When Ego Nwodim and Teyana Taylor interviewed Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan alongside designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee at the 2025 Met Gala, the moment was meant to be an unremarkable, routine red carpet interaction. However, this interview quickly turned awkward as Nwodim and Taylor seemed unfamiliar with Khan, prompting Mukherjee to clarify, “Shah Rukh Khan is probably one of the most famous men in the world.” 

While this moment was brief, only lasting two minutes, it ignited numerous reactions on social media, shocked that Nwodim and Taylor didn’t know Khan. What followed says less about the interviewers and more about how fame and recognition actually operate — especially in a culture that isn’t predisposed to be outward-looking.

Two things can be true at once: Khan can be a famous celebrity, and he can also be irrelevant to many in the United States. Admittedly, I had never heard of him before. That lack of recognition isn’t a failure, but rather, it reflects the dynamics of soft power and how fame is never truly as global as people traditionally assume it would be.

For most of modern history, the U.S. has exported its media and culture to the rest of the world, often sending our movies, music, fashion and even slang abroad. That flow hardly ever moves in reverse — foreign culture seldom permeates U.S. society. As a result, the average person in the U.S., who can name several Hollywood actors, would likely struggle to identify a single Bollywood actor or even a K-pop star — something that became very evident at the Met Gala. This behavior is a product of a media culture that orbits itself. 

We usually assume that what we know is what everyone knows. That our celebrities are the celebrities, and the others are simply niche. That assumption doesn’t accurately reflect the global reality, but it does reflect cultural dominance. 

This is the essence of soft power. The U.S. doesn’t need to assert cultural dominance aggressively — it just floods the media market until that influence is potent. Even in naming, global media culture often borrows American aesthetics: India’s Bollywood — Bombay and Hollywood — and Nigeria’s Nollywood center the U.S. as the cultural capital and the default reference point. 

With that context, it shouldn’t be a scandal when someone in the U.S. doesn’t recognize Khan. Many people here don’t know international stars because they’re not required to — and frankly, no one in any country is obligated to. 

Let’s be clear: It’s not rude not to know someone or to ask who someone is. That’s how normal human interactions work. What is rude is expecting to be known and treating someone’s unfamiliarity with you as an insult or something offensive. 

There seems to be a growing tendency among celebrities and their fans to treat fame like god-like divinity — evident at autograph meet-and-greets and with nicknames like Queen B for Beyoncé. Recognition thus becomes a test of relevance, and when someone fails the test of knowing who they are speaking with, we don’t question the system — we condemn the person who didn’t pass. 

Nwodim and Taylor were perceived as rude because they interrupted the fantasy of fame as universal, branding unfamiliarity as an insult. 

Fame isn’t — and will never be — universal. It’s localized, often shaped by our language, culture, platforms, geography and access. Someone can be a household name in Shanghai but just a face in Connecticut. This shouldn’t diminish or disrespect one’s fame; it highlights that fame is finite. 

The public’s reaction to the Met Gala incident wasn’t truly about one actor being unknown. It was about how one’s fame should transcend borders — and the discomfort some people experience when it doesn’t. In reality, being famous doesn’t mean being famous everywhere, nor does it guarantee global recognition. Being asked to introduce yourself isn’t an insult. It’s human. 

We shouldn’t expect people in other countries to know every Hollywood celebrity. Similarly, it shouldn’t be an issue when the reverse occurs. The U.S.’ culture may dominate the media, but that visibility isn’t absolute. Fame isn’t a universal currency, and it’s unreasonable to expect otherwise.  

The Met Gala will continue; Shah Rukh Khan will continue being a household name for many; and the next time someone shrugs or is confused about a name they don’t recognize, remember: Unfamiliarity isn’t disrespect, it’s just a reflection of how culture operates. 

Expecting automatic recognition isn’t just unrealistic — it’s presumptuous.