He walked the Met steps in a Ralph Lauren look, embodying the "Fashion Is Art" dress code.
Jaafar Jackson's 2026 Met Gala debut is a real thriller.
The actor, 29, who is the nephew of the late Michael Jackson, arrived on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday, May 4, for his first-ever Met Gala. Just days after his movie, Michael, landed in theaters to huge box office success, Jaafar showed off his flawless style at fashion's biggest night.
He wore a black velvet Ralph Lauren suit lined with gold detailing, a black bowtie, red socks and black ballet-style flats to pull it altogether.
He told Ashley Graham and Cara Delevingne during Vogue's red carpet livestream that the look was still "in the world" of his pop icon uncle.
"It has a timeless feel, and it just felt right when I had it on," Jaafar said, noting that the look even got the "approval" of his fiancée, Maddie Simpson.
Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour are co-chairing this year's "Costume Art" themed-event, Vogue confirmed in December. The dress code is "Fashion Is Art."
Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz are also co-chairing the 2026 Met Gala Host Committee, with members including Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Gwendoline Christie, Alex Consani, Misty Copeland, Elizabeth Debicki, Lena Dunham, Paloma Elsesser, LISA, Chloe Malle, Sam Smith,Teyana Taylor,Lauren Wasser,Anna Weyant,A'ja Wilson and Yseult.
"Costume Art," curated by Andrew Bolton, explores the dynamic between clothing and the body beneath, with the show organized into a series of thematic body types, ranging from the naked body to the pregnant body and the aging body.
Jaafar stars as his late uncle Michael in the new movie of the same name. It opened in theaters on April 24 and raked in more than $300 million at the box office in its first weekend. In the movie, which spans from the late 1960s to 1988, Jaafar wears costumes that are all identical replicas of outfits Michael himself wore.
Costume designer Marci Rodgers recreated looks for music videos like "Thriller" and "Beat It," as well as tour looks and the outfit from the infamous Pepsi commercial where Michael's hair caught fire.
Of embodying his uncle, Jaafar, who is the son of Jermaine Jackson, said at one of the movie's premieres that knowing he made Michael proud meant a lot to him.
"I just remember them getting emotional on the phone," he said. "I started to cry just hearing it from their words, because to me that's the truest and highest compliment I can get, as far as who I want to hear it from."
He continued: "The people that knew him closest, and they're the ones I looked up to as a kid, and to hear how proud they are, how much support I have from them. First and foremost, my grandmother [Katherine Jackson, Michael's mother], who couldn't be more proud; that makes me the happiest I can possibly be."