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Fans have been left outraged after two red carpet hosts at the 2025 Met Gala appeared not to recognise one of the most famous men on the planet.
The awkward exchange has given the star’s fans ‘second-hand embarrassment galore’ and had them up in arms on his behalf – although he handled it graciously in the moment himself.
Shah Rukh Khan is the biggest name in Bollywood, and so consequently one of the most prominent celebrities in the world, given the sheer number of fans (millions upon millions) who enjoy his popular movies, including staples like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and more recent hits like Chennai Express.
The 59-year-old was making his debut appearance at the Met Gala on Monday in New York City, travelling over for the appearance from Mumbai.
As one of the biggest showbiz nights of the year, Khan – known fondly by his legion of fans as SRK – was making history as the first male Indian actor to walk the blue carpet, alongside fellow actor Diljit Dosanjh.
The likes of actresses Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone have all attended the prestigious event in previous years, but this was a first for Bollywood’s leading men.
However, it seemed as though the two interviewers he discussed his look with for the occasion – courtesy of designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, which did casually include his initials emblazoned in diamonds on a necklace, as well as a massive ‘K’ pendant – did not seem quite up to speed with the magnitude of whom they were speaking to.
We’re talking bigger than Tom Cruise, probably his closest equivalent in Hollywood.
While chatting with actor Teyana Taylor and Saturday Night Live comedian Ego Nwodim for Vogue, who were nothing short of polite if a little oblivious in their questions, Khan said of his first time attending: ‘For me the most exciting thing is I have little kids who are very excited about the Met. I don’t know if I would have come here on my own. But when Sabya suggested that I should come, they went “Wow”.’
He added of his outfit, which included a floor-length black overcoat, black silk shirt, brooch, necklaces and a bejewelled cane: ‘Tonight’s look is because I told Sabya that I only wear black and white, but what he’s designed for me I what I’m most comfortable with.’
After Nwodim and Taylor still seemed a little unaware – and struggling with the pronunciation of Mukherjee’s name – the designer swooped in to ‘give you a little bit of context’ on SRK, as his fans were most likely screaming for at this stage.
‘Shah Rukh Khan is probably one of the most famous men in the world, and his fan following is legendary,’ Mukherjee smoothly began. ‘We nearly had a stampede outside the hotel when he came out.’
Explaining their spin on the evening’s theme of Superfine: Tailoring Black Style and the dress code ‘Tailored for You’, he added: ‘When you get a man like this on the red carpet, especially when it’s Black dandy, I think representation is the most important thing and we wanted to represent Shah Rukh Khan as Shah Rukh Khan and nobody else.’
‘These girls had no idea of his stardom,’ Smriti and Kartik commented on Instagram by a clip of the interview, while Abhishek Chauhan added: ‘This was an awkward watch.’
‘Second-hand embarrassment galore!’ chimed in @taraborkar, while @hibairshad seethed: ‘Truly humiliated for Teyana Taylor and Lala. This man has a bigger fan following than everyone at the Met Gala and more. We deserve more respect.’
‘This is honestly so embarrassing for them…. Did they get no info on him? They really have NO CLUE about his stardom,’ observed Devina Sooriyabandara in bafflement, while Indian actress and content creator Dolly Singh simply posted a line of unamused face emoji – which spoke volumes.
‘I can’t believe there still exist rooms where @iamsrk is not properly known!!’ added Shreya Sharma.
‘Look, I don’t expect Hollywood to know every star from every country… but this is Shah Rukh Khan. SRK! Ugh. Eternal gratitude to Sabya for putting some well-deserved RESPECT on his name,’ wrote @kaw_sar.
Khan has eight Filmfare Awards – considered the Indian equivalent of the Oscars – for best actor, sharing the record with icon of Indian cinema, Dilip Kumar.
His 2023 action thrillers Pathaan and Jawan are among the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.
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