Met Gala

Jack Harlow is currently maximizing his "First Class" seat in hip hop ... calling on some heavy hitters to ensure his sophomore album "Come Home The Kids Miss You" doesn't slump when it drops.

Just yesterday, Harlow hinted that his album, dropping Friday, features nothing but legends and on Tuesday, he unveiled the full 15-song tracklist ... including those guests -- Drake, Pharrell, Lil Wayne and Justin Timberlake.

Pretty legendary list, for sure ... one that's sending fans and haters into a frenzy.

It's already been a big week for JH, who's coming off having the No. 1 song in the country with his "First Class" single. He attended the Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks playoff game as the referees openly asked who the hell he was ... and attended Monday's glitzy 2022 Met Gala, where he rocked a dark chocolate Givenchy suit.

And while DJ Akademiks predicted Harlow will have the No. 1 album in the country once it drops ... foretelling the Billboard chart doesn't always bode well for artists.

In January, The Weeknd and his "Dawn FM" album lost a tight sales battle to Gunna's "DS4EVER" after it was reported Abel was crowning the chart. Additionally, 6ix9ine's 2020 "TattleTales" album was initially projected to go No. 1, but the actual sales put Big Sean's "Detroit 2" in the top spot.

Cardi B has had it with fame, saying the price of being a celebrity has created constant ridicule and has put a target on her back ... after some drama from her Met Gala party.

Cardi took to IG Live Tuesday and let it all out -- saying she feels like a prisoner of fame -- and that she hasn't been able to be her true self since 2014. The timing of her video comes on the heels of some now-viral clips popping up from her Met Gala after-party.

In one clip, Cardi offers a toast to partygoers at Playboy's The Boom Boom After Party, wishing them a good time and encouraging them to drink up ... but it's her snorting gesture that has people pissed.

Cardi seemingly addressed that anger in her live confessional, saying she feels like she can't even make jokes anymore without people taking it seriously.

There's also a clip of Billie Eilish at the bash, who many thought was calling Cardi "weird" as she entertained guests. Cardi squashed that rumor too, posting DMs between her and Eilish where Billie says she was only calling the partygoers taking photos of Cardi's butt "weird" ... so no beef there.

Believe it or not, Kim Kardashian was first told she couldn't wear Marilyn Monroe's iconic dress to the Met Gala ... but the museum holding the piece had a change of heart after Kim put in the work.

A spokesperson for Ripley's tells TMZ ... Kim's team reached out a few months ago after doing some research about the dress.

They met in March for a fitting but it didn't go well -- both Kim and the Ripley reps weren't happy with how it fit her, and the museum denied its use. Remember, the dress is 60 years old so the fabric and seams needed to be handled gently.

Determined to make it work, we're told Kim came back to Ripleys a month later, after shedding some weight -- a reported 16 pounds -- and it was a better fit.

As for the Met Gala carpet, Kim wore the actual dress to walk and take photos, but then changed into a replica for the actual event inside -- and returned the OG to Ripley's.

You might think Ripley's would've requested a rental fee ... but we're told instead, Kim's making 2 donations to orgs in the Orlando area on the museum's behalf.

The Met Gala is officially wrapped, but the stars weren't done partying after walking into the museum -- far from it, in fact ... every famous face around was at either one of 3 shindigs.

After Monday's fashion-forward event ... celebs flocked to a few of the after-parties in the Big Apple that essentially became a who's-who of Hollywood. We'll lay out some of the names at each bash ... and you can decide which one was the place to be when the sun went down.

First, there was the Casa Cipriani after-party -- hosted by Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell -- which drew A-listers like Vanessa Hudgens, Cara Delevingne, Gunna, Bella Hadid, Ansel Elgort, Jared Leto, Leonardo DiCaprio, Billie Eilish, Winnie Harlow, Joshua Jackson ... just to name a few.

SAINt JHN performed for the crowd, as folks enjoyed the hits, while also mingling and posing with one another for selfies, and admiring one another's outfits. There was a lot of that happening.

Not too far was another get-together at the Standard Hotel -- this one's being attributed to Cardi B -- and there, too, stars showed up in droves to hobnob and mingle.

Among some of the biggest names ... Dove Cameron, Tessa Thompson, Normani, Camila Mendes, Future, Justin Theroux, Cardi B, Camila Cabello, Erykah Badu, Brooklyn Beckham, Alicia Keys, Wendy Williams ... and more.

There was one final party, and that one was at Zero Bond ... seems like it was for the younger crowd. Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, Addison Rae, Olivia Rodrigo, Kaia Gerber and Austin Butler were there. It also looks like a lot of these folks were double-dipping ... hopscotching from one even to another.

Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner both looked spectacular Monday night at the Met Gala ... but the imagery re-creates one of the toughest moments in the real Jackie Kennedy's life.

Kim's dress was the actual garment worn by Marilyn Monroe when she sang a super-sexy Happy Birthday to JFK May 19, 1962 at Madison Square Garden.

It was a secret to the public but not so much in the Beltway ... JFK was banging Marilyn (as was RFK) ... and everything about Marilyn that night undeniably oozed sexuality. Lots of folks in that circle say Jackie Kennedy was less than pleased ... that's an understatement.

In fact, JFK was also taken aback and shortly thereafter both he and RFK cut off their relationship with Marilyn. The actress was livid and felt used, and even started calling the White House with her grievances.

The new Netflix documentary, "The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes," gets into the birthday song in-depth and how it affected all the relationships. According to the doc -- and there was compelling evidence this is true -- Bobby Kennedy flew to L.A. on August 4, 1962, the day she died, and went to talk to Marilyn. Eyewitnesses say they got in a huge argument, Robert left and scurried out of L.A., and Marilyn then OD'd on prescription drugs.

Kim Kardashian hit the snooze on Met Gala after-parties ... choosing to head back to the hotel with Pete Davidson for the carbs they craved after 3 weeks of dieting!!!

Kim made a beeline for the Ritz Carlton in NYC for pizza and donuts with Pete after the shindig. The couple had towers of pizza at the ready, and fresh donuts made in their hotel suite. Unlikely the 2 will annihilate all the boxes, so we're guessing they were expecting company.

Kim says she's passed on carbs for weeks, and you can hear in her voice how she's been longing for a slice or two. Kim said she had to lose 16 pounds to squeeze into that dress ... the same one Marilyn Monroe wore 6 decades ago when she sang her sexy version of "Happy Birthday" to JFK.

Kim's been hinting at wearing the dress for some time ... first, she said she couldn't tailor her outfit, and then she and Pete were spotted leaving "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" museum in Orlando, where the iconic dress is on display.

After gobbling down some pizza and donuts, Kim and Pete headed for the airport and flew back to L.A. Khloe also came along for the ride home.

And, as you know by now, they arrived home in victory, winning a solid victory against Blac Chyna Monday in her defamation trial.

Odell Beckham had one of the most expensive outfits at the Met Gala ... and it's all thanks to his incredible $650k diamond chain!!

TMZ Sports spoke with OBJ's go-to guy, Gabriel the Jeweler ... who tells us the wide receiver copped the ice right before Monday's big event.

Beckham donned a green velvet hoodie for the Gala ... accenting it with the massive chain and rings.

The chain is truly one of a kind -- we're told it's made with 300 carats of round diamonds, 200 carats of emerald-cut diamonds and 2 1/2 kilos of gold.

Of course, Gabe is the mastermind behind some of OBJ's most iconic pieces ... and has worked with superstars like Antonio Brown, Fernando Tatis, Joe Mixon and more over the years.

Other athletes at the Gala include Russell Westbrook, Dwyane Wade, Chloe Kim and Venus Williams ... who all killed it with the "Gilded Glamour" theme.

Wendy Williams is doubling down on her return to TV -- vowing she'll be back on the air later this year ... this while partying it up during the Met Gala.

The longtime host -- who's been MIA from her program for about a year due to health issues -- was painting the town red Monday night in NYC with Jason Lee ... where she hit the Standard Hotel for an after-party hosted by Cardi B.

Speaking of red, her dress was quite the sight ... but check out the quick convo we snuck in as she was entering the building. Our photog asks if Wendy is, indeed, going to take the reins on 'The Wendy Williams Show' again -- and sure enough ... she tells us she will.

Watch to see what her timeline is ... sounds like WW is eyeing a fall lineup, but the details are still a bit hazy. Of course, Sherri Shepherd has permanently replaced Wendy ... so it's unlikely the OG will return to that show.

In any case, it's great to see her in such high spirits -- as you know, she's been dealing with a lot lately beyond just her medical care ... Wendy's in a financial battle, of sorts, but she put on a happy face for us here.

Kim Kardashian rocked Marilyn Monroe's iconic dress at the Met Gala ... but, the struggle was real, when it came to actually getting into the iconic garment.

Kim and her boo, Pete Davidson, hit up Ripley's in Orlando 10 days before the NYC shindig ... and it was a whole process getting it to properly fit.

Check it out ... it takes several minutes and all hands on deck to help her get MM's "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" dress over her butt.

It's funny ... at first, Pete chats with her from the sidelines, before jumping in to help ... imploring her to relax and breathe.

The basic problem -- the dress wouldn't zip over her butt, and she couldn't alter it. So, the solution ... a white, vintage fur coat that draped over the zipper which was only partially fastened.

Here's the thing ... Kim wore the real MM dress on the red carpet, but then scurried away into a room to change into a replica dress that fit a lot better, and that's what she wore during the event.

BTW ... the real dress apparently was never cleaned after Marilyn wore it ... hence some dirt marks at the very bottom of the dress.

Ripley's gifted Kim a jar of Marilyn's hair, and in the video she says she's gonna sleep with it every night, adding, "Sorry Pete!" Pete laughed out loud ... clearly not threatened!

Kim Kardashian is channeling her inner Marilyn Monroe ... wearing the exact same dress MM wore during a sexy performance for John F. Kennedy to The Met Gala.

Kim just arrived at the ball wearing Marilyn's iconic "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" dress ... she was the last one to show, arriving with Pete Davidson, who was dressed in Dior.

The dress, originally designed by Jean Louis, was first worn by Marilyn way back in May 1962, when she gave a sexed-up bday performance for JFK at another famous fundraiser in New York.

Some 60 years later, Kim has taken the dress off of a display at a museum, and rocking it at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Kim's been hinting at wearing the dress for some time ... first, she said she couldn't tailor her outfit, which hints at something from an archive, and then she and Pete were spotted leaving "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" museum in Orlando, where the iconic dress is on display.

It's one of the most expensive dresses in the world ... the original $12,000 price tag in 1962 is equivalent to about $114k in today's dollars ... and Ripley's bought the dress from Julien's Auction in November 2016 for $4.81 million.

It's that time of year again ... the Met Gala is in full effect, as celebs make their way down the red carpet for the biggest night in fashion.

Regina King, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are this year's co-chairs along with Tom Ford, Anna Wintour and Adam Mosseri.

Blake walked the carpet in a color-changing gown by Versace.

Celebs are starting to pour in, including Kaia Gerber, Caroline Wozniacki, Melissa King, Annie Leibovitz, Kacey Musgraves and Tommy Dorfman.

Austin Butler, who is set to play Elvis in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic, walked the carpet with Priscilla Presley.

La La Anthony and Vanessa Hudgens are hosting Vogue's red carpet, and they have both arrived ... wearing floor-length gowns, along with Rachel Smith -- of course, with their own edge.

We're bound to see a variety of dresses and suits, to go along with the theme -- "In America: An Anthology of Fashion." This year's dress code is all about 'gilded fashion' and 'white tie' ... so it sounds like it'll be pretty extravagant.

We know "Euphoria" star, Zendaya, won't be in attendance tonight, but we will probably see some of her Euphoria co-stars ... including Sydney Sweeney, who is expected for the first time. Speaking of debuts, we're expected to see Kim and Pete pop out together.

The Kardashians have come out victorious in their fierce legal battle with Blac Chyna ... who sued them for defamation, but the jury's riding with the family.

Before the verdict was read, it was apparent the Kardashians were nowhere to be found. The clerk asked their lawyer where they were, and the attorney responded, they were all in NYC, "at some gala." Obviously, they're at the Met.

As you know ... the Kardashians and Chyna have been squaring off in court for the past few weeks over the $100-million lawsuit BC filed back in 2017, accusing the Kardashians of defaming her and conspiring to ruin her career by getting her reality show with Rob canceled.

The trial featured tons of explosive testimony ... with the Kardashians claiming Chyna was violent with Rob, threatening to kill him and Kylie Jenner.

Much of the testimony focused on an incident between Chyna and Rob in December 2016 ... when she was pregnant with their child and their reality show, "Rob & Chyna," was in the midst of being picked up for a second season.

The Kardashians claimed Chyna threatened to kill Rob by putting a gun to his head and wrapping a phone cord around his neck, alleging she also hit him with a metal rod and threw furniture at his car when he tried to leave the heated argument.

Chyna testified she was only joking when she pointed a firearm at his temple and wrapped the cord around him, and she denied throwing anything at his car or hitting him.

There was lots of drama outside the courtroom too ... with Blac Chyna's mom, Tokyo Toni, appearing to threaten the judge who had tossed her outta the courtroom for trashing Kris Jenner and her kids. TT claimed her threat was aimed at Kris, not the judge.

Almost all of the Kardashians took the stand at some point ... including Kris, Khloe, Kim, Kylie and Rob ... plus Kris' BF, Corey Gamble.

Justin Bieber is ready to leave some legal drama in the past ... officially asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit JB brought against two women who accused him of sexual assault

The singer filed to dismiss his defamation suit against a couple of Jane Does ... who, in 2020, alleged he'd violated them in 2014 and 2015.

While Justin was clearly outraged by the claims at first -- vehemently denying them -- a source with direct knowledge tells us he chose to dismiss the case because he felt he'd made his point and wanted to move on.

As you'll recall ... Bieber pointed out what he called major holes in the accuser's stories, insisting he had proof that he was NOT at any of the locations they said he was when the alleged assaults occurred.

In Jane Doe #1's case, the woman claimed he sexually assaulted her at a Four Seasons following a SXSW event in Austin. JB claimed he never stepped foot in there on the night in question ... but rather, stayed at a nearby rental property with then-GF Selena Gomez.

Kim Kardashian isn't just moving on from Kanye in marriage, she's apparently moving on from him in fashion, too ... changing in the signature Balenciaga looks he styled her in for Prada.

Kim's been in Milan for fashion week, and has looked noticeably different ... rocking 3 menswear getups from Prada's autumn/winter collection, all designed by Raf Simons. In fact, she's not just wearing Prada, she's hanging out with brand honchos too.

Kim was spotted leaving a private dinner at Restaurant Torre at Fondazione Prada Thursday night -- where she chowed down with Miuccia Prada, Anna Wintour and Raf Simons -- all after taking in the Prada fashion show.

A source close to Kim tells us, "Kim has relied on Kanye's style direction for the last 10 years and is finally feeling confident enough to step out without his help. She is working directly with designers of her choosing and is finally finding her own voice."

Of course, Kanye's dressed Kim for years but has almost exclusively dressed her in Balenciaga for the past year, including the full-mask look at the Met Gala.

Kim's switch-up certainly seems to be just another declaration she's moving on ... and is set to legally do just that next week in court when a judge will almost without a doubt restore her to single status. If she shows up in court, we're guessing it will be Prada head to toe.

Kanye West appears to be burning more bridges with people he was once close with -- saying that Kid Cudi will not be appearing on his new album ... because of Pete Davidson.

The omission was made crystal clear Saturday, with Ye taking to IG to specifically call out KC and his participation in "Donda 2" -- or a lack thereof, rather -- while attributing it to Cudi's friendship with Kim Kardashian's boyfriend.

Kanye posted a photo of a note he seems to have handwritten on, which reads ... "Just so everyone knows Cudi will not be on Donda because he's friends with you know who."

He adds ... "We all speak in Billie language now," a clear reference to his recent feud with Billie Eilish, whom he demanded apologize for a perceived shot at Travis Scott. KW's caption is also telling ... he simply added a shrug emoji 🤷🏽‍♂️ to emphasize his point here.

There's been speculation about who will or won't be on "Donda 2" ... because, frankly, a lot has happened since Ye released his OG album of the same name. BTW, Cudi did end up getting featured on a deluxe version of "Donda," but it seems he's been iced out for round 2.

As for Cudi and Pete's history ... they've been buds for a handful of years now, dating back to that time Pete attended a birthday dinner that ended up featuring the likes of Kanye and Timothee Chalamet.

Pete and Cudi have also hung out together even more recently, including at last year's Met Gala ... where they were photographed together during an after-party event.

Seems like Ye's drawing a line in the sand here over where he thinks alliances lie ... Cudi has yet to respond publicly.

Kim Kardashian is honoring the later Thierry Mugler ... the designer who's played a big part in her fashion looks over the years.

Kim broke her silence Monday ... finally reacting publicly to Thierry's sudden death over the weekend. She posted a bunch of pics showing a number of different fits that were Mugler designs, and wrote, "Manfred Thierry Mugler 💔 My heart breaks. There’s no one like you! Your vision, your transformations, your magic! I am so honored to have known you, spent time with you and be a muse for you."

She added, "I will never forget our time together around the world and learning from the master himself on what couture really meant!"

And finally, Kim finishes by saying ... "You always said beauty will save the world - and you really believed it was a better place because of the beauty all around! Thank you for the beauty. I love you so much."

As we reported, the 73-year-old French designer died this weekend unexpectedly ... shocking the fashion world and beyond.