Viral image claiming to show Rihanna at Met Gala 2024 is AI generated

The 2024 Met Gala took place on Monday, May 6, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This glamorous event, which occurs annually on the first Monday of May, was attended by celebrities such as Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, and Chris Hemsworth.

What is the claim?

Following the event, photos of celebrities adhering to the gala's dress theme, "The Garden of Time," were widely circulated on social media and published by various media outlets. Amid this, an image claiming to show Barbados-born singer Rihanna at the event, dressed in an ivory and green gown symbolizing a tree, went viral.

The image was shared with the caption, "Rihanna attends The 2024 #MetGala." Archives of these posts can be viewed here and here.

Screenshots of the viral posts on social media. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

Contrary to the claim, the image is not real but was generated using artificial intelligence (AI). In reality, Rihanna did not attend the 2024 Met Gala.

What did we find?

We found multiple reports stating that Rihanna did not attend the 2024 Met Gala in New York. On May 6, People magazine reported, citing a source, that "Rihanna had to cancel her attendance as she was sick with the flu." Similarly, The New York Times reported on the event on May 6 and noted the absence of celebrities like Rihanna, Beyonce, and Taylor Swift.

Upon examining the image, we observed that the carpet did not match the one seen in photographs of celebrities who attended the Met Gala. The actual carpet was off-white, trimmed with moss-green foliage at the edges. Additionally, the flowers in the background of the viral image are peach or pink, whereas they were white at the actual event.

Furthermore, at least two photographers standing behind Rihanna appear distorted, with blurry hands and features, suggesting that the image was AI-generated.

Comparison of an image by Vogue to the viral image. (Source: X/Vogue/Modified by Logically Facts)

Numerous reports have indicated that the photograph was generated using artificial intelligence. On May 7, Forbes published an article titled “AI-Generated Impostors Invade ‘The Garden Of Time,’” which noted that AI-generated images of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna at the Met Gala were being shared on social media.

In addition, USA Today reported that the image of Rihanna is AI-generated.

What is the origin of the image?

We found a comment (archived here) on one of the viral X posts by a social media user named 'Rickdick,' claiming credit for the image. We located the user’s Instagram account and discovered that they had also posted the image on May 8, with a hashtag indicating that the image was AI-generated. The account's bio says they are an "Artist," and it regularly posts AI-generated or digitally created images of celebrities.

We contacted the user for more clarity on the image. They stated they had created the image "partly with AI and then manipulated with Photoshop." They also said that the image was created "with the sole purpose of being meme images or a sort of prediction of the Met Gala" and that it was " made before the event" without intending to spread fake news.

However, the image has since been shared on social media, with users believing it genuinely depicts Rihanna at the fashion event.

Several such AI-generated images of singers Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and actor-singer Selena Gomez also went viral, claiming to show them at the Met Gala. 

The verdict

Rihanna did not attend the 2024 Met Gala. The image being circulated of her at the event is AI-generated and digitally manipulated.