:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/billie-eilish-met-gala-2022-051525-90c75c7fd43a4371bb124142f6f51e47.jpg)
Billie Eilish wasn't at the Met Gala this year, but that didn't stop the criticism from rolling in.
Although the May 5 event was chock-full of celebrities, the "Bad Guy" singer, 23, wasn't one of them. Still, on May 14, she took to Instagram to address the AI images of her at fashion's biggest night, which had caused so much commentary that she felt the need to speak out about it.
"Seeing people talk about what I wore to this year's Met Gala being trash — I wasn't there," she said while laughing in an Instagram Stories post. "That's AI [artificial intelligence]. I had a show in Europe that night. Let me be! I wasn't even there!"
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(425x0:427x2):format(webp)/billie-eilish-met-gala-reaction-051525-71563ada9a474ba5973a01c98bc37355.jpg)
The Grammy winner was in fact performing at Amsterdam's Ziggo Dome on her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour before the Met even kicked off in New York.
However, with her absence much felt, fans took it upon themselves to digitally dress the artist in a variety of outfits in tune with the Met Gala's "Tailored for You Dress" code and "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" theme.
In 2024, Katy Perry, a past Met Gala attendee, also became a victim of artificial intelligence. After catching wind of the AI deepfake, the "Teenage Dream" singer posted it to Instagram, along with a text she got from her mother, Mary, who was convinced that her daughter walked the carpet in a "gorgeous gown" so grand that it looked like she was at the "Rose Parade."
The same thing happened to Perry this year (she didn't attend because like Eilish, she's on tour), but thankfully this time she wasn't fooled.
"Couldn’t make it to the MET, I’m on The Lifetimes Tour (see you in Houston tomorrow IRL," Perry wrote on Instagram alongside an image of her in a digitized suit. "P.s. this year I was actually with my mom so she’s safe from the bots but I’m praying for the rest of y’all."
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(599x0:601x2):format(webp)/billie-eilish-Met-Gala-2023-b0d96e57ae974be383e7fe882c6af54e.jpg)
Eilish has been attending the Met Gala since 2021, when she channeled her favorite Barbie doll in a peach Oscar de la Renta with a massive train. Alongside making her debut that year, Eilish was also named one of the four co-chairs.
She returned twice more in 2022 (wearing a Victorian Gucci gown) and in 2023 (she rocked an embellished Simone Rocha design with a gothic twist to honor Karl Lagerfeld).
