Met Gala 2023: Pedro Pascal wore shorts and everyone is talking about his knees

ICYMI, Pedro Pascal rocked up to the Met Gala in black shorts, and now everyone is obsessed with internet daddy's knees. 

To recap, the annual fundraising benefit took place on Monday (Tuesday for us in Aotearoa) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where an exclusive list of industry luminaries and the who's who of Hollywood gathered to celebrate the opening of the Costume Institute's new exhibition, Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty. The night was a tribute to the late visionary, who served as the long-time creative director of Chanel and made an indelible mark on a myriad of fashion houses, as well as founding his own namesake label. As such, the dress code for its A-list attendees was "in honour of Karl". 

While a number of stand-out ensembles graced the cream carpet, the menswear is being widely hailed as a vast improvement on the looks of yesteryear, with male guests historically sticking to the classics and failing to embrace the outrageous, outlandish opulence the Met Gala is known for. While several paid tribute to Lagerfeld's iconic personal style with black blazers, starched white collars, layered jewellery and fingerless gloves, others - like Pedro 'Internet Daddy' Pascal - drew inspiration from elsewhere in the Lagerfeld lexicon. 

Donning a red Valentino blazer-style overcoat, Pascal, 48, teamed the bold look with a matching red shirt, skinny black tie and black shorts that ended above the knee. He then added patent black combat boots with black socks, pulled up to mid-calf. 

He proceeded to rock the cream carpet, casually posing with one leg poking out from beneath the coat in the vein of the Angelina Jolie's iconic leg pop at the 2012 Academy Awards.

It's safe to say the look quickly became one of the most talked-about of the night: Twitter erupted with fawning fans singing Pascal's praises, solidifying the man's chiselled knee as a symbol of this year's shindig. 

pedro pascal's knee at the met gala
The famous knees. Photo credit: Getty Images

The brouhaha was in part fuelled by comments made in a recent interview with Esquire, where Pascal read out a tweet specifically about his knees. 

Referencing his often nonchalant stance where he puts his weight on one leg and slightly bends the other, the tweet in question read: "One thing about Pedro Pascal is that he will pop his slutty little knee out". It's safe to say, the actor was a little bemused by the fact his knees had been affectionately described as slutty. 

There has been some quite incredible commentary on Twitter following Pascal's red-hot cream carpet appearance. Here are some of my favourites:

And to conclude, a moment of appreciation for the fit. Thank you.

Pedro Pascal attends the 2023 Met Gala celebrating "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2023 in New York City.
Pedro Pascal attends the 2023 Met Gala celebrating "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2023 in New York City. Photo credit: Getty Images