TikTok star Haley Kalil has responded to the backlash she’s received over a video she posted the night of the 2024 Met Gala.
The social media personality, more commonly known as Haleyy Baylee, posted a clip of her all dressed up for the event using audio from Kristen Dunst’s Marie Antoinette film.
In the video, the model lip-synced to a famous line from the 2006 film which said: “Let them eat cake.”
@haleyybaylee MET GALA 2024 WHAT IS MY LIFE 😭🥹🥹 gown by @Marc Bouwer 🙇♀️ @E! News @E! Entertainment #MetGala2024 #livefromE
Viewers quickly branded the choice of audio as “sinister”, with many making a comparison between the star-studded event to The Capitol people in the dystopian Hunger Games movies.
Now, Haley has responded to the outrage with a 9-minute long video on her profile, in which she apologised for her actions.
Haley explained that she was hired to be a pre Met Gala host for E! News, and was tasked with interviewing stars at The Mark hotel before they made their way to the event.
She insisted she was not a guest at the event, and went home after her job was finished to watch all the action from the carpet on TV with her friends.
@haleyybaylee ❤️
The social media star then addressed the audio used in the TikTok video, which caused the outrage.
She said: “I am so, so, so sorry that I chose a sound that you guys could ever possibly feel was malicious in nature.”
Haley explained that she just used the audio because it was “trending”, and expressed she would not have picked that one if she anticipated the negative reaction.
She also insisted her audio choice had “no deeper meaning”.
“I never even thought it would be taken in that way because I wasn’t elite enough to even be invited to the Met Gala. I’m not elite, I am a normal person,” Haley said.
She continued to apologise further and insisted she didn’t think about the implications of her actions.
However, the apology was not taken well by users on TikTok as many went to her comments to express further outrage.
They called her “out of touch”, while many wrote they were writing from District 12 – another call back to the Hunger Games franchise.
In the teen dystopian series, the Capitol are an elite group who have power over the other lower class groups, such as District 12.
The Met Gala attracted some negative attention earlier this week as social media users branded it a “distraction” from the devastation and horror happening in different areas of the world – namely the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
One commenter wrote: “Watching from district 12 where I need the food bank to feed my family despite my husband having one of the highest paying jobs in our town 🫶🏻.”
While another said: “I don’t think she gets it.”
A third user expressed: “I feel like there was a general feeling of sickness with the whole Met thing vs what’s going on with the world. That’s why that sound felt like a slap on the face. You’re fine [though].”
