Rihanna, Met Gala’s queen mother, is known for pulling a look at the Met Gala. (We still think about the Guo Pei one.) Even her fashionably late arrivals (last year she showed up as others were leaving) are a spectacle. However, this year, there were whispers — via People — that she’d be a no-show due to the flu.
So who else wasn’t at the Met Gala this year? First, Met Gala princess Blake Lively wasn’t there. Also notably absent: the latest power couple, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. (Swift last attended in 2016 when she was a co-chair but a red-carpet moment from the couple would’ve been on brand.) Also not present were Bella Hadid (although she and her boyfriend, Adan, were in New York for her Orabella launch), Hailey Bieber and Justin Bieber, as well as the sisters Kardashian, Khloé and Kourtney. Katy Perry, Olivia Rodrigo, Millie Bobby Brown and Pedro Pascal were nowhere to be found. And NYC mayor Eric Adams didn’t show up either. Jared Leto and Pete Davidson, fortunately, were absent. Anne Hathaway, Kristen Stewart, Salma Hayek, Suki Waterhouse, Olivia Wilde, Florence Pugh, Kate Moss, and Margot Robbie also didn’t show up. And if you were expecting a Cowboy Carter moment from Beyoncé, sad to say you’ll just have to play the album a few more times. Queen B never arrived.
It was also apparently leave-your-boyfriend-at-home day: J.Lo attended without Ben Affleck, Gigi Hadid without Bradley Cooper, Kylie Jenner without Timothée Chalamet, and Taylor Russell made her Met Gala debut in Loewe without boyfriend Harry Styles. Another pair we missed, the sister duo Chloe and Halle Bailey. If you were hoping for more red-carpet drama, some of our favorite regulars, Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Lawrence, and Gisele Bündchen, were not in attendance. We were also hoping for a debut from TikTok star and model Alex Consani (and more TikTok stars like Alix Earle and Monet McMicheal, who were at the Oscars)— but maybe in 2025.
Better luck next time!
