A complicated (and fashionable) history. Kim Kardashian was the first member of the Kardashian-Jenner family to attend the Met Gala — but it wasn’t because Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour invited her.
Wintour has been in charge of the Met Gala since 1995, enlisting annual cohosts from the fashion and celebrity world. Over the years, she has addressed the fact that the guest list has become more mainstream — including the Kardashian-Jenner family.
“While the committee isn’t reflective of the Met Gala guest list, it’s certainly true that of late there has been a stronger presence of Hollywood names on it,” Wintour told The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the 2019 event. “Obviously it helps that well-known names draw attention to not only the gala but also to the exhibition and to the museum; for all the starriness of the names on that one night, we never lose sight of the fact that the aim of the gala is to raise funds for the Costume Institute, so we can support its place in the cultural life of New York City and beyond.”
Amid reports that the editor didn’t approve of reality stars, Kim walked her first Met Gala carpet with then-husband Kanye West in 2013.
“I was Kanye‘s plus one & so nervous! I didn’t know anyone & I’m sure no one wanted me there lol,” the Selfish author admitted in 2019 while looking back on her looks — including the 2013 floral gown that she wore while pregnant with North — at Fashion’s Biggest Night.
One year later, Kim landed the cover of Vogue with West and North.
“Part of the pleasure of editing Vogue, one that lies in a long tradition of this magazine, is being able to feature those who define the culture at any given moment, who stir things up, whose presence in the world shapes the way it looks and influences the way we see it. I think we can all agree on the fact that that role is currently being played by Kim and Kanye to a T. (Or perhaps that should be to a K?)” Wintour wrote at the time of her decision to put the couple on the cover. “As for the cover, my opinion is that it is both charming and touching, and it was, I should add, entirely our idea to do it.”
She added at the time, “You may have read that Kanye begged me to put his fiancée on Vogue‘s cover. He did nothing of the sort. The gossip might make better reading, but the simple fact of the matter is that it isn’t true.”
While Wintour got to know Kim, there continued to be speculation about how she felt about the famous family as they slowly made their respective Met Gala debuts. In 2014, Kendall Jenner walked the carpet. One year later, Kris Jenner followed suit and in 2016, Kylie Jenner made her debut.
“You have to admire how they’ve created an empire through their personalities, and the creative genius of their mother,” Wintour said in a Vogue interview in 2019. “And how they live the way they do. I cannot possibly understand or fathom living so much in the public eye, but obviously, it works.”
Kourtney Kardashian and Khloé Kardashian, meanwhile, were noticeably missing in years past. Things changed, however, in 2022 when the whole clan finally attended the fundraiser together.
Scroll through for more on the Kardashian-Jenner family’s relationship with Wintour:
