The most popular star at Met Gala 2025 was a debutant in a controversial dress; beat Zendaya, Rihanna, Shah Rukh, Kylie

The most popular star at Met Gala 2025 was a 28-year-old debutant, who courted some controversy with her outfit.

Updated on: May 13, 2025, 11:47:35 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

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The Met Gala 2025 saw a diverse range of global stars walk the blue carpet at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. From Asian pop stars to Bollywood icons, and the who-is-who of Hollywood, everyone was there. But who got the most eyeballs? The official Met Gala Power Rankings are now out, and they have a surprising name at the top - a 28-year-old debutant who outshone global superstars.

The most popular star at Met Gala

On Tuesday, The Hollywood Reporter revealed Launchmetrics' findings of which brands and stars earned the most media exposure (in millions) at the 2025 Met Gala. The Met Gala red carpet power rankings show which stars and brands generated the most amount of buzz online and earned the highest revenue. The 2025 rankings show that K-pop star Lisa, best known for her stint with the band BLACKPINK, ruled the roost, with a staggering $21.3 million in Media Impact Value (MIV). This implies that her red carpet appearance at the gala earned her $21.3 million through just social media.

Thai singer and actress Lalisa Manoban, known as Lisa, at the 2025 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025, in New York. Lisa topped the Met Gala power rankings released on Tuesday. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (AFP)

The 28-year-old made her Met Gala debut this year and comfortably beat bigger stars like Zendaya ($14.3 million) and Rihanna ($13.5 million). Kylie Jenner did not even find a spot on the top 5 women this year, with Thai actor Sarocha Chankimha aka Freen coming in at number 2, with $19.5 million MIV. Lisa's BLACKPINK bandmate Jennie was at number 3 with MIV of $17.6 million. Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, also making his debut at the Met Gala, topped the men's rankings with $19 million MIV, thereby also making it to the overall top 3.

Lisa's Met Gala debut

Lisa, a Thai singer and actor, rose to fame with BLACKPINK in 2016, but found global stardom in the last few years. This year, she crossed over to American mainstream fame with an appearance in season 3 of HBO's The White Lotus. Her Met Gala appearance was seen as the next stepping stone for her.

Lisa's outfit, meant to a tribute to black activists, saw some controversy because of the placement of Rosa Park's face on the underwear.

Dressed in a Louis Vuitton outfit, Lisa faced some backlash for featuring American civil rights activist Rosa Park's face on her underwear. Lisa later apologized to her fans and followers after this incident came to light. But the controversy did help Lisa trend on social media for a considerable amount of time, potentially leading to her topping the Power Rankings this year.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

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