Jared Leto has attracted the ire of DC fans, who believe the actor is still cosplaying as the Joker following his appearance at the 2023 Met Gala. Leto, who portrayed the infamous DC villain in David Ayer’s 2016 film Suicide Squad — arrived at the Met Gala today in a full-body cat costume, complete with a removable head and dramatic eye makeup. While the outfit was said to be inspired by the cat owned by Karl Lagerfeld, the designer that this year’s Met Gala theme was dedicated to, it hasn’t stopped DC fans from ridiculing the actor.
Making reference to a minor character who dressed in a Panda costume and formed part of the Joker’s gang in Suicide Squad, users flocked to Reddit to declare that Leto’s cat costume was “the Joker want[ing] to imitate the Panda Man.” Redditors appear to be making reference Leto’s much talked-about habit for method acting, which saw him send obscene gifts (like a rat) to his co-stars on the set of Suicide Squad. Reports at the time also claimed that Leto had gifted used condoms and anal beads, as part of a style of acting that Anne Hathaway later claimed to have cracked.
Calling back to these method acting reports, Reddit users joked that Leto’s Met Gala costume was “actually the closest thing to normal” that the actor has done, with another cleverly calling the cat outfit “his fursona.” Leto was one of multiple Met Gala attendees to be inspired by Lagerfeld’s cat, with James Corden, Janelle Monáe and Chloe Finemann each mustering feline energy in various forms. For her part, Doja Cat sported dramatic cat-like facial prosthetics, while Lil Nas X answered some red carpet questions by simply meowing.
Jared Leto’s take on the Joker continues to make headlines some seven years since Suicide Squad’s release. Earlier this year, Ayer shared unseen footage of the actor in character on the set of 2016 film, and later expressed regret about his decision to brand Leto’s Joker with a forehead tattoo. Elsewhere, DC fans placed Leto last in their informal online rankings of the universe’s best iterations of the Joker.
Suicide Squad began what would become a pattern of ill-fated superhero ventures for Leto, with his leading role in Morbius attracting a similar level of fan disdain upon its release last year.
