Why Megan Thee Stallion Skipped the 2023 Met Gala
Megan Thee Stallion opted for an evening away from the cameras during this year’s Met Gala. The rapper, who made her Met debut in 2021, was not among the crowd on tonight’s red carpet, and fans speculate she might still be in Italy after she was spotted in the country on April 25. The rapper’s travels come after she opened up to ELLE in April 2023 for the first—and, she says, the last—time about Tory Lanez’s assault and its corresponding trial, and how his December 2022 guilty verdict privately affected her.
She shared her message to other survivors of violence, telling them, “For anyone who has survived violence, please know your feelings are valid. You matter. You are not at fault. You are important. You are loved. You are not defined by your trauma. You can continue to write beautiful, new chapters to your life story. Just because you are in a bad situation doesn’t mean you are a bad person. Our value doesn’t come from the opinions of other people. As long as you stand your ground and live in your truth, nobody can take your power.”
She continued, “We can’t control what others think, especially when the lies are juicier than the truth. But as a society, we must create safer environments for women to come forward about violent behavior without fear of retaliation. We must provide stronger resources for women to recover from these tragedies physically and emotionally, without fear of judgment. We must do more than say her name. We must protect all women who have survived the unimaginable.”
Of her own situation, Megan called the end of this chapter of her life a rebirth. “I was once told that you can’t have crucifixion without resurrection, and that statement resonated so deeply with me,” she said. “This is a rebirth of a happier and healthier me. I’m a survivor and I have—and will continue—to embrace the highs and lows of my journey. I’m excited to get back into music, because I have been so transformed.”
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.
