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As the fashion elite glided up the steps of New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art for the 2025 Met Gala, many wondered if Beyoncé would make a pit stop at fashion's biggest night.
Despite swirling rumors of a surprise appearance and a theme that felt tailor-made for Queen Bey, the Carters were a no-show. There was no Beyoncé, no Blue Ivy, no Jay-Z, and no tiny custom Thom Browne look for Rumi.
Beyoncé's Met Gala Hiatus Continues
If you've been holding out hope for Beyoncé's grand Met Gala comeback, you might need to keep holding. The superstar, known for serving major Met moments, hasn't graced the Met steps since 2016. That's right, nearly a decade off the carpet. And 2025 didn't buck the trend.
Despite this year's theme, "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," which honored Black cultural influence in fashion with an all-Black male co-chair lineup (A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, Colman Domingo, and Lewis Hamilton), Beyoncé was a no-go.
You'd think this would've been the moment. A perfect storm of heritage, high fashion, and historical resonance. But alas, the stars didn't align; by stars, we mean flight schedules.
Cowboy Carter vs. Couture Carpet
Beyoncé is on tour. The singer officially kicked off her "Cowboy Carter" tour in Inglewood, California, on April 28. With six shows in Los Angeles between April 28 and May 9, hopping over to NYC for a single night of glam was ambitious, to say the least. Especially for someone headlining a genre-defying reinvention of country music night after night. Logistically, it's a nightmare.
Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, and Kendrick Lamar were also MIA from the gala this year. The latter was busy performing in Philadelphia on gala night.
And while this year's Met was packed with showstoppers, including Shakira, Rihanna, Lizzo, Kylie Jenner, Bad Bunny, and Janelle Monáe, the absence of Beyoncé created a quiet vacuum.