Axelle/Bauer-Griffin

She had a great excuse, to be fair!

I can’t imagine anything more chaotic than a Taylor Swift Met Gala in 2024, except for maybe a Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Met Gala. Because let’s face it, if Swift had shown up at the event, the night would have inevitably become all about her.

After Swift, 34, and her NFL boyfriend, 33, made a surprise appearance at Coachella last month, many wondered if the they were gearing up to make their splashy red-carpet debut on the Met steps on Monday, May 6—sort of as Swift’s protege Sabrina Carpenter and her new boyfriend, Barry Keoghan, did. After all, Swift hadn’t attended the California music festival since 2016, the same year that marked her last appearance at the Met Gala.

This year’s gala took place three days before Swift resumes the Eras Tour in Paris and well before Kelce has to report to NFL training camp in July, so, technically speaking, it was doable. (This is the same woman who flew directly from a show in Tokyo to Las Vegas to cheer on Kelce at the Super Bowl, after all.)

Taylor Swift in Oscar de la Renta at the 2014 Met Gala

 Getty Images
That said, back on April 30 People reported that Swift would be sitting this one out, choosing instead to focus on the next leg of her Eras Tour. And, as usual, they were right.

Many fans anticipate that she’ll be introducing several new songs to her lineup from The Tortured Poets Department, the double album she dropped on April 19, and such a big changeup is probably requiring extra rehearsals. I mean, it makes sense!

Taylor Swift in Louis Vuitton at the 2016 Met Gala

 Getty Images

Over the course of her career, Swift has attended six Met Galas, looking pretty and polished in a floor-length gown at each, save for in 2016, when she wore a metallic Louis Vuitton minidress and dark lipstick.

According to a TMZ report, both parties received a personal invitation to the event. If Swift had decided to attend, it would have been a cool way for the billionaire to cap off the promotional run for her 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department.

As a general rule, though, Swift does not walk red carpets with her boyfriends, and the Met Gala is sort of a loaded event in the Swift-verse. It’s where she danced with Tom Hiddleston, on the same night she met camera-shy Joe Alwyn, whom she would date right after Hiddleston.

But while Alwyn reportedly preferred to keep their relationship out of the spotlight, that’s…not a problem Kelce has. Dude loves a photo op and has already made an appearance on Swift’s social media. Their intimate at-home PDA is featured in the YouTube Shorts video for her song “Fortnight.” Clearly, the old rules no longer apply.

MEGA
Swift’s declined invite may have also been a means of avoiding the drama. In the eight years since Swift last showed up, the Kardashians have all but taken over the steps. Having her friends modeling for Skims is one thing, but actually running into nemesis Kim is another. After all, her feelings about Kardashian are strong enough for the reality star to allegedly receive another diss track on The Tortured Poets Department, titled “thanK you aIMee.” And you know what, Swift probably also wanted to avoid former bestie Karlie Kloss too.

So, there you have it. A Taylor Swift Met Gala in 2024 was simply not in the cards. But there’s always next year…