15 notable celebrities who skipped this year's Met Gala, and why

This year, the Met Gala required proof of COVID-19 vaccination to attend, and the celebrities had to remain masked indoors. The strict protocols were a deterrent for some, including rapper Nicki Minaj, who shared on social media that she's unvaccinated. She wrote on Twitter on Monday, They want you to get vaccinated for the Met. If I get vaccinated it won't for the Met. It'll be once I feel I've done enough research. I'm working on that now. In the meantime my loves, be safe. Wear the mask with 2 strings that grips your head & face. Not that loose one, with the praying hands and heart emojis. Minaj was also scheduled to perform at the 2021 MTV VMAs on Sunday, but she dropped out days before. Zendaya has always understood the assignment when it comes to Met Gala fashion. The Emmy-winner has delivered draw-dropping looks since her first appearance in 2015. She even showed up in 2019 in a full light-up Cinderella gown. But this year, after wowing audiences at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month, the actress had to skip to film the hit HBO drama Euphoria.My fans are very upset with me. I will unfortunately not be able to attend because I'll be working for 'Euphoria,' she recently told ExtraTV.When Kylie Jenner arrived at New York Fashion Week, fans were certain that the youngest of the Kardashian-Jenner clan would make another appearance at the Met Gala. But Jenner, who recently announced she's pregnant with her and Travis Scott's second baby, returned home to LA.She pulled out last minute because she is overwhelmed and just doesn't feel great, a source told E!. She did a lot this past weekend and pushed it. Kylie has been going back and forth for the last two months on if she wanted to attend or not and decided she doesn't really need to go.On the day of the event, the model shared several photos of her previous Met Gala styles on her Instagram stories, adding, I'm so sad I couldn't make it this year. I can't wait to see all the looks.Like her iconic Sex and the City character, Sarah Jessica Parker is a mainstay on the NYC fashion scene. She's wowed at past Met Galas in ornate headdresses and spectacular gowns.The actress often attends the event with Andy Cohen, and the pair even got together for a socially distanced meet-up on what would've been the date of the canceled 2020 gala.But the friends couldn't make the event this year because Parker was busy filming the Sex and the City revival. I'm taking a year off, Cohen said during an August appearance on Access Hollywood. My date is filming this year. She's filming 'And Just Like That…'In 2019, Harry Styles became the youngest person to co-chair the Met Gala — an honor that 19-year-old Billie Eilish took over this year — and he wowed fans in a custom, sheer Gucci jumpsuit.Unfortunately, he couldn't walk the red carpet at this year's event because he's currently doing a US tour. Beyoncé has sported some bold looks on the Met Gala red carpet. But this year, she and her husband Jay-Z took their family on a European vacation instead.Beyoncé shared several Instagram posts with photos from the trip on the day of the event, and they were photographed in Cannes, France, on Sunday.Lady Gaga's multiple costume changes at the 2019 Met Gala were all showstoppers, but this year, the singer opted out of the glam affair. She was last photographed with her boyfriend Michael Polansky in Los Angeles on September 6.While Gigi Hadid dazzled in Prada on the red carpet, her partner Zayn Malik wasn't by her side.The singer has admitted that these events aren't really his vibe. He told GQ in 2018, I'd rather be sitting at my house, doing something productive, than dressing up in really expensive clothes and being photographed on a red carpet ... Malik may have been spending time with his and Hadid's daughter Khai, while Hadid was at the event.Ariana Grande made a statement at the 2018 Met Gala with a Vera Wang gown screen-printed with Michelangelo's images from the Sistine Chapel. But this year, the singer skipped the red carpet.Although she didn't specify why she missed the event, Grande and her husband Dalton Gomez, who got married in May, have been spending quality time together instead of making public appearances. Ariana and Dalton have really been enjoying married life, a source told Entertainment Tonight in June. Ariana is happy and feels very relaxed. She feels like she is entering a new chapter of life and is excited to see where it goes.Taylor Swift hasn't appeared at the Met Gala since 2016, but the event is reportedly where she first laid eyes on her longtime boyfriend Joe Alwyn. In her song Dress, she sings, Flashback when you met me / Your buzzcut and my hair bleached.Swift walked the 2016 Met Gala red carpet with a bleached bob, and Alwyn appeared with close-cropped hair. The couple didn't attend this year's event. Alwyn is currently filming Conversations With Friends in Northern Ireland, and Swift was spotted in Belfast last weekend. The Met Gala played an important role in the start of Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra Jonas' love story.Chopra Jonas told Jimmy Kimmel in 2017, We were at the same table. I mean, we know each other so we were just like, 'Hey let's go together,' and I was like, 'Okay, let's go together.' And it just ended up working out.But this year, the husband and wife duo didn't walk the red carpet, likely because Jonas is currently on tour with his famous brothers. Blake Lively almost always makes a statement on the Met steps, whether she arrives solo or with her husband, Ryan Reynolds. The actress hasn't attended the event since 2018, but when she reposted Donatella Versace's photo of her last Met Gala dress on her Instagram story, fans incorrectly speculated that she'd finally be returning this year. Jared Leto is known for his jaw-dropping transformations on and off the screen.The actor showed up dressed as Jesus for the 2018 Met Gala, and he wore an iconic Gucci ensemble complete with a replica of his severed head to the 2019 event. Although he posted a throwback photo of his last daring Met Gala look on Monday, he didn't attend the event.

15 notable celebrities who skipped this year's Met Gala, and why

Nicki Minaj said she wasn't in attendance because she's not vaccinated.

Zendaya had work commitments she couldn't skip.

Kylie Jenner decided to skip the event.

Sarah Jessica Parker and Andy Cohen skipped the event because the former was working.

Harry Styles is currently on tour.

Beyoncé didn't attend because she's on vacation.

Lady Gaga was last seen in LA.

Zayn Malik may have been at home with his and Hadid's daughter.

Ariana Grande is probably enjoying newlywed bliss.

Taylor Swift was likely still in Ireland.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas likely skipped because the Jonas Brothers are on tour.

Blake Lively wasn't in attendance.

Jared Leto missed the event, but he reminisced about his past looks.