Taylor Swift ultimately didn't return to the New York City tonight for the Met Gala. The singer was last at the Upper East Side event three years ago, when she co-hosted it. But Daily Mail reported that Swift was seen walking in London's Notting Hill yesterday, meaning she likely remained abroad. (Swift's boyfriend Joe Alwyn lives in North London.) Swift skipped the Met Gala last year, as she was just about to start her Reputation world tour. But she first attended in 2008 and has made appearances in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2016. At the 2008 Met Gala. Getty Images At the 2010 Met Gala. Getty Images At the 2011 Met Gala. Getty Images At the 2013 Met Gala. Getty Images At the 2014 Met Gala. Getty Images At the 2016 Met Gala. Getty Images The event does have some history for her. It's where she and her ex-boyfriend Tom Hiddleston were first filmed dancing ahead of her breakup with her other ex-boyfriend Calvin Harris. The song "Getaway Car" is believed to be inspired by the Hiddleswift romance and its Met Gala origins. This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. It's also where, fans believe, Swift met her current boyfriend Joe Alwyn. Alwyn was there with Garrett Hedlund in 2016. Swift's Reputation song "Dress" is where the theory spawned from, given Swift sings, "Flashback to when you met me, your buzz cut and my hair bleached," and Alwyn visibly had a buzz cut then. And Swift, of course, was in her brief Bleachella phase after Coachella. Daniele Venturelli Getty Images Taylor Hill Getty Images The Met Gala comes less than one week after Swift opened the Billboard Music Awards with her first live performance of "ME!" with Panic! at the Disco's Brendon Urie. On that red carpet, Swift wore a—you guessed it—ruffly pastel dress by RaisaVanessa. That time, it was lavender: Frazer Harrison Getty Images 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). This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>Plenty of stars went all out for the 2019 Met Gala. But a few who normally frequent the biggest night in fashion were noticeably absent from this year's festivities. So who was missing and where were they Monday night? 1. Bradley Cooper Bradley Cooper was one of the 183 people approved by Vogue editor Anna Wintour for this year's gala committee, according to E! and The Hollywood Reporter. But the "A Star is Born" actor was noticeably absent from the red carpet. He's currently in Los Angeles working as a producer on post-production of "Joker," the Joaquin Phoenix-led "Batman" origin story, publicist Nicole Caruso told USA TODAY. Still in attendance? His longtime girlfriend, Irina Shayk, who dazzled in a dark blue velvet Burberry gown. 2. Blake Lively (and Ryan Reynolds) More members of the committee that were MIA: Blake Lively and hubby Ryan Reynolds. The couple usually turns heads and gives us and major couple goals, but neither made an appearance. Could the couple still be traveling in promotion of Reynolds's "Pokemon Detective Pikachu?" USA TODAY reached out to the couple's representatives for comment. 3. Beyoncé Queen Bey hasn't been on the Met Gala red carpet since 2016 and it appears we'll have to wait at least another year. Beyonce and Jay-Z have been silent on social media. Entertainment Tonight reports the couple is on vacation. 4. Rihanna Last year, Rihanna served as one of three guest co-hosts alongside Amal Clooney and Donatella Versace. She was missing this year but posted a shot of Anna Wintour with the caption "best dressed" and added the caption "met ball 2019 😩🤷🏿‍♀️" to a fan's tweet speculating she was "at home playing with that (expletive) makeup." 5. Brie Larson Captain Marvel herself may have been featured in that iconic 2017 Kardashian bathroom selfie, but Larson sat this year out. She didn't explain why, but posted a selfie on Instagram Monday night that she was "in sweats while I watch everyone else at #metball." 6. Kate Hudson Though she skipped this year's red carpet, she did share a photo of herself getting ready before the 2017 gala. "#MissingTheNightNotTheHangover ;)" she wrote. 7. Taylor Swift There's only one of Taylor Swift, and she wasn't at the Met Gala this year. With the release of her single, "ME!" and a new album on the horizon, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for another appearance. The singer, who was photographed walking in London on Sunday, may still be out of the country. Swifties have also theorized that the 2016 Gala is when Swift met boyfriend Joe Alwyn. The song "Dress" from her "Reputation" album includes the lyrics: "Flashback to when you met me / Your buzz cut and my hair bleached." Indeed, Swift had bleached-blonde hair on the red carpet that year, while Alwyn rocked a short 'do. 8. Sarah Jessica Parker Another Met Gala mainstay, Parker revealed on Instagram that she was in New York City on Monday, but would be "traveling out of country this eve." 9. Ariana Grande After Grande made a marvelous Met Gala debut in 2018 with her Sistine Chapel gown, we would have loved to see her take on camp. Alas, the "Thank U, Next" singer had a previously scheduled tour date in Los Angeles on Monday. 10. Chadwick Boseman The "Black Panther" star got another invite this year, but announced on Twitter that he would be unable to attend "due to my shooting schedule." He may have been referring to Spike Lee's Netflix Vietnam veteran drama, in which Deadline and Variety reported he was cast earlier this year. Red-carpet official:Did Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx finally confirm dating rumors at the Met Gala? Creepy!Jared Leto carries his own head at Met Gala, beard and all<doc-sep>Watch : Lady Gaga's Epic Entrance at 2019 Met Gala Red Carpet Lady Gaga's dramatic entrance may have overshadowed most 2019 Met Gala arrivals, but it didn't prevent the stealthiest of pop culture fans from pointing out who didn't quite make it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday evening. For starters, we let out a collective wail when Rihanna didn't ascend the pink carpet steps. She's attended seven Met Gala ceremonies over the years, and in 2018 co-chaired the event alongside Amal Clooney (who was also M.I.A. tonight) and Donatella Versace. Some equally as upsetting absent stars included Blake Lively, who revealed just last week that she's pregnant, as well as Taylor Swift, Sarah Jessica Parker and drumroll, please.... Beyoncé! The nerve of those A-listers, right? There's most likely some perfectly plausible reasons they couldn't RSVP, but that won't stop us from missing what could have been.<doc-sep>
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.