Ever since the city’s mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would not be attending the Met Gala to instead focus on affordability, tabloid papers and glossy magazines alike have been awash with rumors about who else would be sitting it out this year.
With the gala arriving amid surging anti-rich sentiment, fans have been interpreting each absence as a pointed political statement, even if unconfirmed.
Zendaya, a former Met Gala co-chair who consistently understands the dressing assignment, is rumored to be among the non-attendees this year. Her stylist, Law Roach, all but confirmed it when he told Elle that she’d done two simultaneous press tours for “The Drama” and season three of “Euphoria,” and this year he’d be attending the gala by himself.
Nor is Meryl Streep going, despite the fact that her Miranda Priestly hosted a Met Gala-reminiscent affair in the “Devil Wears Prada 2,” which was released on Friday. Then again, she has yet to attend a Met Gala, which “has never quite been her scene,” according to a statement from her representative, first reported in People.
On Instagram, the content creator Meredith Lynch warned celebrities that if they decided to turn up to the “Jeff Bezos-backed Met Gala” wearing an “I.C.E. Out” pin — a popular accessory on other red carpets — she would skewer them “in perpetuity.”
“I am so confused by some ppl that are going,” the actor and former Gala-goer Taraji P. Henson responded in the comments, which fans are assuming means she is not going, on principle. She added: “WTF ARE WE DOING!?!?!?!”
Others who may not be seen on the red carpet (or who may not have received an invite) include Bella Hadid (though her sister Gigi did attend, dressed in Miu Miu), Ariana Grande and the former Vogue editor and entrepreneur Lauren Santo Domingo.
Blake Lively, who we previously reported was not coming (and who announced a settlement in her lawsuit against Jason Baldoni earlier this evening), did attend.
Alisha Haridasani Gupta is a Times reporter covering style and pop culture.
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