Lifestyle

rules don't apply

Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Teen Daughter Breaks Longstanding Met Gala Rule

She wasn’t the only one who defied the event’s usual restrictions.

Roosa RahkonenReporter, The Looker

PublishedMay 5, 2026, 12:40 PM EDT

UpdatedMay 5, 2026, 12:42 PM EDT

Updated May 5, 2026, 12:42 PM EDTPublished May 5, 2026, 12:40 PM EDT

Comments

Beyoncé, 44, turned the Met Gala into a family affair by bringing not only her husband but also her daughter to fashion’s biggest night.

The music and fashion legend entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual event in New York City on Monday with her 14-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, at her side.

The 2026 red carpet marked Blue Ivy’s Met Gala debut—and, with her entrance, the teen broke one major rule.

In 2018, The Hollywood Reporter reported that actress and dancer Maddie Ziegler, then 15, was not allowed to attend the Met Gala due to her age.

The event organizers told the outlet that new age restrictions were implemented because the Met Gala was “not an appropriate event for people under 18.”

MET THEM EAT CAKE

These Celebs Absolutely Nailed the Met Gala’s Insane Theme

Sam Escobar

Although the organizers said some expectations would apply to teens attending with their parents, Blue Ivy was the youngest person to attend the event in over a decade.

Before the age restriction was established, the youngest-ever Met Gala attendee was child star Elle Fanning in 2011, when she was just 13 years old.

Blue Ivy represented Gen-Z in a custom Balenciaga look by Pierpaolo Piccioli.

Her playful outfit included a white dress with a bubble hem and a strapless bustier. On the Met steps, she wore a cropped bomber jacket and dark sunglasses.

BIRTHDAY SUIT UP

These Celebrities Wore ‘Naked Dresses’ to the Met Gala

Roosa Rahkonen

To add sparkle, Blue Ivy accessorized with silver heels and a diamond necklace by Henry & Henry.

Those sparkling accents tied her outfit together with her mother’s, who wore a shimmering diamond skeleton dress by Olivier Rousteing, with a matching headpiece and a feather coat with a long train.

Beyoncé was one of the evening’s co-chairs alongside Venus Williams, Nicole Kidman, and Anna Wintour, and dressed perfectly on theme with the Gala’s dress code, “Fashion is Art.”

During her Vogue interview at the top of the steps, Beyoncé told La La Anthony about her excitement to have her daughter join her.

Citizen cane

Lindsey Vonn Walked With a Custom Cane at the 2026 Met Gala

Roosa Rahkonen

“It feels surreal because my daughter’s here,” she said. “She looks so beautiful—it’s incredible to be able to share it with her.”

The last time Beyoncé attended the Met Gala in 2016, Blue Ivy was only four years old.

Jay-Z, 56, joined his daughter on the steps. The 25-time Grammy winner picked a formal black tailcoat with a white flower lapel pin, forgoing a traditional tie in favor of a glittering silver collar embellishment for the art-focused occasion.

SHIPWRECKED

What Was Madonna Carrying at the Met Gala?

Roosa Rahkonen

Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s eight-year-old twins, Rumi and Sir, have not yet made their Met Gala debut.

Another co-chair of the year, Nicole Kidman, also defied the age rule by bringing her teen daughter, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban, as her date.

The 17-year-old model made her Met Gala debut in a custom-made floral Dior gown, while her mother wore a red sequined-and-feathered Chanel dress.

like mother, like daughter

Nicole Kidman Brings 17-Year-Old Daughter as Met Gala Date

Roosa Rahkonen

On the red carpet, Kidman said the deep red color was her inspiration for her look, as red can symbolize “passionate love” as well as “power and motherhood.”

The mother-daughter duo matched with straightened hair and waist-length extensions.

Play Video

Roosa RahkonenReporter, The Looker

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast.