Chrissy Teigen Shares the Reason She Wasn't at the 2026 Met Gala in Somber Video from a Funeral

Michelle LeeThu, May 7, 2026 at 9:21 PM UTC

0

(Right) Chrissy Teigen attending the Taco Bell funeral in Seattle; (Right) Chrissy Teigen at the 2017 Met Gala
Credit: Chrissy Teigen/Instagram; Dia Dipasupil/Getty -

Chrissy Teigen revealed why she wasn't at the 2026 Met Gala

In a May 7 Instagram post, the cookbook author said she was in mourning

Teigen's last appearance at the Met Gala was in 2017

Chrissy Teigen has her priorities.

The television personality, 40, wasn't a part of Met Gala Monday mingling with the who's who of Hollywood on May 4, and that's because she was mourning a closed-down Taco Bell location in Seattle instead.

In a new Instagram post shared on May 7, the cookbook author said that she couldn't attend the glamorous ball over in New York City because one of her "best friends" — that would be the former Taco Bell located on 5258 California Avenue — "passed away" and she attended a funeral in its honor.

The location actually closed down more than three decades ago, but fans of the Mexican-inspired fast food joint gathered on the West Coast to remember the building.

Teigen's video was made in jest and featured clips of her dressed in all black and scenes from the event, which was organized by meme artist Sunday Nobody.

Advertisement

According to a screenshot of what appeared to be invitation details, a "funeral procession," a "candlelight vigil," and "crying competition," in addition to live bagpipe music, were all a part of the stunt. Teigen's video also included a clip of a Taco Bell tombstone, which guests surrounded with wrapped food and drinks.

The gathering garnered such attention that Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck sent her condolences on Instagram. According to local news station Kiro7, she wrote, “My deepest condolences to the West Seattle Taco Bell community. I stand with you during this trying time. Your grief is felt and I share in it. May this loss be a reminder to all of us to Live Más.”

— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend at the 2015 Met Gala
Credit: Jamie McCarthy/FilmMagic

Although Teigen was busy having a Baja Blast on the other side of the coast, she has, in fact, attended the Met Gala before. Her most recent appearance on the starry carpet was in 2017, the year of "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between." She and husband John Legend also attended in 2015, 2014 and 2011.

In past years, she's also made a big deal about not being able to attend for various reasons. In 2024, she joked that she skipped the ball partially because she injured her neck doing a handstand (she had the CVS neck brace to prove it). In 2018, she was pregnant with her second child.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”