EJ Johnson calls 2026 Met Gala a ‘graveyard,’ says looks were ‘awful on awful on awful’

The media personality did not hold back while critiquing this year’s celebrity looks, calling out everyone from Beyoncé to Kim Kardashian.

EJ Johnson had thoughts about the 2026 Met Gala, and they did not hold back.

The socialite and media personality, child of NBA legend Magic Johnson and Cookie Johnson, took to Instagram with a reel laying out everything they felt went wrong on the red carpet. TheGrio previously covered the full range of Black stars who showed up and showed out at this year’s “Costume Art” themed event. EJ’s Met Gala critique was direct, from the jump.

“We need to talk about the Met Gala. We need to talk about the graveyard that this event has become,” Johnson said. “Oh, my God.”

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From there, the 33-year-old went through the looks, calling them “awful on awful and awful, and then a little more awful.” Their argument was that the biggest names in attendance — Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Kim Kardashian, all of whom they named specifically — fell short of the moment. “The names are not naming,” Johnson said, meaning the celebrities with the most cultural pull were not delivering on the fashion front.

The Met Gala review took a particularly sharp turn when they got to Beyoncé, comparing her look to both the Grim Reaper and animated supervillain Skeletor. Johnson insisted this was not about star power but about execution, saying “no one was even trying” despite the caliber of the guest list, including what they called “it girls” like Hailey Bieber, Gigi Hadid and Zoë Kravitz.

The one exception Johnson made was for 24-year-old influencer Emma Chamberlain. “The only one who came to work was Emma Chamberlain, honey,” Johnson said of her hand-painted custom Mugler gown. “She gave us that vintage Mugler, which was so beautiful on her.”

Johnson closed the reel with a plea to let the event go entirely. “Let the Met Ball go. I’m gonna shed a tear right now if I can,” they said. Whether or not the EJ Johnson Met Gala verdict lands with fashion fans, it made one thing clear: they are not interested in being polite about it.