrored the Knicks’ signature orange and blue colour palette.

Stiller, 60, wore a tailor-made navy swimsuit paired with a vibrant orange tie.

Taylor, 54, arrived in a cobalt-blue strapless robe that includes floral embroidery, accented with sequins.

Her look was accomplished with a half-up coiffure, bangs, and silver jewellery.

It marked the pair’s first Met Gala look since 2016, when the event’s theme was Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology.

That yr, each wore Valentino, as Stiller in a darkish blue tuxedo, Taylor in a black floral costume.

This yr’s costume code, Fashion is Art, ties on to the museum’s spring 2026 exhibition “Costume is Art,” which opens May 10 and runs via January 10, 2027.

The exhibition will place style alongside work, sculptures, and other works spanning 5,000 years of artwork from The Met’s broader assortment.

Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton described the present as a milestone for a way museums have interaction with style.

“It will be transformative for our department, but I also think it’s going to be transformative to fashion more generally, the fact that an art museum like The Met is actually giving a central location to fashion,” Bolton said.

Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour served as co-chairs for the 2026 Met Gala