Devil Wears Prada 2: All The Viral Pre-Release Moments, From Anne Hathaway’s Clarification To George Clooney’s Villa Cameo

Nearly two decades after The Devil Wears Prada became a pop culture landmark with its cutting humour, fashion mythology and the unforgettable cerulean sweater monologue, the sequel is finally ready to step back onto the runway. The Devil Wears Prada 2 is set to release in theatres on May 1, 2026, following its star-studded New York premiere on April 20, and its pre-release campaign has already turned into a spectacle of its own.

The sequel reunites Meryl Streep as the formidable Miranda Priestly, Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs, Emily Blunt as Emily Charlton and Stanley Tucci as Nigel. Directed once again by David Frankel and written by Aline Brosh McKenna, the new film places Miranda in a changing media landscape while Andy returns to Runway and reconnects

with Emily, who is now a senior executive at Dior. The cast also includes Kenneth Branagh as Miranda’s husband Stuart, Justin Theroux, Simone Ashley as Miranda’s current first assistant, Lucy Liu and several high-profile cameos.

Long before its theatrical release, the film began dominating social media through record-breaking trailer views, leaked set photos, body-inclusivity conversations, fashion-heavy press appearances and one very unexpected George Clooney connection. Here’s a look at the viral moments that turned The Devil Wears Prada 2 into one of the most talked-about releases of the year.

Trailer Breaks Records, Fans Spot Hilarious Editing Detail

The hype began building in late 2025 with the teaser trailers. The first teaser reportedly drew 181.5 million views in a single day, becoming the most-watched comedy trailer in 15 years. The full trailer, released on February 1, 2026, pushed the frenzy even further, reportedly clocking 222 million views in 24 hours and setting new records for 20th Century Studios.

Fans dissected every frame, from Andy’s evolved look and Emily’s new power position to Miranda’s familiar icy authority and the Milan Fashion Week sequences. However, one unexpected detail in the trailer became a meme of its own.

In a New York street scene, viewers noticed a bystander inside a taxi filming Anne Hathaway’s character with an iPhone clearly visible through the window. The moment quickly went viral, with fans joking that even background extras were desperate to capture Andy Sachs in action. Director David Frankel later addressed the moment, reportedly saying that real crowds during filming made such “meta” intrusions almost unavoidable.

The trailer buzz also followed months of leaked set photos from 2025, when Hathaway, Streep and Blunt were spotted filming on the streets of Manhattan and Milan. Those blurry fan videos had already fuelled endless speculation about where the sequel would take its characters.

Anne Hathaway Shuts Down Misinformation Around Body-Inclusivity Reports

One of the biggest pre-release conversations around the film centred on representation. In a March 2026 Harper’s Bazaar interview, Meryl Streep revealed that Anne Hathaway had spoken to producers after noticing that a scene featured models who were largely “traditionally model-sized.”

According to Streep, Hathaway asked if the sequence, which reportedly included a Lady Gaga performance, could feature a wider range of body types. The producers agreed quickly and changes were made within hours.

However, social media soon twisted the story, with false claims suggesting that “skinny” or “size-zero” models had been fired from the film. Hathaway later clarified the matter during her Good Morning America appearance and at the world premiere.

“There’s a little misinformation getting out there right now that people were fired because of the size inclusivity and that just didn’t happen,” she said. “Nobody lost their jobs; in fact, it created more jobs. It was just about making sure that so many different body types saw themselves in a moment in the script… Isn’t it better when you see so many different types of bodies up there with that?”

She added that the aim was to show a “wider range of bodies” because “all different shapes are beautiful.” What could have become a controversy instead turned into a larger conversation about representation in fashion and cinema, with many praising Hathaway for addressing the issue directly.

Lady Gaga’s Cameo Becomes A Major Talking Point

The sequel also sparked excitement over Lady Gaga’s much-discussed cameo. Hathaway initially played coy when asked about the singer’s involvement, joking during a Harper’s Bazaar video, “Who? Oh, I know her, she was so good in A Star Is Born.”

Later, at the London premiere, Hathaway confirmed her excitement more openly, revealing that she even came to set on her day off to watch Gaga film. “It was one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen. She’s even more splendid in real life than you would ever imagine. I just love that she wrote original music for us,” she said.

Streep reportedly confirmed that she personally reached out to Gaga, calling her from a dinner in Islington. Gaga appears as a pop star performing during a Milan runway sequence, with original tracks including Runway, featuring Doechii. Other cameos reportedly include Ciara and Ashley Graham, while Sydney Sweeney’s self-cameo was eventually cut before release.

Meryl Streep Owns The Press Tour With Cerulean Sweater Callback

Meryl Streep has been at the centre of several viral press-tour moments. During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in April 2026, she arrived in a Miranda Priestly-coded animal-print coat before changing into a custom J.Crew cerulean blue cashmere sweater designed by Olympia Gayot.

The sweater instantly reminded fans of the original film’s famous “lumpy blue sweater” scene, where Miranda schools Andy on how fashion filters down into everyday choices. The callback was subtle, clever and instantly meme-worthy.

Streep continued delivering viral moments during the international press tour. In Shanghai, dressed in Saint Laurent, she joked, “I am incarcerated in Yves Saint Laurent,” drawing huge reactions from fans. In another royal-blue power-shoulder look, she quipped, “I have shoulders for long days, in case nobody doubts my power.”

Another clip of her mirroring fans’ excitement at an event was dubbed a “Miranda to Meryl” moment online, with viewers celebrating the contrast between her icy screen persona and her warm real-life energy.

George Clooney’s Lake Como Villa Makes Surprise Appearance

One of the most unexpected pre-release highlights came when fans noticed George Clooney’s real-life Lake Como estate, Villa Oleandra, in a glamorous speedboat scene featuring Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt.

The historic villa, purchased by Clooney in 2002 and reportedly valued at around $100 million, appears prominently in the background. The connection delighted fans further because Emily Blunt herself married John Krasinski at the estate in 2010.

Clooney reportedly learned about the villa’s appearance during the Chaplin Award Gala red carpet and reacted with amusement. “Is it really? Oh man, I’ve made it,” he told Access Hollywood. He also called the moment “sweeter” because of his close friendship with Blunt and predicted that the film would be a major success.

The sequel also reportedly used the nearby Villa del Balbiano for filming, giving the film’s European portions a glossy, old-world glamour.

Anne Hathaway’s Quran Gift Moment Wins Hearts

Another moment from the London premiere went viral after a fan gifted Anne Hathaway a Quran on the red carpet. The gesture came after Hathaway’s casual use of “Inshallah” during a recent People interview had drawn attention online.

Hathaway accepted the gift warmly with a smile, and the respectful exchange was widely shared on social media. Fans praised the moment as gentle, sincere and unexpectedly moving amid the high-fashion chaos of the film’s global promotions.

A Press Tour Built For The Internet

Beyond the bigger moments, The Devil Wears Prada 2 has kept the internet fed through joint interviews, fan interactions and relentless fashion breakdowns. Hathaway and Tucci’s appearance on Fandango’s Big Ticket, the cast’s international stops in South Korea and Europe, Streep’s red Givenchy cape and Hathaway’s polished premiere looks all became part of the online conversation.

If the original film understood the power of image, the sequel’s press tour has fully embraced the modern machinery of virality. Every outfit, callback, cameo hint and red-carpet exchange has been treated like a cultural clue.

As The Devil Wears Prada 2 arrives in theatres, one thing is clear: Miranda Priestly, Andy Sachs, Emily Charlton and Nigel have returned not just to cinema, but to the centre of the fashion-pop culture conversation. From cerulean callbacks and body-inclusivity debates to Lady Gaga’s cameo and George Clooney’s accidental real-estate flex, the film has already delivered a runway-worthy pre-release spectacle.

The devil is back, and this time, she has the internet working overtime.