TikTok Star Haleyy Baylee under fire for "Let Them Eat Cake" video at met gala

Influencer Haley Kalil, known online as Haleyy Baylee, has sparked controversy with a TikTok video from the 2024 Met Gala. In the clip, Baylee lip-synced to the famous line, "Let them eat cake," from the film Marie Antoinette. The phrase is associated with French queen Marie Antoinette's supposed lack of empathy for her starving subjects.

Viewers criticized the video as insensitive and "dystopian," particularly given current economic struggles in the United States. Many commented that the video's tone was inappropriate considering rising gas prices and inflation.

Baylee responded to the backlash with a nearly nine-minute apology video on TikTok. She explained that she attended the Met Gala as a pre-event host, tasked with interviewing celebrities and creating content, not as a guest. Baylee claimed she received no payment for her work.

In her apology, Baylee stated, "I am so, so, so sorry that I chose a sound that you guys could ever possibly feel was malicious in nature." 

She claimed the audio choice stemmed from her following trends and that it had "no deeper meaning." 

Baylee added, "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."

However, many viewers remained unconvinced by the apology. Some commented that Baylee was "out of touch" for calling herself "normal" and pointed out the privilege associated with attending the Met Gala, even as a host.

The response was not entirely negative. A small number of viewers defended Baylee, calling the backlash an "overreaction" and her apology "genuine." 

One commenter stated, "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]."