As usual, the 2023 Met Gala was a fashionable star-studded event with appearances from the biggest names across music, entertainment, sports, and, of course, fashion. This year's event, held on May 1 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, welcomed everything from pregnancy reveals (courtesy of Serena Williams and Karlie Kloss) and date nights to couple debuts, solo returns, and family outings to the Met's red carpet. However, there were also a lot of notable faces absent, and many fashion fans are wondering why.

The biggest surprise this year was Blake Lively, a Met Gala staple, announcing days before fashion's biggest night that she wouldn't be attending. Her husband, Ryan Reynolds, also opted out of attending to, instead, handle some soccer business across the pond, according to him.

But others like Ariana Grande, Bella Hadid, Timothée Chalamet, Kaia Gerber, and even the late Karl Lagerfeld's cat, Choupette (the designer was this year's Met Gala theme inspiration), were nowhere to be found.

Ahead, take a look at all the biggest stars who skipped the Met Gala and the likely reasons why some didn't arrive.