Why Taylor Swift Skipped the Met Gala This Year

Despite fans' hopes that she would attend, it's official: Taylor Swift skipped the 2024 Met Gala. The star hasn't attended since 2016, and this year proved particularly tough schedule-wise: The Met Gala took place just three days before the European leg of Swift's Eras tour kicks off in Paris.

But as any Swiftie will tell you, Swift can make it anywhere, no matter the flight time: She made it to the Super Bowl to support boyfriend Travis Kelce after finishing up a show in Japan the night before. When Anna Wintour was asked about Swift's potential attendance this year, she played coy, saying, "I hope she comes and enjoys the exhibit.” Page Six also claimed that Swift would be in attendance, claiming "a source tells us that Swift will indeed be attending the lavish event."

But multiple outlets, including People and Us Weekly, reported otherwise: Swift would be "focusing on rehearsals and tour prep," per People.

It's now been eight years since Swift walked the Met's iconic steps. The singer had been a mainstay on the carpet for much of the mid-aughts, attending six times between 2008 and 2016, when she was co-chair. That year's theme was "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology."

She opted for a radical haircut—a bleach blonde shaggy bob—dark-toned makeup, and a snakeskin-printed silver midi dress designed for her by Louis Vuitton for the occasion.

Her night at the 2016 Met Gala foreshadowed the release of her edgiest album to date, Reputation, the following year. Many fans believe that one of the most popular songs from that album, "Getaway Car," is about her experience with Tom Hiddleston inside the museum that night.