Why were so many celebrities missing from the Met Gala this year?

As expected the internet is pretty much losing it over the 2021 Met Gala. From Kim's *unique* outfit, to Rihanna and Asap's red carpet debut, it's been a big night. However, as the live stream came to a close lots of us spotted that some of the Met Gala's biggest and most loyal names (Blake Lively, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga and many more) were missing from this year's event. So, just why were so many celebrities missing from the 2021 Met Gala?

Twitter has spent the last few days banging on about Blake Lively's Met Gala looks, after someone spotted that she always matches her outfit to the colour of the carpet (iconic, no?) and we couldn't wait for this year's 'fit. Meanwhile ever since Gaga's undressed to reveal four whole different looks at the event in 2019 she's been known as a Met Gala icon, much like Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Bella Hadid, Harry Styles, Zendaya and Cardi B. So, where exactly were they all?

Fans were sad to see that none of the above names made an appearance, and for a while it even looked like official Met Gala royalty Rihanna wouldn't be there, but she was just showing up fashionably late (with Asap Rocky on her arm, no less).

While Kylie Jenner and Zendaya confirmed earlier this week that they would be missing the event due to their hectic schedules, we are still none the wiser about everyone else. Maybe they all thought this year's theme was 'Watching From Home: an Exploration of the Tracksuit.'

You Might Also Like

• A ranking of the very best hair straighteners - according to our Beauty Editors

• Best party dresses to shop in the UK right now

• 11 products you'd be mad to miss from the Net A Porter beauty sale