Brittney Griner Attends 2023 Met Gala With Wife Cherelle 5 Months After Prison Release
After serving nearly a year in a Russian prison, Brittany Griner made her most high-profile red carpet appearance ever at the 2023 Met Gala.
Brittney Griner and her wife Cherelle Griner had a red carpet date night at the 2023 Met Gala on May 1. The ladies wore Calvin Klein ensembles, which were inspired by Karl Lagerfeld in honor of the 2023 theme. “They have done an amazing job,” Brittney gushed during her red carpet interview with Vogue. “It’s dripping off of us right now.” Brittney wore high-waisted pants with a matching blazer, while Cherelle stunned in a strapless white dress.
Brittney gushed over how glad she was to be able to be at an event like the Met Gala, especially considering she spent several months in a Russian prison in 2022. The WNBA star was arrested on drug smuggling charges in Russia in Feb. 2022 after being in possession of less than a gram of hash oil at the airport (she was prescribed the cannabis, which is illegal in Russia in the United States). After five months in prison, Brittney stood trial, where she pleaded guilty, but insisted that her intention was not to break the law in Russia.
The 32-year-old was found guilty at the beginning of August 2022. She was sentenced to nine years in prison. Brittney’s wife and family members worked together with President Joe Biden, as well as the Bring Our Families Home organization, to organize her release. She was released and sent back to the United States after a prisoner swap in Dec. 2022 after 10 months behind bars on foreign soil. In February, she announced that she’d be returning to the WNBA after signing with the Phoenix Mercury.
Brittney was thrilled to be free and able to attend an event as incredible as the Met Gala. She said on the red carpet that she was happy to be “honoring” Karl Lagerfeld on the big night. “He was an icon in the industry,” she said. “The head of so many houses. When you think of fashion, you can’t not think of him. So just being here, celebrating his life and what he’s done for the industry and just enjoying it.”