Italian model Eugenio Casnighi, 27, claims he was dismissed from his role at the prestigious Met Gala after a viral moment with Kylie Jenner on the 2023 red carpet. Casnighi, who had served as a greeter at the high-profile event in both 2022 and 2023, says his interaction with Jenner — captured in widely shared photos — ultimately led to his exclusion from the 2024 gala.
In a recent interview with Casino.org, as reported by The US Sun, Casnighi recounted how Kylie Jenner gave him specific instructions just moments before they walked onto the red carpet together.
"She told me, 'Don't get too far from me, or it'll look weird, like you're chasing me. But don't stay too close, or it'll look like we're dating,'" he said. "Looking back on it now, that was honestly so true. She wanted me to stay five steps away from her, so that's how we did it."
Casnighi said he was simply doing his job — holding Jenner's bag and helping her navigate the red carpet.
"It was funny to me because a lot of people hated that I was next to her, like I was ruining her image," he added. "I wasn't pretending to be her date or anything. I was literally just there, holding her bag. That's what I was paid to do. I wasn't looking at the camera."
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Casnighi, who first addressed the incident in a TikTok video, claimed he was dismissed just days before the 2024 Met Gala.
"They fired me because I went viral last year," he said in the clip. "So basically they said, you made it about yourself, so we can't have you work there anymore. I'm sorry, you got laid off, fired, whatever you wanna call it."
Despite the speculation, Casnighi doesn't blame Jenner personally for the fallout.
"No, I never heard anything from Kylie's team because a) it's not Kylie's responsibility or problem and b) I don't even know if she remembers the whole story," he said.
He added that Jenner appeared alone on the red carpet in 2024, avoiding assistance from any staffers.
"She didn't want any help. I don't know if it's related to me or not," he said. "I saw her at an event at the Brooklyn Museum, but obviously there were many people around her."
"I would have loved to just go to her once and say, 'Hi, do you remember me? If anything [from that night] annoyed you, I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention,' just to clear it up. But you know, I think she's just fine."
As of now, Jenner has not publicly responded to Casnighi's claims.
