Why Blake Lively missed the Met Gala this year

She's usually a red carpet favourite at the annual event

Blake Lively Met Gala
(Image credit: Theo Wargo / Getty)

Blake Lively is usually one of the most popular celebrities gracing the Met Gala red carpet. 

The annual event is one of the biggest nights in fashion and takes place on the first Monday of May, with Vogue's Anna Wintour at the helm. Held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, this year's theme was Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, with the most recognisable faces in the industry paying homage to the late Chanel artistic director. 

From Doja Cat arriving as his infamous pet Choupette, to Anne Hathaway's tweed nod to Liz Hurley's iconic Versace pin dress, the Met Gala 2023 was undoubtedly a night to remember. 

However, Blake - who went viral last year thanks to her colour-changing dress - didn't attend this year. 

The actor and former Met Gala go-chair revealed just days before that she wouldn't be gracing the iconic steps. 

Talking to People on last week, she said: "You will not [see me on the red carpet.] But I will be watching."

When a reporter noted her iconic 2022 dress, she said: "Thank you, that’s very sweet. I’ll be wearing that on my couch on Monday."

Blake and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, welcomed their fourth child earlier this year. The couple, who married in 2012, are parents to daughters James, 8, Inez, 6, and Betty, 3, with their fourth child - whose name has not yet been publicly shared - born in February. 

As the night unfolded, Blake shared a photograph to Instagram stories showing herself pumping in a bathroom, writing: "First Monday in May."

We're sure she'll be back next year!

Jadie Troy-Pryde
News Editor

Jadie Troy-Pryde is News Editor, covering celebrity and entertainment, royal, lifestyle and viral news. Before joining the team in 2018 as the Lifestyle and Social Media Editor, she worked at a number of women’s fashion and lifestyle titles including Grazia, Women’s Health and Stylist, and now heads the Marie Claire UK news desk.