Who missed out on the 2025 Met Gala? Quite a few A-listers.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Parker, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, and Lady Gaga were among the biggest stars missing at the annual Met Gala in New York City.
The pouring rain in New York on the first Monday of May did not dampen the mood as celebrities arrived at the Met Gala looking their dandiest in line with this year’s dress code, “Tailored for You,” at fashion’s biggest night.
While A-listers, including Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney and Rihanna, along with co-chairs Pharrell Williams, A$AP Rocky, Lewis Hamilton and Colman Domingo were present, notably absent this year were some of the fundraiser’s biggest style icons.
Here are some of the big names who were not seen on the red carpet.
Met Gala darling Blake Lively skips Met Gala amid Justin Baldoni legal drama
Lively, whose film “Another Simple Favor” dropped May 1, skipped the event for the third year in a row amid her ongoing legal battle with actor Justin Baldoni.
The “It Ends With Us” star, 37, has made some solid fashion statements on the famed steps of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, with one of her most head-turning looks being the Atelier Versace gown she wore to the 2022 Met Gala for the “Gilded Glamour” theme, which – when the train was unveiled – revealed an ode to the Statue of Liberty and its green patina that has formed over its original copper surface.
She and Reynolds were also co-chairs that year.
Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce Met Gala debut? Not this year
While anticipation over whether Swift would return to the Met Gala red carpet this year with boyfriend Kelce was high, the duo was a no-show at the event.
Swift, who made her Met Gala debut in 2008, last attended the event in 2016, when she co-chaired the event alongside Jony Ive, Idris Elba, and Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour.
Did Beyoncé take a Cowboy Carter Tour break for the Met Gala?
Once a fixture at the annual gala, Beyoncé has not attended the high-profile event since 2016, when she wore a custom latex Givenchy gown with a constellation of floral and bead embellishments.
The songstress is currently on tour with her long-awaited Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin’ Circuit Tour, which kicked off in Los Angeles on April 28. Beyoncé’s sister Solange Knowles, meanwhile, was in attendance.
Lebron James, Met Gala co-chair, skips due to injury
LeBron James will have to wait another year to make his Met Gala debut.
The professional basketball player, who was also the honorary chair of the 2025 Met Gala host committee, announced hours before the event that he wouldn’t be in attendance because of the knee injury he suffered when the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA playoff series last week.
His wife, Savannah James, attended. “Hate to miss an historical event! My beautiful powerful Queen will be there holding the castle down as she always has done!” James had written in a post on X.
Cynthia Erivo attends Met Gala. Was ‘Wicked’ co-star Ariana Grande there?
Cynthia Erivo walked this year’s Met Gala red carpet without her “Wicked” co-star Ariana Grande.
Grande and Erivo, who play Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, in the Oscar-nominated film, appeared on the red carpet together last year as they promoted their film.
Did Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry attend Met Gala?
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan have never attended the Met Gala − and this year was no different.
The couple, who moved to the United States in 2020 following a split with the royal family, recently attended the TIME100 summit in New York City.
Black fashion influencer Wisdom Kaye says he wasn’t invited
While the theme for this year’s gala was centered around Black dandyism, defined as a “man unduly devoted to style,” Black fashion influencer and model Wisdom Kaye said he wasn’t invited.
“I was not invited to the met, I know you guys wanna see me there so just letting y’all know,” the model, 24, wrote in a post on X May 4. “Looking forward to seeing all the beautiful interpretations of black dandyism tmrw :).”
Did the Kardashians attend the Met Gala?
Not all the Kardashians are keeping up with the Met Gala this year. Kim Kardashian and sisters Kylie and Kendall Jenner were at the event, but the Kar-Jenner matriarch, Kris Jenner, and daughters Khloe Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian skipped the event.
Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Parker also absent from Met Gala
Also, notably absent this year were Jennifer Lopez and Sarah Jessica Parker, both of whom attended last year and are Met Gala regulars.
Parker, who attended last year’s gala in a Richard Quinn ensemble, told Entertainment Tonight last week she is too busy with work to attend. “I have to work, but there’s gonna be so much to see, and I look forward to seeing what everybody does,” Parker told the media outlet. “And I can’t wait to see how they interpret the theme and the sort of homework they did for the assignment.”
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
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