Cardi B spoke about the backlash she has received on social media since going public Met Gala on Monday.
During a interview with Emma Chamberlain for Fashion on fashion's biggest night, the rapper was asked who designed her massive black dress, which took up the entire carpet landing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sensen Lii for Windowsen worked on the dress for two months, so when she couldn't remember his name, people thought she was disrespecting the designer.
“I feel great,” Cardi said on the Met Gala carpet, before pausing and adding, “It's this amazing designer. They're Asian and all.”
In response to the backlash, the 'Up' artist posted a video on Instagram, per Entertainment tonightthat has now expired and is is circulating on Twitter (formerly X).
“I want to make this very clear, first and foremost,” she began the two-minute video. “When I was on the red carpet, I was very scared because the dress was supposed to be on a small stage. and I practiced how to pose on stage, but on the carpet I wasn't allowed to use the stage. So I had a lot of things on my mind and I was rushed to the front of the line.
She continued, “So when I was interviewed, I kind of forgot to pronounce the designer's name because his name is a little complicated. So I thought, 'Damn, how are you supposed to pronounce his name!' My mind was just racing.”
The backlash she received for not remembering Lii's name was further inflamed Fashion' former director Gilbert Cheah, who commented on an Instagram video of Cardi at the Met Galainsulting her for that.
“For the record and credit, and no thanks to Cardi B, the designer of her dress is Sensen Lii, who is Chinese,” he wrote. “Making the dress took two months. Personally, I think it's boring and not even on theme, but she made the choice and should have at least remembered his name and not just that he's 'Asian'.”
In her video, she explained that she said “Asian designer” because she knew he was Asian but couldn't remember his nationality and didn't want to offend him by hiring the wrong one. She also directly addressed Cheah's comments, saying she knows her designer and stylist work very hard for her team.
“So if you're a little shady because you feel offended or whatever, that just proves why you're the former director,” Cardi said. “It's like you're trying to insult me, but you're actually insulting the people working behind the scenes.”
As for the people on social media saying she won't be invited back to the Met Gala because she forgot the designer's name, she had one thing to say: “Honey, I'm Cardi B.”