Why Did Jared Leto Dress Up as a Cat for the 2023 Met Gala?
Leading up to tonight’s Met Gala, rumors swirled that the late designer Karl Lagerfeld’s cat, Choupette, just might strut down the red carpet as a tribute to his owner. It seemed teed up as the ideal 21st-century Met Gala moment: absurdist luxury fed to the frenzy of pop culture consumption in the Instagram era. And while this moment didn’t come to pass as guessed, actor Jared Leto ensured the Birman cat was not erased from the evening altogether. He walked the red carpet—literally in Choupette’s shoes, in something terrifyingly akin to Choupette’s own fur, scaled to human size and with a removable head (and, presumably, zipper) for easy bathroom trips.
In Leto’s defense, the costume does fit squarely within the dress code for the evening: simply “in honor of Karl.” What better way to honor the designer known for such elegant designs at Chanel, Fendi, and Balmain (among others) than with an enormous mascot, the likes of which could drive Gritty out of the internet virality business?
Lagerfeld might have loved it; he did, after all, love his cat. The animal famously flew in a private plane, was brushed twice a day every day, and dined from Goyard dishes: “One for water, one for her little croquette, and one for her pâté,” per Lagerfeld himself. Despite his many flaws, the Harper’s Bazaar-proclaimed “Kat Daddy” was a proud supporter of his feline friend, and the wide-eyed looks of Leto’s many fans tonight might even have brought an affectionate smile to his face. It certainly brought one to Anne Hathaway and Lizzo.
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Leto even gave the cat’s head a little kiss after he’d revealed himself under its hood. Dare we call it…kitten around?
Culture Writer
Lauren Puckett-Pope is a staff culture writer at ELLE, where she primarily covers film, television and books. She was previously an associate editor at ELLE.
