The Latest: The Met Gala opens as rain fails to dim the stars for fashion's biggest night

NEW YORK (AP) — Fashion's biggest night got underway Monday at the Met Gala in a rainy Manhattan.

This is the first Met Gala to focus exclusively on Black designers, and the first in more than 20 years to have a menswear theme. This year's theme is based on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s spring exhibit, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”

Among the hosts are Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo and A$AP Rocky. LeBron James was made honorary chair but will not attend because of a knee injury.

The guest list includes about 450 people from tech, sports, art, entertainment and more.

Vogue’s Anna Wintour is the gala’s mastermind. The gala raises the bulk of the budget for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

Rain fell in the city as guests began walking the carpet.

For full coverage of the Met Gala, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/met-gala

Here’s the latest:

Rihanna shut down a rainy Met Gala and showed off her newly announced baby bump.

Her Marc Jacobs look included tied sleeves of a men’s suit that served as a bustle behind her as she posed for the cameras, the last to walk the carpet as usual. Her hair hung long in a mermaid twist behind her.

After waiting until 10 p.m. for her arrival, the remaining members of the press scurried out.

Damson Idris is kicking off the “F1” campaign in style. The actor pulled up to the event in a race car from the film wearing a Tommy Hilfiger-designed racing suit and embellished helmet featuring 20,000 Swarovski crystals. Eventually, he took off the kit and helmet to reveal a tailored suit.

Idris wasn’t the only person repping the upcoming film (in theaters June 27), in which he stars alongside Brad Pitt as an up-and-coming racer in the glamorous world of Formula One. Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton, who was involved in the film from the earliest days as a consultant, is a co-chair of the Met Gala.

Several cast members from the recently wrapped Season 3 of “The White Lotus” turned out on the blue carpet, including Aimee Lou Wood and Walton Goggins, Patrick Schwarzenegger and Lisa.

Goggins and Lisa walked separately, but Wood and Schwarzenegger spoke to Vogue before walking the carpet together.

Shah Rukh Khan is a Bollywood megastar, with legions of fans the world over. At 59, with decades of fame under his belt, he’s finally making his Met Gala debut — in Sabyasachi.

Bollywood celebrities aren’t strangers to the Met Gala, but it’s rarer for a male actor to appear. In recent years, Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone and crossover star Priyanka Chopra Jonas have represented the Hindi film industry at the annual fundraiser.

“I’ve not done too many red carpets, I’m very shy,” Khan, toting a cane and necklace with a large K, told Vogue. He credited his attendance to Sabyasachi, and said he informed the designer he only wore black and white.

“Just to give you a little bit of context, Shah Rukh Khan is probably one of most famous men in the world,” the designer, who sported a literal feather in his cap, said. “And his fan following is legendary, and we nearly had a stampede outside of our hotel when he came out.”

“It feels amazing, you know,” gala co-chair A$AP Rocky told reporters who congratulated him after outlets reported the couple was expecting their third child. “It’s time that we show the people what we was cooking up. And I’m glad everybody’s happy for us ‘cause we definitely happy, you know.”

TMZ reported earlier Monday that Rihanna and the rapper were expecting their third child. A representative for Rihanna didn’t immediately return The Associated Press’ request for comment. Photos taken of the singer Monday walking in New York showed her with what appeared to be a baby bump.

“Honestly, it’s a blessing nonetheless,” Rocky told the AP. “Because you know how like some people in other situations at times can be envious of other people. But we’ve been seeing love for the most part. And we real receptive to that and appreciate that, you know what I mean? That’s love. Love is love.”

Despite the “Tailored For You'' menswear dress code, there were a surprising number of stars wearing gowns on the blue carpet.

From rapper Megan Thee Stallion to model Gigi Hadid, the celebrities chose dresses over suited looks.

Sabrina Carpenter wore ... most of a Pharrell Williams for Louis Vuitton suit. Most, because it featured a jacket and no pants.

Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens made a stylish pit stop at the Met Gala just a day before celebrating their anniversary.

The Olympian and the Chicago Bears defensive back showed up dapper and dazzling, admitting Met prep was more nerve-wracking than a gymnastics meet or NFL game.

‘I train for the Olympics my whole life, and this is like a one-day event,’ Biles joked in her short blue dress. “Got in yesterday, we did all the fittings and it’s just a lot. It’s stressful.”

The couple attended the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered about a block away from the gala as the area immediately around the museum had been cordoned off by police.

Organizers calling for protesters to “surround” the Met in social media posts claimed the Manhattan institution is “tied to genocide in every way possible.”

Within Our Lifetime also called out celebrities for continuing to “flaunt their extreme wealth and materialism” as residents of Gaza suffered in the ongoing war with Israel.

Video clips shared on social media showed some protesters hopping over barricades as they marched in the rain through Central Park. Other clips showed protesters met by vocal counterprotesters supporting Israel.

New York City police said Monday evening that no arrests had been made.

It’s the second year in a row that protests have taken place outside the gala.

Allow Diana Ross to collect her flowers. The Motown icon arrived in a massive ivory train as a starstruck Zendaya — and everyone else — looked on. In some ways, it recalled the memorable yellow train wore by Rihanna a decade ago — the Guo Pei couture gown that lit up the internet at the 2015 Met Gala.

Ross had six men helping her with her train at the top of the Met steps. She fanned herself from the heat as they helped her remove her long feathered train. She said the dress was vintage and she’d had it forever.

The inside of the train, she told Vogue, had the names of “all my children and my eight grandchildren” embroidered in it.

Zendaya wore a white suit with a hat.

R&B star Coco Jones is having a better time than most. Last week, she released her debut album, “Why Not More?” And on Monday, she stunned in custom Manish Malhotra at the Met Gala — an ivory white suit with a long train.

“This is where fashion meets intention,” Jones told Vogue on the carpet. “I think this is going to be historic for our culture.”

And Tuesday: A tour kicks off in Philadelphia for the singer. Not a bad way to start the week.

A choir of tuxedo-dressed men added some liveliness to the carpet erupting in the classic “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.

Vogue host LaLa Anthony and others cheered on the choir.

At the bottom of the carpet, Anna Wintour beamed at the choir as Colman Domingo danced in place.

Teyana Taylor was among the early arrivals.

Pharrell Williams’ jacket consists of 15,000 pearls and took 400 hours to construct, a representative with him confirmed.

Williams is Louis Vuitton’s men’s creative director and a gala co-chair.

LISA attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Walton Goggins attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Aimee Lou Wood attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Aimee Lou Wood, left, Patrick Schwarzenegger attend The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

A$AP Rocky attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Teyana Taylor attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Pharrell Williams attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Jonathan Owens, left, and Simone Biles depart The Carlyle Hotel prior to attending The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

Simone Biles attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Zendaya attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Coco Jones attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Diana Ross attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Colman Domingo attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Lewis Hamilton attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

U.S. President Donald Trump says Iran has proposed negotiations after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic as an ongoing crackdown on demonstrators has led to hundreds of deaths.

Trump said late Sunday that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports mount of increasing deaths and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night.

Iran did not acknowledge Trump’s comments immediately. It has previously warned the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has accurately reported on past unrest in Iran, gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran cross checking information. It said at least 544 people have been killed so far, including 496 protesters and 48 people from the security forces. It said more than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

The Latest:

A witness told the AP that the streets of Tehran empty at the sunset call to prayers each night.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, addressed “Dear parents,” which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

—- By Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Iran drew tens of thousands of pro-government demonstrators to the streets Monday in a show of power after nationwide protests challenging the country’s theocracy.

Iranian state television showed images of demonstrators thronging Tehran toward Enghelab Square in the capital.

It called the demonstration an “Iranian uprising against American-Zionist terrorism,” without addressing the underlying anger in the country over the nation’s ailing economy. That sparked the protests over two weeks ago.

State television aired images of such demonstrations around the country, trying to signal it had overcome the protests, as claimed by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier in the day.

China says it opposes the use of force in international relations and expressed hope the Iranian government and people are “able to overcome the current difficulties and maintain national stability.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Monday that Beijing “always opposes interference in other countries’ internal affairs, maintains that the sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law, and opposes the use or threat of use of force in international relations.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned “in the strongest terms the violence that the leadership in Iran is directing against its own people.”

He said it was a sign of weakness rather than strength, adding that “this violence must end.”

Merz said during a visit to India that the demonstrators deserve “the greatest respect” for the courage with which “they are resisting the disproportional, brutal violence of Iranian security forces.”

He said: “I call on the Iranian leadership to protect its population rather than threatening it.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman on Monday suggested that a channel remained open with the United States.

Esmail Baghaei made the comment during a news conference in Tehran.

“It is open and whenever needed, through that channel, the necessary messages are exchanged,” he said.

However, Baghaei said such talks needed to be “based on the acceptance of mutual interests and concerns, not a negotiation that is one-sided, unilateral and based on dictation.”

The semiofficial Fars news agency in Iran, which is close to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, on Monday began calling out Iranian celebrities and leaders on social media who have expressed support for the protests over the past two weeks, especially before the internet was shut down.

The threat comes as writers and other cultural leaders were targeted even before protests. The news agency highlighted specific celebrities who posted in solidarity with the protesters and scolded them for not condemning vandalism and destruction to public property or the deaths of security forces killed during clashes. The news agency accused those celebrities and leaders of inciting riots by expressing their support.

Canada said it “stands with the brave people of Iran” in a statement on social media that strongly condemned the killing of protesters during widespread protests that have rocked the country over the past two weeks.

“The Iranian regime must halt its horrific repression and intimidation and respect the human rights of its citizens,” Canada’s government said on Monday.

Iran’s foreign minister claimed Monday that “the situation has come under total control” after a bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in the country.

Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim.

Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.

Iran’s foreign minister alleged Monday that nationwide protests in his nation “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse” for U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene.

Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim, which comes after over 500 have been reported killed by activists -- the vast majority coming from demonstrators.

Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.

Iran has summoned the British ambassador over protesters twice taking down the Iranian flag at their embassy in London.

Iranian state television also said Monday that it complained about “certain terrorist organization that, under the guise of media, spread lies and promote violence and terrorism.” The United Kingdom is home to offices of the BBC’s Persian service and Iran International, both which long have been targeted by Iran.

A huge crowd of demonstrators, some waving the flag of Iran, gathered Sunday afternoon along Veteran Avenue in LA’s Westwood neighborhood to protest against the Iranian government. Police eventually issued a dispersal order, and by early evening only about a hundred protesters were still in the area, ABC7 reported.

Los Angeles is home to the largest Iranian community outside of Iran.

Los Angeles police responded Sunday after somebody drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with the the demonstrators, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver. A police statement said one person was hit by the truck but nobody was seriously hurt.

The driver, a man who was not identified, was detained “pending further investigation,” police said in a statement Sunday evening.

Shiite Muslims hold placards and chant slogans during a protest against the U.S. and show solidarity with Iran in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Activists carrying a photograph of Reza Pahlavi take part in a rally supporting protesters in Iran at Lafayette Park, across from the White House, in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Activists take part in a rally supporting protesters in Iran at Lafayette Park, across from the White House in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Protesters burn the Iranian national flag during a rally in support of the nationwide mass demonstrations in Iran against the government in Paris, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)