The 2019 Met Gala was filled with all the glamorous, camp-inspired celebrities we could ask for, but there were still some clear absences. Perhaps the most glaring non-attendees were some of pop culture's heaviest hitters: Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Ariana Grande, who all are known for turning out looks at the storied New York City event. So why did three of the most important women in pop music miss the Met Gala? Well, these kinds of absences usually come down to timing. Take Ariana Grande, for example. There's a really specific reason she wasn't there: she's currently touring for Sweetener and Thank u, Next and was playing shows in Los Angeles, California during the event. To be fair, she's a pretty busy artist. Some absences are a little less easily explained. Rihanna, reigning queen of the event, clearly became aware of how much her presence was missed at the Met Gala, because it felt like everyone was tweeting about it (and also Photoshopping her into various carpet photos to play pretend). She even reposted one tweet on Instagram, in which a fan wrote, "Rihanna at home playing with that f*ckin makeup." As BuzzFeed pointed out, Rihanna added to the tweet an IRL photo of her hanging with some beloved Fenty Beauty products. Hey, I can totally relate to preferring a night at home trying on makeup instead of big high-pressure evening out. Luckily, Rihanna still christened a best-dressed star of the night: none other than Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Taylor Swift also didn't provide a real reason for missing the Met Gala, though she has attended in previous years (including in 2016, when her infamous dance with future ex-boyfriend Tom Hiddleston occurred). Last year, she didn't make the party because of a timing conflict with preparation for the Reputation tour.<doc-sep>What would the Met Gala be without Sarah Jessica Parker? Well, we found out Monday night. Fashion's big night was once again upon us, this time with perhaps its most fitting theme yet: "camp." However, to Met Gala fans' dismay, some of the event's staple celebrity attendees did not step out onto the red pink carpet this year, sparking a flurry of question marks over exactly what came between them and the big ball. Fortunately, we have some answers. For starters, Andy Cohen previously told E! News he nor his beloved usual Met Ball date, SJP, were going to be in attendance this year as he had to work and she was (maybe) going to be on a plane. Needles to say, they were missed.<doc-sep>Two legends in one frame. Jungkook showed his support at Ariana Grande’s ‘Sweetener’ concert on May 6, and in addition to snapping a selfie, the BTS member left a rave review of her performance on Twitter. Imagine a meet and greet where you’re both the pop star and fan — that’s what happened between Ariana Grande, 25, and Jungkook, 21. Ariana took the stage at Los Angeles’ Staples Center on May 6, and Jungkook was fangirling right along with the Arianators in the crowd! After the show, the BTS member snapped this selfie with Ari, who both flashed peace signs, and it’s now Ariana’s lockscreen — seriously, she posted it to her Instagram Story. “Screaming. 🖤 thank u soooooo much for coming to my show, Jungkook. it meant so much. love u sm 🌬,” the “7 Rings” singer captioned their photo, which Ariana now gets to look at every time she checks the time. Jungkook had just as kind words to say on Twitter. “I felt and learned a lot after seeing her stage. I am really challenged by her stage and will try harder!” the K-pop singer tweeted, along with a selfie of him holding a $7 bill with two diamond rings and Toulose’s face. Humble words from someone who has already achieved megastar status — this is why we love Kookie. Ari inspired Jungkook at the perfect time: BTS is in the midst of its Love Yourself: Speak Yourself stadium tour. The world tour just kicked off at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA on May 4, and Jungkook himself flew over 90,000 fans mid-performance of “Euphoria” for the milestone concert. The seven-member K-pop group also has shows scheduled in Chicago and New Jersey for the U.S. leg of the tour, and will then take stages in international cities like Sao Paulo, London, Paris, Osaka and Shizuoka. Likewise, Ariana will also be touring the globe as part of her Sweetener tour, which kicked off on March 18. I felt and learned a lot after seeing her stage. I am really challenged by her stage and will try harder!#ArianaGrande pic.twitter.com/Jj0xREEK2W — 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) May 7, 2019 https://twitter.com/THICJ00N/status/1125867111698587649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1125867111698587649&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpmchollywoodlife.wordpress.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D3604046%26action%3Dedit Understandably, Twitter is ablaze over this fateful meeting and the resulting lockscreen. “Jungkook did that no other man can relate being Ariana’s lockscreen,” one BTS Army member tweeted, while another wrote, “jungkook went to ariana’s sold out la show and said he was inspired to do harder and then ariana said she loves jungkook and put him as her lockscreen IS THIS HEAVEN?” Well, it’ll be heaven if Jungkook/BTS and Ariana just release a collab track, now.<doc-sep>Met Gala: Why Ariana Grande, Rihanna & Selena Gomez Were Missing From Red Carpet Selena Gomez, Rihanna and Ariana Grande were missing from the Met Gala. Picture: PA images Why did Ariana Grande, Rihanna and Selena Gomez skip this year’s Met Gala? Ariana Grande, Rihanna and Selena Gomez were all noticeably missing from the 2019 Met Gala. All three attended in 2018 and served us some breathtakingly beautiful looks. Who can forget Ariana in that Vera Wang gown inspired by Michelangelo’s The Last Judgement? ! Met Gala 2019: Best Outfits Including Harry Styles, Zendaya & Shawn Mendes However, the pop singers all decided to skip this year’s hottest, A-list event. According to reports, Ariana was unable to attend because she’s playing a stadium in Los Angeles for the next two nights and the event is held in New York City. Rihanna is also out of town and apparently sunning herself in Barbados. The Fenty Beauty owner is renowned for nailing the theme at the event each year so fan’s were seriously disappointed when she didn’t show up. Selena Gomez decided to skip the event, which would have been her first red carpet of the year, to spend time with friends in Disneyland, California. Harry Styles, Dua Lipa and Halsey were among stars who did attend and they all absolutely killed it with their looks. > Download Our App For All The Latest Met Gala Behind The Scenes Gossip<doc-sep>
Ariana Grande made her breathtaking Met Gala debut last year in a Vera Wang gown inspired by Michelangelo's The Last Judgment. She will not be making a return this evening, but only because she's playing a stadium in Los Angeles for the next two nights. Grande will be performing today and tomorrow at the California city's Staple Center for her Sweetener World Tour. Taylor Swift missed last year's Met Gala for a similar reason; then, Swift was just about to begin her Reputation World Tour. Grande has yet to make an award show appearance this year, in part because of her tour commitments. But Grande has already shared at least one red carpet look worthy of the Met Gala. When Grande skipped the Grammy Awards (due to disagreements with producers over her performance), she posted on her Instagram a glimpse of the Zac Posen dress she was planning to wear. It was giant and Cinderella-esque, Grande completed the look with her iconic high ponytail. Grande just played the Billboard Music Awards remotely last week. She sang "7 Rings" for that performance. Ahead of the show, she explained she couldn't make the Las Vegas ceremony in person because she was on tour. "happy @bbmas day everybody ! so wish we were there with u in person tonight," she tweeted. "thank you @billboard for all of your endless support, love and for having us perform for u remotely from the sweetener world tour. we love you." Grande won two awards there: the Billboard Chart Achievement Award and Top Female Artist Award. Alyssa Bailey News and Strategy Editor Alyssa Bailey is the news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton).