Zendaya, the woman, the myth, the legend, is always a bright spot on the Met Gala red carpet. In 2019, she came in Cinderella cosplay. Last year, a bridal-white suit. On the 2026 Met Gala red carpet…well, Zendaya might wear nothing at all. Not in a naked-dress sense, but as in the pop culture icon is potentially a no-show for this year’s event.
Whispers of Zendaya skipping the 2026 Met Gala red carpet began on May 1, when Elle published an article claiming The Drama star would miss the first Monday in May event. How did the publication learn that Z would break her sacrosanct tradition and RSVP “no”? Unclear: “ELLE has learned the actress will not be at the New York City event on Monday” was the extent of reported information. Even so, it was enough to break hearts across the internet; “Cancel it” and “Met Gala over,” two sad Zswaggers commented on an Instagram post from pop culture news aggregate Pop Base re-sharing Elle’s reporting.
