Blake Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, were 2022 co-chairs of the Met Gala, and the actress is often hailed as one of the best-dressed at the exclusive event. But this year, they won’t be attending. According to TMZ, the couple is skipping the 2025 Met Gala.
Is the lawsuit to blame?
Given the viral, headline-making drama between Lively and Justin Baldoni—which has also pulled in Reynolds—it’s hard to believe their absence isn’t tied to the lawsuit. But according to TMZ, it has "nothing" to do with their ongoing legal battle.
A TMZ insider says the couple had already decided to sit this one out before the lawsuit took over the media. It’s not totally out of nowhere—they skipped 2023, and 2024, too.
Keeping up appearances
Despite the controversy, Lively and Reynolds haven’t gone into hiding. They made headlines at SNL 50, laughing off the drama, and Lively has been busy promoting Another Simple Favor with her co-star Anna Kendrick.
Still, skipping the Met Gala might help them avoid the inevitable media frenzy surrounding their legal battle. The timing of their decision comes as major updates unfold in the case.
Baldoni sues his former publicist
News broke today that Baldoni and his producing partner, Jennifer Abel, have sued his former publicist, Stephanie Jones, accusing her of leaking confidential information that fueled the controversy between him and Lively.
According to Page Six, the director claims Jones decided to “stir up unnecessary drama and discord, throwing elbows for self-interested reasons, undermining and eventually terminating Jonesworks’ point person at Wayfarer [Jennifer Abel], refusing to follow instructions, and generally causing more problems than she was solving.”
Lively fights back
Meanwhile, Lively is pushing to have Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit against her dismissed. She’s citing a 2023 California law that protects individuals from retaliatory lawsuits when speaking out about sexual misconduct.
Reynolds responds
Reynolds has also filed paperwork to dismiss Baldoni's complaint against him. His lawyers, Mike Gottlieb, and Esra Hudson, told Just Jared in a statement, “The entirety of Mr. Baldoni’s case appears to be based on Mr. Reynolds allegedly privately calling Mr. Baldoni a ‘predator,’ but here is the problem—that is not defamation unless they can show that Mr. Reynolds did not believe that statement to be true.”
With the Met Gala fast approaching, the couple’s absence is sure to be felt—but it seems they have much bigger things to focus on.