For a lot of celebrities, getting invited to the Met Gala is probably an easy yes. It is glamorous, packed with famous faces, and treated almost like Hollywood royalty gathering for one night. But for Ben Stiller, things sounded a little more complicated this year.
The actor admitted that while attending the 2026 Met Gala with his wife, Christine Taylor, there was somewhere else he honestly would have preferred to be. And he did not really try to hide it either.
Stiller, who has long been known as a passionate supporter of the New York Knicks, missed an important playoff game between the Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers because of the event. Apparently, it bothered him more than some people expected.
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While heading to the gala, Stiller was caught in a moment that quickly spread online. Someone shouted “Let’s go Knicks!” as he got into his car, and the actor instantly reacted.
“Oh right, yeah,” he replied before adding, “I wish I was there.”
It did not sound like a joke thrown in for cameras. If anything, it felt strangely sincere. Later, during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Stiller admitted that as a fan, the basketball game was exactly where he wanted to be that night.
“For me, as a fan, I wanted to be at that Knicks game more than anything,” he explained.
And honestly, sports fans understood immediately.
Ben Stiller Almost Backed Out
According to Stiller, he and Christine Taylor had been invited to the Met Gala months earlier by a friend. The invitation was already a commitment long before the NBA playoff schedule became clear.
Still, he admitted he seriously thought about canceling.
The night before the event, Stiller apparently wrestled with the decision. He even warned Taylor that fans might roast him online for skipping such an important Knicks playoff game. Which, to be fair, is exactly what happened once social media caught on.
“I said to Christine, ‘I think I’m gonna get some sh** for this,’” he recalled.
Taylor, though, seems to have approached the situation more practically. According to Stiller, she reminded him that they had already committed to attending the gala because it mattered to the friend who invited them.
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And that was kind of the end of the debate.
There is something oddly relatable about the whole thing. Not the Met Gala part obviously, most people are never choosing between celebrity fashion events and courtside basketball games. But the idea of honoring plans you already made even when something more exciting suddenly comes along? That part feels very normal.
Maybe that is why the story caught attention online. It was celebrity gossip, sure, but it also sounded like a regular couple discussion happening inside a very expensive car.
He Still Found A Way To Support The Knicks
Even though Stiller could not make it to Madison Square Garden, he clearly refused to completely separate himself from the game.
The actor wore a navy blue suit paired with an orange tie, colors closely linked to the Knicks. Christine Taylor also matched the theme with a blue dress designed by Bibhu Mohapatra.
It was subtle, but intentional.
“All I tried to do was, I said, okay, we’re gonna wear our Knicks colors,” Stiller explained later.
Apparently, that was not the only thing he did. Even though phone usage is generally discouraged during the Met Gala, Stiller admitted he checked the game score whenever possible. Which honestly feels exactly like something a dedicated sports fan would do in that situation.
While speaking to Vogue on the red carpet, Stiller even managed to bring basketball into the conversation immediately.
“Well, you know, if you can’t be at Madison Square Garden watching the Knicks win their first playoff game versus the 76ers — Knicks in six! — this is a great place,” he joked. “This is a great second choice.”
That comment alone probably summed up his entire mood for the evening.
Timothée Chalamet Made The Opposite Choice
Part of what made the situation even funnier online was the fact that Timothée Chalamet, another major Knicks fan, reportedly skipped the Met Gala entirely so he could attend the playoff game instead.
Chalamet’s decision quickly became a talking point online because his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, still attended the event without him.
Some fans immediately compared the two actors.
In fact, when Stiller saw reports that Chalamet skipped the gala for the Knicks game, his reaction on X, formerly Twitter, was simply: “Wait what.”
That tiny response somehow made the entire thing funnier. You could almost imagine him staring at his phone thinking, “Hold on… that was an option?”
Social media users definitely had opinions after that.
Some joked that Chalamet had officially become the new celebrity face of Knicks fandom because he “had his priorities straight.” Others defended Stiller, arguing that he was simply honoring a commitment he had already made months earlier.
And honestly, both perspectives make sense.
There is also something funny about how seriously sports loyalty can shape celebrity reputations. One decision about a basketball game somehow turned into a full internet debate about dedication, priorities, and fandom rankings.
Fans Loved Seeing A More Honest Side Of Him
Part of why this story spread so quickly is probably because Stiller did not give polished celebrity answers about the situation. He sounded genuinely conflicted. A little annoyed maybe. But also aware that canceling last minute would have been rude.
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That awkward honesty made the whole thing more entertaining.
A lot of public figures try too hard to sound perfectly grateful at high-profile events like the Met Gala. Stiller basically admitted he would rather have been somewhere else entirely, even while walking one of the biggest red carpets in entertainment.
Oddly enough, people seemed to like him more for it.
At the end of the night, he still showed up for his wife, respected the commitment he made, wore Knicks colors anyway, and found ways to keep up with the game. That probably says a lot about him as both a fan and a partner.
Though somewhere deep down, he still might be wondering whether he should have followed Timothée Chalamet’s example after all.
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