Several big names are expected to be missing from tonight’s Met Gala red carpet, begging the question of whether or not this year’s strict COVID protocols caused some stars to sit this one out.
In the first Met Gala since Vogue canceled the event amid the pandemic last May, all guests will be required to show masks and provide proof of vaccination, in keeping with New York City’s mandate for entry to indoor dining, indoor fitness facilities, and indoor entertainment including concerts, movie theaters, and museums.
Quite a few Met Gala regulars have announced or hinted that they are staying home, including Kylie Jenner, Sarah Jessica Parker, Andy Cohen, and Zendaya.
While some of the stars have cited prior engagements, filming schedules, and the fact that the event is ‘a lot to take on,’ their absence may have some fans wondering if it was in fact the vaccine or mask mandate that kept them sidelined.
So far, just Nicki Minaj has revealed that she is, in fact, unvaccinated, tweeting: ‘If I get vaccinated it won’t for the Met.’ Minutes before the event kicked off, she also revealed that she had tested positive for COVID.
Kylie Jenner is one of several big names who won’t be at the Met Gala tonight (pictured in 2018)
An inside source told Page Six her reason for skipping the Met Gala is that it’s just too much time and effort (pictured left 2017, right 2016)
‘I’m so sad I couldn’t make it this year. I can’t wait to see all the looks,’ she wrote on Instagram stories
Kylie Jenner
Kylie Jenner has been at every Met Gala since her first in 2015, but she said she is not making it to the Met Gala tonight.
‘I’m so sad I couldn’t make it this year. I can’t wait to see all the looks,’ she wrote on Instagram stories.
An inside source told Page Six her reason for skipping the Met Gala is that it’s just too much time and effort.
‘Kylie’s pregnant and it’s a lot to take on, going to such a public event,’ the source said.
She is, however, in New York for New York Fashion Week
Jenner raised eyebrows in 2016 when she shared a meme that appeared to be anti-vax
Another said she had previously been approved to attend it but decided to back out because of her pregnancy.
It’s unclear whether or not Jenner has received the jab, though it would have also technically been required to the REVOLVE Gallery at New York Fashion Week earlier this week.
Jenner hasn’t spoken about the COVID-19 vaccine one way or another, but did raise eyebrows in 2016 when she shared a meme that appeared to be anti-vax.
Staying home: Nicki Minaj is the only star to explicitly say that the vaccine mandate is what is keeping her out of the Met Gala (pictured 2019)
‘They want you to get vaccinated for the Met,’ she tweeted this afternoon. ‘If I get vaccinated it won’t for the Met’
She has continued to engage with fans on Twitter on the subject
Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj is the only star to explicitly say that the vaccine mandate is what is keeping her out of the Met Gala.
‘They want you to get vaccinated for the Met,’ she tweeted this afternoon. ‘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.’
She has continued to engage with fans on Twitter on the subject.
When one fan told her that the vaccine ‘doesn’t prevent getting covid, it prevents you getting serious symptoms. Non vaccinated people are 11x more likely to pass away from covid than vaccinated,’ Minaj replied.
‘Babe. That’s not true. I had the exact same symptoms as ppl with the damn vaccine,’ she wrote back, seeming to miss the point of the original tweet.
‘I was prepping for vmas then i shot a video & guess who got COVID? Do u know what it is not to be able to kiss or hold your tiny baby for over a week?’ she said to another fan. ‘A baby who is only used to his mama? “get vaccinated” Drake had just told me he got covid w|THE VACCINE tho so chile.’
Sarah Jessica Parker is busy filming, and her frequent date Andy Cohen said he’s sitting this one out, too (pictured in 2018)
Sarah Jessica Parker and Andy Cohen
Sarah Jessica Parker is a Met Gala mainstay, often wearing one of the more buzzed-about looks of the night.
But her frequent date, Bravo’s Andy Cohen, said he was staying home this year — and hinted that she was too busy to go, either.
‘I’m taking a year off,’ he told Access Hollywood. ‘My date is filming this year. She’s filming “And Just Like That…”
Parker hasn’t explicitly shared whether or not she is vaccinated, but in May she seemed to share a pro-vaccine stance by posting a link to a New York Times article titled: ‘How a Javits Center Vaccine Nurse Spends Her Sundays.’
As for Cohen, he’s also kept his vaccine status to himself — but when his show Watch What Happens Live welcomed back an in-studio audience in June, it was announced that all audience members must be vaccinated, according to Variety.
Zendaya also admitted that she isn’t making it to the event and will be busy filming Euphoria (pictured in 2019)
Zendaya
Zendaya also admitted that she isn’t making it to the event, which is co-chaired by her Dune costar Timothee Chalamet.
‘My fans are going to be very upset with me,’ she told Extra TV.
‘I will unfortunately not be able to attend because I’ll be working for Euphoria,’ she continued.
‘I got my time off to come here and do this Venice [Film Festival] experience, which has been really, really special.’
In July, Zendaya was caught on camera getting vaccinated at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.
Dua Lipa is reportedly skipping out on this year’s Met Gala because she is filming Mathew Vaughn’s upcoming thriller Argylle in the UK
Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa made her Met Gala debut in 2019, but she allegedly had to bow out of this year’s event because she’s across the pond working on her first feature film.
The 25-year-old Grammy winner is in the UK shooting director Mathew Vaughn’s upcoming thriller Argylle, TMZ reported last week.
According to the outlet, she was invited to this year’s Met Gala, and she would have gone if it wasn’t for her movie schedule.
It’s unclear if the English singer has been able to get vaccinated, but she plans on getting the shot. In Vanity Fair’s July/August 2021 cover story, the magazine noted her ‘commitment to waiting her turn for the coronavirus vaccine.’
Whether or not Lipa’s boyfriend Anwar Hadid — the brother of models Gigi and Bella Hadid — was invited to this year’s Met Gala remains unknown.
Hadid, who attended with his family in 2017, made headlines in late December when he said he would ‘absolutely not’ be getting the COVID-19. However, he later insisted he is not an anti-vaxxer.
‘I’m not “anti-vax.” I think everyone has to be careful with each vaccine individually looking at positive and possible negative effects,’ said the 22-year-old, who was diagnosed with Lyme disease,
Hadid added that he has indeed ‘taken vaccines before.’
Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen are rumored to be missing out on the event because of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback’s football schedule
Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen
Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen attended their first Met Gala together in 2008, and they’ve made a red carpet appearance almost every year since.
However, the timing of this year’s postponed event is rumored to have been an issue for the couple because of Brady’s football schedule.
The Met Gala is typically held in May, when the legendary quarterback is free, but football season has already started.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are scheduled to play the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, September 19, meaning Brady is likely busy training with his team in Florida.