Taraji P. Henson had a body-positive reason for not wearing pants during the 2025 Met Gala.

Almost two weeks after fashion’s biggest night, the actress was a guest on ‘Sherri’ to promote her upcoming Netflix drama ‘Straw.’ But around the four-minute mark of the video below, Henson detailed her pantless look, partly crediting the decision to improvement she’s made in the gym. 

“But I had been in the gym, and I had been working my butt off,” Henson said after explaining that her original outfit, which included pants, “was great.” “And I was like, ‘You know, maybe we don't need the pants so I can show what I've been working on.’”

‘The Color Purple’ star also explained that she wanted the look to be a “nice mix between feminine and masculine.” “So it literally was like Josephine Baker from the waist down and Cab Calloway from the waist up,” she recalled.

Henson’s custom MONSE x Post-Imperial corseted white dress was styled by styling duo Wayman Bannerman and Micah McDonald. The actress also wore grills for the occasion.