Sorry, but Beyoncé *definitely* had better things to do.
Fashion’s Super Bowl, the Met Gala, is the event for many celebrities — the one night they can truly go wild with fashion and beauty, donning pieces of art that are meant to be ogled instead of marketed to be sold (if they can score a coveted invite, of course). It’s a huge night for anyone who loves looking at beautiful people wearing beautiful things, which is why it’s major news when a Met Gala regular skips out. And at the 2024 Met Gala, there were a lot of red carpet fixtures who didn’t dress up this year. Below, all the Met Gala 2024 missing stars who missed fashion’s biggest fête in 2024.
Anne Hathaway
While actress Anne Hathaway isn’t necessarily a Met Gala shoe-in (the Idea of You star attended in 2023 after a four-year hiatus from the event), an appearance at the gala this year would have made sense given the hot streak Hathaway has been on. After a stylish press tour for Prime Video’s The Idea of You and a fashion renaissance in recent years, it has undoubtedly been the year of Hathaway. Which is why we’re so disappointed that the former Princess of Genova didn’t walk the botanical green carpet — you know it would have been a look.
Bella Hadid
While we would have loved to see the model-turned-rancher bring a bit of country to the “Garden of Time,” it makes sense that the younger Hadid sister didn’t join sister Gigi to walk the famous stairs. The model has taken a step back from the fashion industry in the last year, moving to Texas full-time and dating an IRL cowboy. She seems happy with her new way of life, something Hadid herself shared in a recent interview with Allure. “After 10 years of modelling, I realized I was putting so much energy and love and effort into something that, in the long run, wasn’t necessarily giving it back to me,” Hadid told the magazine.
Hadid went on to say that for the first time, she wasn’t putting on a “fake face,” saying: “Now when anybody sees me in a picture and they say I look happy, I genuinely am.” Given that ringing endorsement of life away from the fashion industry, it comes as no surprise that Hadid would take a back from fashion’s biggest night, although she was in New York earlier the week prior launching her fragrance line Orebella, so we had hopes she’d turn up on Met Gala night.
Beyoncé
Another big name no-show this year was Cowboy Carter herself. The last time Beyoncé graced the steps was all the way back in 2016 so her absence wasn’t a huge surprise. While many fans thought she’d make an appearance on the heels of the release of her latest album, Bey is honestly probably just too busy working on Act III to take time out of schedule for some little fashion event.
Blake Lively
Alongside Rihanna, actress Blake Lively is one of the Queen’s of the Met. The A Simple Favor actress is one of the few celebs to consistently nail the theme and somehow manages to often — and one would assume unintentionally — match the carpet on the Met steps. Now that’s dressing. While the actress hasn’t shared why she missed the event, Lively has been busy lately, recently filming A Simple Favor 2 in Italy. So, maybe jet lag?
Jennifer Lawrence
While Jennifer Lawrence has had a comeback in the last year, it looks like that didn’t extend to the Met Gala. After last attending in 2015, Lawrence skipped this year. Given the fact that she hasn’t been a fixture at the Met ball in nine years, it’s no shocker that she once again didn’t attend. As one of fashion’s current It girlies, we would have loved to see what quiet luxury look the star and her stylist Jamie Mizrahi came up with.
Rihanna
The undisputed queen of the Met Gala, Rihanna always knows how to shut down the red carpet. Her looks come to define and perfectly reflect the theme of the night. Despite the fact that she’s literally otherworldly, the singer’s reason for missing the 2024 Met Gala is pretty human — she came down with the flu.
Taylor Swift
Like Beyoncé, singer Taylor Swift hasn’t attended the Met Gala in almost a decade, last appearing on the Met red carpet in 2016. It was a pretty big year for the singer, who not only co-chaired the event, but also reportedly met future beaus Tom Hiddleston and Joe Alwyn inside its hallowed walls. (FYI, she was dating DJ Calvin Harris at the time.)
Swift has had a pretty big year, to put it lightly, and reportedly declined her invite to focus on prep for the European leg of her Eras Tour. Still, we were crossing our fingers for a Taylor Swift x Travis Kelce red carpet hard launch.
Selena Gomez
The Rare Beauty founder and star of Only Murders In the Building opted out of fashion’s big night after her last appearance in 2018. While Gomez hasn’t commented on just where she was, the star has a complicated history with the event. Not to mention she was probably at home cuddled up and blissed out with her new boo Benny Blanco.