Met Gala: Italian model 'fired' for stealing Kylie Jenner's spotlight
What's the story
Italian model Eugenio Casnighi has claimed that he was dismissed from his role at the 2024 Met Gala due to overshadowing reality TV star Kylie Jenner at last year's event.
The 26-year-old—who had served as a greeter at the Metropolitan Museum of Art event for two years—made these allegations in a TikTok video posted on Saturday.
"I just got fired from the Met Gala," Casnighi stated, later sharing several photos of him with Jenner from 2023's gala.
Viral attention
Model believes viral popularity led to his termination
Casnighi believes his termination was due to the viral attention he received for his "good looks."
"They fired me because I went viral last year," he said in the video.
He further shared that he was told, "You made it about yourself, so we can't have you work there anymore. I'm sorry."
He disclosed that he has never been able to discuss the attention he received from the event due to being under an NDA.
Unwanted spotlight
'I ended up in the picture and they blamed me...'
The model revealed that he was assigned to assist Jenner throughout the night, and "I helped her with whatever she needed."
However, his presence in photos unintentionally drew attention.
"They literally told me we picked you because we like you more than other people to be with this celebrity but when people took pictures of the actual celebrity...like Kylie and I was next to her...of course, I ended up in the picture and they blamed me," Casnighi explained.
Viral proof
Casnighi shared evidence of viral attention
Further, in support of his claims, Casnighi shared a viral clip from the 2023 Gala's red carpet event.
The video showed him alongside host Emma Chamberlain while she interviewed BLACKPINK's Jennie.
A fan had zoomed into Casnighi in the clip, writing, "Trying to focus on Emma interviewing Jennie but..."
In the follow-up clip, he hinted that the gala organizers might've decided not to hire models for this year's event.
He suggested that a colleague had also been dismissed.
NDA changes
'They fired me so I can say whatever I want'
Meanwhile, Casnighi shared various text messages and emails confirming his assignment for the 2024 gala before being let go, indicating a sudden change in plans by the organizers.
He mentioned that the organizers had tightened up the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for this year's event, instructing workers not to share any content from the Met Gala even if it wasn't about them.
However, following his dismissal, Casnighi stated: "Funny enough, they fired me so I can say whatever I want now."