Why Beyoncé Skipped the 2023 Met Gala

Beyoncé opted not to grace the Met Gala with her presence tonight. Her absence is understandable, though. Her Renaissance World Tour kicks off on May 10 in Stockholm, so she is likely in deep preparation for tour.

Beyoncé hasn’t been to the Met Gala now since 2016.

Despite dropping one of the biggest albums of 2022 and making history at the Grammys, Bey also hasn’t given a major interview since she spoke with Harper’s Bazaar in 2021 for her 40th birthday. Beyoncé candidly discussed her goals for the new decade, saying, “My wish is for my 40s to be fun and full of freedom. I want to feel the same freedom I feel on stage every day of my life. I want to explore aspects of myself I haven’t had time to discover and to enjoy my husband and my children. I want to travel without working. I want this next decade to be about celebration, joy, and giving and receiving love. I want to give all the love I have to the people who love me back.”

She continued, “I’ve done so much in 40 years that I just want to enjoy my life. It’s hard going against the grain, but being a small part of some of the overdue shifts happening in the world feels very rewarding. I want to continue to work to dismantle systemic imbalances. I want to continue to turn these industries upside down. I plan to create businesses outside of music. I have learned that I have to keep on dreaming. One of my favorite quotes is from the inventor Charles Kettering. It goes ‘Our imagination is the only limit to what we can hope to have in the future.’”

Senior News and Strategy Editor

Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.