Actors, singers, athletes, fashion designers, and more sported their finest looks at the 2025 Met Gala on May 5. Once again missing from the festivities was Taylor Swift, who hasn’t attended the star-studded charity event in almost 10 years. Although she and Travis Kelce weren’t there, there is a very logical reason as to why.
Swift and Kelce were reportedly invited to Monday’s Met Gala in Manhattan, but they could not make it because of scheduling conflicts, sources told TMZ.
The last time the superstar couple were spotted together was on March 14, when they dined out at Del Frisco’s Grille at Brookfield Place. Before that, the had not been seen out for a month after the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
More recently, Kelce was photographed shooting a commercial in Manhattan on May 2 – just days before the Met Gala – which fueled speculation that he might accompany the singer to the event.
Held annually on the first Monday in May, the Met Gala brings together hundreds of celebrities to raise money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. Standout moments this year included Rihanna revealing her pregnancy on the museum’s steps and Diana Ross making her glamorous return after 22 years. Inside, Stevie Wonder and Usher also performed for guests.
This year’s theme was “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which explored “the role of sartorial style in forming Black identities, focusing on the emergence, significance, and proliferation of the Black dandy,” according to Vogue. The theme was inspired by guest curator Monica Miller’s 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.
Meanwhile, the dress code for 2025 was “tailored for you,” a nod to the exhibition’s focus on menswear. It marked the first time the exhibition adopted a menswear-focused dress code since 2003’s “Men in Skirts.”
When Was The Last Time Taylor Swift Attended The Met Gala?
Taylor Swift attended the Met Gala every year from 2008 to 2016. Her last appearance was almost a decade ago in 2016, when she co-chaired the event alongside Jony Ive, Idris Elba, and Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour. Meanwhile, her NFL star beau Kelce has never been a guest.
The 1989 singer wore a metallic Louis Vuitton dress paired with boots. Her hair was styled in a bleach-blonde bob (also known as her “Bleachella” era) and she sported a dark lip. In 2016, the Met Gala celebrated the theme “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology.”
What Have Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce Been Up To Recently?
Swift and Kelce have kept a low-profile since the Chief’s Super Bowl LIX appearance in February. The singer was absent from iHeartRadio Music Awards in March, where she received the Tour of the Century award. Instead, she pre-recorded her acceptance speech.
“Thank you so much to iHeart, and thank you so much mainly to the fans. Tour of the Century. I really can’t tell you how much this means to me because I accept this on behalf of all my tour mates, all my fellow performers, my band, everyone who toured with us, our crew,” she said in the video.
She continued, “People often say that the greatest challenges in life end up being something you’re so proud of, or end up being the most gratifying feeling in the end if you can rise to the occasion, and this tour was absolutely the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my life.” The singer concluded, “I appreciate this more than you know, thank you so much for honoring this tour.”
A source told People in April that Swift and Kelce have been on the road enjoying their time together. “They have been traveling nonstop and very much enjoy it,” a source told the site. “They are making the most of their time off together. They are hanging out with friends, too. It’s a special time for them.”
The insider added that stars are “very serious and in sync,” adding, “They value the same things. Right now, the focus is very much on private time out of the spotlight.”
So, will we see the couple attend any public events going forward? According to a report from Us Weekly last month, one source told the site that Kelce and Swift intend to be more private. (Still, we expected Swift will return to the sidelines to support Kelce once football season kicks off this fall.)
“Taylor and Travis have learned that so much attention on their relationship is not the best thing,” the insider said. “Travis wants to take [a breather] from the public eye. He was working too much last year, and he didn’t play as well as he wanted. He wants to have a good season [later this year] and not have the focus be on his relationship with Taylor.”
Swift was likely unable to attend the Met Gala in previous years due to the Eras Tour. She played 149 shows across six continents in the career-spanning concert. The tour grossed $2 billion in ticket sales, which is twice as much as any other tour in history, according to The New York Times.
Swift and Kelce first sparked dating rumors in September 2023, after the singer was seen at the NFL star’s football games. They confirmed their relationship a month later when they were photographed holding hands at a Saturday Night Live after party. Since then, they have publicly supported one another’s careers. Swift wore a “T” necklace while cheering Kelce on at the Super Bowl in February, while Kelce has attended multiple stops on her Eras Tour.
“It’s the life I chose, I guess. I have fun with it,” Kelce told CBS News when asked about embracing the spotlight with his relationship with Swift. “It comes with the territory.”
