Naomi Campbell Sidesteps 2025 Met Gala Amid Wintour Feud Rumors
Another casual plot twist in fashion’s ongoing saga: Naomi Campbell has confirmed she’s sitting out the 2025 Met Gala. In a statement obtained by People Magazine, Campbell’s camp explained that the supermodel is prioritizing upcoming charitable endeavors and personal projects over her usual May red-carpet spectacle. Vogue also noted that Campbell’s announcement arrives just weeks after whispers of tension with Anna Wintour began circulating in Women’s Wear Daily.
Campbell’s official comment reads, “I’m honored by every Met invitation, but next year I’ll be focusing on my foundation’s initiatives in education and sustainability,” according to a spokesperson quoted by People. While that sounds straightforward, insiders at WWD suggest there’s more beneath the surface. Vogue’s fashion desk points out that last month’s front-row seating shuffle at Paris Fashion Week may have ruffled feathers, and sources close to Vogue recall overhearing a heated exchange between Campbell and Wintour backstage.
Rumors of a Wintour-Campbell fallout have flirted with “feud” headlines ever since Anna allegedly bypassed Naomi for a key cover story in Vogue’s September issue. Neither party has publicly confirmed a clash, but WWD’s editorial insiders and Page Six both flagged the underlying friction when Campbell arrived fashionably late to last year’s Met. Add in a cryptic Instagram Story from Naomi—panning across an empty Met Hall seat labeled “Reserved”—and the grapevine went into overdrive.
This isn’t Naomi’s first luxe no-show. In 2019 she sat out amid a heavy schedule in Paris; in 2021 she bowed out due to COVID travel restrictions. But skipping 2025 feels different, given Campbell’s record streak of nearly three decades lighting up the Met Gala. Fans on X are dissecting every pixel of her glossy runway throwbacks while fashion editors from PopSugar to Harper’s Bazaar weigh in on what her absence means for Anna’s guest list and the gala’s “theme” reveal.
Whether Campbell’s move is a strategic pause or the first act of a full-blown Vintour-Campbell cold war remains to be seen. Either way, Met obsessives are already speculating on who’ll fill Naomi’s prime spot—and if this is the beginning of a bigger industry power shift. So yeah, that’s the gist. Do with it what you will.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and People Magazine, Vogue, Women’s Wear Daily, Page Six
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
