Dwayne Johnson Wears Skirt to Met Gala Because the ‘Most Masculine Men Wear Skirts’ in ‘Polynesian Culture’

Dwayne Johnson rocked a familiar tuxedo jacket and a bow tie paired with a pleated skirt as he walked down the 2026 Met Gala red carpet hand-in-hand with his wife, Lauren Hashian. When asked about the look, which was custom-made by designer Thom Browne, Johnson said it was in part inspired by Polynesian culture, in which the “most masculine men” wear skirts.

“I feel great!” Johnson said when asked by journalists about how it feels to wear a skirt. “First, [Thom Browne’s team] sent the illustrations over and [asked], ‘Hey, is Deej going to be cool with this pleated skirt?’ And I was like, ‘Look, in our culture, Polynesian culture, we rock lavalavas, we rock skirts.’ The most masculine men, not that I’m one of them, but the most masculine men wear lavalavas and skirts.”

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This isn’t the first time Johnson has spoken out about masculinity. At CinemaCon 2026, while promoting Disney’s live-action “Moana,” he said “real masculinity” for men of all ages means empowering the women in their lives.

“The hero of our story is not a princess. She’s a warrior,” Johnson told a CinemaCon crowd, adding that his role as Maui is to guide and empower the titular heroine. “All men of all ages, we should empower and support and champion all women. That’s what real masculinity looks like.”

The 2026 Met Gala theme is “Fashion is Art.” Beyoncé is co-chairing this year’s event along with Nicole Kidman, Venue Williams and Anna Wintour. Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz are heading the gala host committee, which also includes Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Gwendoline Christie, Alex Consani, Misty Copeland, Elizabeth Debicki, Lena Dunham, Paloma Elsesser, Lisa, newly installed head of editorial content of Vogue U.S. Chloe Malle, Sam Smith, Teyana Taylor, Lauren Wasser, Anna Weyant, A’ja Wilson and Yseult.