Fashion
A Thai actress, on New York radio: Freen’s Met Gala moment crosses over
Days after Freen Sarocha became the first Thai actress to attend the Met Gala, her look travelled somewhere the fashion press rarely reaches: live American commercial radio.
On 10 May 2025, New York’s KTU 103.5 FM — part of the iHeartMedia network — gave Freen a live on-air shoutout, with host Jewelz Lopez praising her Met Gala look on a nationwide iHeartRadio broadcast and describing her as “a global force in the making.” You can see the on-air moment here.
Why it matters
It’s one of the few times a Thai actress has been named on US commercial radio — and a marker of how far the moment reached beyond the industry press. The Met Gala coverage had already been picked up by Teen Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and ELLE; the radio shoutout pushed it into the American mainstream, in front of an audience that wasn’t following fashion week at all.
That crossover is exactly what made Freen’s Met Gala debut so significant. In a custom Valentino gown, she generated an estimated $19.5M in media impact value for the house and reached one of the highest engagement rates of any attending celebrity — but a live New York radio mention is a different kind of reach, the sort that can’t be bought and rarely lands for a Southeast Asian star.
“A global force in the making” — Freen, named live on New York radio after her Met Gala debut.
The full breakdown of the Met Gala numbers, rankings and media value lives on Freen’s global highlights. For more on her fashion journey, see her fashion career, and read about the FreenBecky partnership.