The singer even discussed her outfit with fans who were anticipating her epic appearance at this year’s ball, but a source confirmed that the superstar had to cancel the event last minute due to illness.

36-year-old Rihanna was forced to skip the Met Gala 2024 due to the flu. The Grammy winner was confident until the last moment that she would shine at the luxurious ball, but she had to stay home with her children and husband to avoid putting herself and others at risk. In recent years, Rihanna and her 35-year-old partner A$AP Rocky have attended the Met Gala every spring and have been among the most anticipated guests.

The couple even had their own unique feature: being late for the event became part of their appearance starting in 2021 when they debuted on the red carpet at 10 p.m. 2023 was no exception, their late arrival after the bell became a kind of tradition for all the musical superstars invited to the ball.

Before the Met Gala 2024, the “Umbrella” hitmaker teased fans in interviews that her outfit would be “very simple,” without revealing exactly what she planned to wear. In 2018, Rihanna co-chaired the ball, themed “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.” On that occasion, she solemnly appeared in an elaborate headpiece and a jewel-encrusted mini-dress with a mantled collar. The entire ensemble was created by Maison Margiela Artisanal. Fans also remember her stunning canary-yellow gown by Guo Pei, which she wore in 2015 when the theme was “China: Through the Looking Glass.” The fur-trimmed cape trailing the entire red carpet remains one of her most iconic looks to this day.

“Actually, I didn’t think the dress suited her,” confessed designer Pei to Women’s Wear Daily. “I thought it would be too heavy and too bright, but she was so moved when she put it on that we approved it.”