Selena Gomez reflects on tanning mishap at 2018 Met Gala: ‘I’m going to get eaten alive about this’

Gomez did not attend the 2021 Met Gala that took place on 13 September at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art

Selena Gomez reflects on tanning mishap at 2018 Met Gala (AFP via Getty Images)

Selena Gomez has shared the story behind the 2018 Met Gala self-tanning mishap that had her running to her car from the prestigious event.

The 29-year-old reflected on the beauty malfunction during a newVogue Beauty Secrets video, where she shared her makeup routine for a night out.

While showing viewers how she applies her makeup, the Rare Beauty founder took the opportunity to tell the “funny story,” with Gomez recalling how she’d applied self-tanner shortly before the 2018 gala only to realise that it had gotten darker as the night went on.

“For the Met Gala, I was getting ready and we wanted to add some colour so put on some of this tanning lotion and it looked really beautiful and very even,” the Lose You To Love Me singer recalled. “As the evening kept going on, it was getting a little darker and darker and I didn’t notice it.”

Gomez then explained that, while her tan was getting darker unbeknownst to her, she was posing for pictures on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, “one of the most prestige, beautiful events” and “trying to look all beautiful”.

According to the Only Murders in the Building star, she didn’t realise how dark the self-tanner had gotten until she sat down at her table inside the gala and looked at a photo of herself.

“I look at a photo of myself when I sit down and I am completely orange,” she continued while laughing. “I was like: ‘This is going to be terrible because I’m going to get eaten alive about this.’”

As she continued laughing over the incident, Gomez recalled how she’d had her security team take a video of her running to her car in her white dress by Coach, as her first reaction was “just to get the hell out of there”.

Selena Gomez reflects on tanning mishap at 2018 Met Gala (Getty Images for New York Magazi)

“And so I’m running to my car, and I’m literally just hauling ass to my car and then I put it online and I was saying: ‘This is my reaction after seeing my Met Gala photos,’” the singer added of the Instagram video she posted of her speedy escape from the fashionable event.

The video, in which Gomez could be heard telling her security to “hurry” as she ran through the parking garage, has since been liked more than 2.5m times.

Gomez’s recollection came before the 2021 Met Gala returned on 13 September, after the annual gala was cancelled last year amid the Covid pandemic.

This year’s event, which will be part one of a two-part event, centred around the theme “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”. Part two of the event will take place on 2 May 2022 and follow the theme “In America: An Anthology of Fashion”.

The singer was among a number of celebrities who did not make appearances at this year’s gala, with her makeup artist Hung Vanngo revealing ahead of the event that she would not be in attendance after receiving numerous messages from fans.

“Hi Selenators, please kindly stop spamming my inbox! The answer is NO! Thanks,” Vanngo wrote on social media.