Why Blake Lively Won't Be At the 2023 Met Gala

Over the past few years, the anticipation for the Met Gala has almost eclipsed the buzz surrounding the actual event. Questions like “Who’s attending?,” “What are they going to wear?,” and “Who will close out the carpet?” take over social media as super fans of the affair do as much sleuthing as they can to determine the guest list before the big night. Some stars make it easy and discuss their plans to attend ahead of time. Kim Kardashian just shared photos of some prep she did for the upcoming fête with the help of none other than Choupette, while Florence Pugh revealed she would be attending for the first time in Valentino. But not all of the pre-Gala announcements bring good news, especially when they involve the confirmation that one of the red carpet regulars won’t be in attendance. On Thursday night, Blake Lively revealed she would be sitting out of this year’s Gala, eliciting sighs of disappointment across the Internet.

While attending the reopening of Tiffany & Co.’s Fifth Avenue flagship store, the actress was asked if fans would see her at the Met on Monday night. “You will not,” Lively responded, according to People. “But I will be watching.” The actress didn’t share why she won’t be heading to the Upper East Side for fashion’s biggest night, but maybe she just needed a break after her dramatic display last year. Lively, who co-hosted the 2022 event, attended in a custom Atelier Versace gown that transformed from copper to blue-ish green before our very eyes, mimicking to oxidation of the Statue of Liberty.

Lively’s absence is a bit surprising considering she has a long history with Karl Lagerfeld, who’s career is being honored at this year’s Gala. The designer was one of the first in the fashion world to embrace Lively upon her ascendancy to stardom, and they soon formed a close bond. For years, Lively almost exclusively dressed in Chanel, and she even attended the Met in 2011 on the arm of Lagerfeld. As time went on, however, Lively moved on to other brands, and hasn’t been seen in a full Chanel look in quite some time, meaning her relationship with the house is likely not as strong as it once was. Plus, as we know, Lagerfeld had plenty of muses during his years in the industry, so while Lively might not be in attendance, there’s still hope that some of his other favorite women from throughout his 65-year career will show up.