Billy Porter knows exactly where he’s wanted — and according to him, the Met Gala isn’t one of those places. The 56-year-old star, renowned for his Tony and Grammy-winning role in Kinky Boots and his Emmy-winning performance in Pose, made his debut at the prestigious event in 2019. For that year’s Camp: Notes on Fashion theme, the actor turned heads in a dazzling gold ensemble that paid homage to Egyptian art. He even had several shirtless men carry him into the event, channeling Cleopatra herself.
While fans couldn't get enough of his bold fashion statement, Porter reveals that his Met Gala appearances ended there. 'I haven't been invited back since 2019,' he explained on a recent episode of SiriusXM's Revelations radio show when asked if he would be attending this year’s Met Gala. Porter, who was invited in 2019 on behalf of Glee creator Ryan Murphy, didn’t hold back in discussing his exclusion from the event.
He pointed out that last year's Met Gala spotlighted the Superfine: Tailoring Black Style exhibit, which celebrated Black fashion and the Dandyism movement. 'I’m just going to throw that out there,' he said matter-of-factly. 'I’m good. It’s all good. But the reality is, when people ask me, you need to know I was not invited. And I’m good. I don’t go to places where I’m not welcome.' He added, 'I've earned the invitation.'
The star shared that he's come to terms with the situation. 'I don't require validation from the outside,' he explained. 'So I'm going to sit and live in that because it helps keep me sane too.'
The 2026 Met Gala will take place on Monday, May 4, celebrating the Costume Institute exhibition 'Costume Art' with the dress code 'Fashion is Art'. Co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour, the 2026 event highlights the 'dressed body' and will debut 25 new diverse mannequins. Ticket prices are set at $100,000 for individuals, with tables starting at $350,000.
The Met Gala snub revelation comes nearly a month after Porter revealed he was 'dead for three days' amid his battle with sepsis, calling his survival a miracle. Porter, who had to step down from his starring role as the Emcee in Cabaret due to his health crisis last September, shared that what he thought would be a routine procedure to remove a kidney stone quickly turned into a life-threatening ordeal. Doctors discovered a severe infection behind the stone that spread rapidly, becoming urosepsis.
'When they got in there, there was so much pus and bile and infection behind the stone. It bubbled up, and I went uroseptic in minutes,' Porter explained on the Outlaws with TS Madison podcast. Porter's condition was so critical that doctors had to place him on an ECMO machine and put him into a coma for several days. 'I was on the ECMO machine. I was dead for three days,' he said, adding, 'I am a miracle. I’m a walking miracle.'
Once he woke up and was taken off life support, doctors revealed that his legs had gone into compartment syndrome, a condition where muscles compress and cut off oxygen. 'So they had to cut me open on either side of my leg while I was in a coma, and from my knee to my hip, and leave it open for two days so they could save my leg,' he recalled. Porter made a full recovery and expressed immense gratitude for his survival. 'It is such a gift,' he said.
The singer’s near-death experience has completely transformed his perspective on life. 'As I sat in my hospital bed, reflecting, there were a couple of things I heard,' Porter described. 'The first thing I heard was, work smarter, not harder. The second thing I heard was, be obedient and answer the call. And the third thing I heard was, don't you ever stop telling the truth again. I unconsciously silenced myself for fear that I wouldn't be on the A-list anymore.'
In 2021, Porter revealed he has been living with HIV since 2007. 'I was the generation that was supposed to know better, and it happened anyway. It was 2007, the worst year of my life,' he shared in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. 'By February, I had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. By March, I signed bankruptcy papers. And by June, I was diagnosed HIV-positive.' After years of keeping his condition private, the performer described revealing the truth as a form of 'healing.'
