The 2020 Met Gala was supposed to be held on May 4 but was canceled due to the coronavirus, and to commemorate the day, Vogue published an oral history of the Met Gala including behind-the-scenes stories from celebrities, designers, models and more. One recollection came from former Vogue creative digital director Sally Singer, who wrote about Jessica Simpson and then-boyfriend John Mayer attending the 2007 event together.
“She was wearing Michael Kors and her breasts maybe fell out of her dress on the red carpet…and then at dinner it was suddenly like, whoa, Jessica Simpson’s breasts are across from me at the dinner table and they are on a platter and I’m looking at them,” Singer said. “And John Mayer was putting his hands on them at the dinner table. He kind of reached down and I just remember thinking, ‘Oh, celebrities, feel free to play here. That’s what’s going on.’” Simpson wore a plunging metallic beaded Roberto Cavalli halter gown to the 2007 gala, which was themed “Poiret: King of Fashion.”
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Simpson responded to Singer on Instagram on Tuesday, posting the infamous photo of Sophia Loren and Jayne Mansfield, and calling Singer’s story “inaccurate” and “nauseating” while drawing comparisons to the late actress. “Feeling a little like Jayne Mansfield after reading this (inaccurate!) oral history of the #MetBall where I am body shamed by #SallySinger,” the mom of three wrote. “But in all seriousness I have persevered through shaming my own body and internalizing the world’s opinions about it for my entire adult life. To read this much anticipated article about the classiest fashion event there is and have to be shamed by another woman for having boobs in 2020 is nauseating.”
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Vogue responded to Simpson in a statement to TODAY. “We are sorry that Jessica felt body-shamed by the anecdote in our Met piece,” the statement read. “That was never our intent, but we understand her reaction and we apologize for including it.” Designer Michael Kors also named Simpson in his excerpt for the oral history, recalling a wardrobe malfunction the singer suffered when Kors dressed her for the 2005 gala, themed “The House of Chanel.” Simpson wore a strapless red and black floral print gown with chandelier diamond earrings, her hair in a braided bun.
“I went with Jessica Simpson one year and she went to the ladies’ room and she seemed to be gone from the table for quite a while,” Kors said. “So I got a little nervous and I was hoping she was okay. And I went to the ladies room, which always was the best party at the Met Gala, especially during the early 2000s. I opened the door, and it was basically a full party going on and I didn’t see her. She was in a stall because her zipper broke and she actually couldn’t close her dress. So we got a needle and thread and we sewed her back into the dress!”
