Entertainment Awards Shows and Events 2024 Met Gala The Surprise Star of the 2023 Met Gala Red Carpet Is a Cockroach: Watch the Viral Moment Photographers on the red carpet couldn't help but snap this New York moment By Hedy Phillips Hedy Phillips Hedy Phillips is the Style Editor at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2022. Her work has previously appeared in POPSUGAR, HelloGiggles, Reader's Digest and more. People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 1, 2023 11:49PM EDT Photo: People/Twitter Paris Hilton! Rihanna! Gisele Bündchen! And a cockroach? All of these names walked the 2023 Met Gala red carpet, though the cockroach was definitely not invited. While fashion's biggest night was taking place on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the most New York thing that could happen actually happened: a cockroach waltzed in. Photographers and reporters all snapped photos and videos of the cockroach that made its Met Gala debut among the stars, and the moment is already going viral. The Met Gala Co-Chairs Through the Years Plenty of people on social media had jokes about the cockroach taking a trip up the stairs, with one person writing, "Imagine a cockroach outdressing everyone at the met gala." Another chimed in with, "Honestly a cockroach stealing the snow and "walking" the Met Gala carpet is the most fantastic thing I've ever seen in my entire life." Several joked about the cockroach getting its place on the Met steps ahead of some of their favorite stars, playing up how hard it is to get an invitation to the exclusive party. And though the little cockroach brought much joy to those covering the red carpet, it unfortunately met its untimely end, as Variety revealed on Twitter. The Best Met Gala Looks of All Time Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. As a hilarious follow-up, Variety later shared a death notice for the roach, informing the audience that it had indeed died. "It is with deep sadness that we must report the #MetGala cockroach was stepped on. #RIP" The cockroach may not have made it inside the Met Gala, but plenty of other stars did. This year's Met Gala, officially titled "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty," celebrates the iconic fashion designer who died in February 2019. The exclusive, invite-only affair draws in the eager eyes of style seekers who can't wait to catch a glimpse of the star-studded red carpet looks that revolve around a carefully crafted theme. "Celebrities, designers, and change-makers are challenged to create costumes that serve as both a fashion statement and a tribute to the concept," per Vogue.