How Blue Ivy and Sunday Rose Got Into the Met Gala

Blue Ivy Carter, 14, and Sunday Rose Kidman Urban, 17, both attended the 2026 Met Gala despite its 18+ age restriction
Their moms — Beyoncé and Nicole Kidman — were both co-chairs of the event, which appears to have cleared the way for their daughters
Beyoncé gushed on the carpet that Blue Ivy was “ready,” while Kidman kissed her daughter’s hand on the museum steps
The 18-and-over rule has been in place since 2018, when Maddie Ziegler was turned away at age 15
Sunday wore Dior and Blue Ivy wore Balenciaga for their respective Met Gala debuts

The Met Gala has had a strict 18-and-over policy since 2018. But on Monday night, two of the most famous teenagers in the world walked right past that rule — and nobody was mad about it.

Blue Ivy Carter, 14, made her official Met Gala debut at the 2026 event, stepping onto the Metropolitan Museum of Art steps alongside her parents Beyoncé and Jay-Z. And across the carpet, Nicole Kidman arrived with her 17-year-old daughter Sunday Rose Kidman Urban for her first Met appearance as well. Two teens, one very exclusive party, and a very convenient explanation: their mothers were running the show.

Beyoncé co-chaired this year’s gala alongside Kidman, Venus Williams, and the ever-present Anna Wintour. It’s widely understood that when you’re one of the people organizing fashion’s biggest night, your guest list comes with a little more flexibility. The same logic applied to Kidman, who was serving as Met co-chair for the third time. An exception was seemingly made for both girls given their mothers’ roles — and judging by the reaction on the carpet, no one was raising any objections.

Blue Ivy Made Her Entrance — and She Was Ready

Blue Ivy did not ease into this moment. She arrived in a cream strapless Balenciaga gown, gold heels, diamonds, and a cropped bomber jacket draped off her shoulders with the kind of effortless cool that takes most people decades to develop. She’s 14.

Beyoncé, resplendent in a skeletal-inspired gown while Jay-Z kept it sharp in a classic black suit, could barely contain herself on the carpet. “She looks so beautiful,” she told Vogue. “It’s incredible to be able to share it with her.” Then, in case anyone had doubts: “She was ready! She is ready.”

It’s been quite a run for Blue Ivy. Last year she stole the show on the Cowboy Carter world tour, and before that she joined her mom on stage at the Grammys when Beyoncé finally took home Album of the Year. The Met Gala feels like the next logical chapter.

Sunday Rose Bloomed at Her First Met

Sunday Rose had her own story to tell on the steps. The 17-year-old — who only made her modeling debut last year and recently walked the Dior show in Paris — arrived in a pink beaded strapless Dior gown with an airy column skirt covered in floral embellishments. Statement floral earrings, pink eyeshadow, hair worn down and straightened. She looked like spring personified.

On the carpet, she opened up about why the look meant something to her. “Mine is really special to me because I kinda wanted to symbolize something blooming — it’s my first Met,” she told Vogue. “Blooming into something.”

Kidman was glowing beside her, dressed in a showstopping red sequined Chanel gown with feathered sleeves — a look she said she chose because red represents “passion, love, vitality, power, and motherhood.” The two held hands walking up the steps, and at one point Kidman gestured to her daughter, bowed down, and kissed her hand. As moments go, it was a lot.

“I have a springtime, blossoming girl right here!” Kidman gushed. Then, with the dry wit only a mother can deliver: “She has to be in school tomorrow morning. She’ll be in school by 8 a.m.”

Kidman had been looking forward to this for a while. Back in March, she told Las Culturistas, “This is, I think it’s the third time I’ve co-chaired, but to do it now? I’m so, so happy, and my daughter Sunday will be coming. And she loves fashion. She’s actually just walked the Dior show. Yeah, she’s flying back from Paris now.”

Sunday, for her part, has spoken candidly about her mother’s influence on her path. “My mum is someone who has always been so creative and my biggest inspiration in life,” she told Elle Australia after her modeling debut. “She’s a key part of everything I do.” The most practical piece of advice Kidman passed along? Always be on time. “It shows that you’re prepared and grateful to be there,” Sunday said.

The Rule That Usually Keeps Teens Out

The 18-and-over policy at the Met Gala isn’t new — it’s been in place since 2018, and it has real teeth. When the restriction first kicked in, then-15-year-old Dance Moms alum Maddie Ziegler told The Hollywood Reporter plainly: “I can’t go, because I’m not old enough.” An event organizer confirmed at the time, “It’s not an appropriate event for people under 18.”

Before the rule went into effect, some of the youngest guests in Met history included Jaden and Willow Smith, who attended in 2016 at 17 and 15 respectively, and Hailee Steinfeld, who first climbed those steps in 2011 at just 15 years old.

The co-chair connection clearly carries weight. When your mother is literally one of the people running the evening — alongside Anna Wintour, no less — the velvet rope moves a little.

And honestly? Both girls more than held their own. Blue Ivy in Balenciaga. Sunday Rose in Dior. Fashion is art, the theme declared. These two took that seriously.