In the holy gay scripture of Fashion Moment, the Met Gala is basically Christmas, Mardi Gras, and Beyoncé’s birthday rolled into one. It’s the one night a year where celebrities wear looks that scream either “divine intervention” or “deranged Etsy witch.” But at this year’s gala, held on May 5, something unexpected happened: a man who wasn’t even on the guest list (technically) hijacked the entire gay gaze from behind Lana Del Rey. And not even her alligator hairpin — allegedly a nod to her gator-husband-slash-tour-guide Jeremy Dufrene — could compete with it.
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While Del Rey’s return to the Met carpet was met with the reverent coos of Tumblr witches and melancholia gays everywhere, a different kind of stir was happening online. Behind her stood a man. A model. With cheekbones so sharp you could use them to slice through the Met Gala’s famously overcooked chicken.
The gay internet lost its entire mind.
“I need him to top me till it’s soggy,” one brave soul confessed in a comment that somehow manages to be both deeply poetic and aggressively horny — basically the mission statement of queer Twitter.
Others claimed that he “outmugged” Lana Del Rey — a sacrilegious statement to utter in any other context, but here? It’s fair. The man didn’t just serve face — he opened a five-star restaurant and plated it with a smolder that could boil the East River.
Thanks to the swift, merciless detective work of Twitter stans and Instagram fan accounts, the mystery man was identified as Nathan Overland, a male model signed with Wilhelmina Models. And yes, he is based in New York City, which means: 1) proximity matters, and 2) some of you already opened Hinge to set your distance filter to “within 1 mile.”
Overland was working the gala as one of the many male model greeters — the unsung, gloriously chiseled heroes of the Met. These men are hired to do glamorous things like carry purses, straighten trains, and silently serve “I went to boarding school but I’m emotionally available now” energy behind celebrities.
But unlike most greeters who fade into the background of Getty Images like decorative sconces, Overland stole the show. He was the moment. While Lana sang “Cinnamon Girl” in spirit, Overland gave us a full visual tasting menu: cinnamon, nutmeg, and just a hint of existential thirst.
And in a nod that nearly broke the internet twice, Overland posted a photo of himself post-Gala with the Del Rey track “Cinnamon Girl” playing over it. Was it gratitude? Coincidence? Flirtation? Who’s to say — but gay men everywhere are choosing to believe it’s a sign. Of what, exactly, is unclear. But signs rarely are.
Overland has yet to officially comment on the viral moment, but in this writer’s opinion, he doesn’t need to. His face has spoken. Loudly. Clearly. And in a dialect only homosexuals fluent in facial symmetry can understand.
So here’s to you, Nathan Overland — background blur turned main character. May your cheekbones remain defined, your lighting impeccable, and your DMs forever overflowing.
Have you ever had your own background character moment go viral — or at least turned heads?