Why Did Lady Gaga Skip The 2023 Met Gala?
No theatrical red-carpet wardrobe changes this year.
Lady Gaga once again skipped fashion's biggest night.
It's unclear what the superstar was up to while the 2023 Met Gala was taking place—as she has been inactive on social media—but we know she's had a busy few weeks filming (and recovering from filming) and promoting her upcoming thriller Joker: Folie à Deux.
Gaga's absence from the event comes after she skipped last year's Met Gala as well. To be fair, she was performing in her Las Vegas residency show, Jazz and Piano, at the time, so it didn't make sense for her to make the express trip to New York City. Gaga shared her whereabouts on her Instagram ahead of the event, showing that she spent the day enjoying the Vegas heat in a light blue bikini. "Somebody’s 🧃," she captioned the shot.
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Her last Met Gala appearance was at the 2019 event, where she had four fabulous outfit changes right on the red carpet. The singer fully embraced the "camp" theme of the evening, arriving at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in a massive hot pink Brandon Maxwell gown, complete with a cascading train and a giant matching bow on her head. Gaga then proceeded to out-camp everyone by taking off her giant pink cape to reveal an all-black ensemble—complete with a matching umbrella. Then, there was another hot pink gown which included a giant black cell phone bag by Judith Leiber. And last but not least, Gaga stripped down to her black bra, fishnet tights, and underwear while pulling a hot pink wagon full of rosé and pink cowboy hats.
Maybe, just maybe, she skipped this year's gala because she knows no one, not even she, could possibly live up to her 2019 red-carpet runway show.
This article originally appeared in Harper's BAZAAR US.