Why were Benedict Cumberbatch, Goop & Blake Lively Met Gala no-shows?

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There were some notable absences at Monday night’s Met Gala. We knew ahead of time that Kristen Stewart – a regular at the Met Gala for several years – had a scheduling conflict. She appeared at a Chanel show in Seoul, South Korea. Gisele Bundchen made an appearance at the same show, so we knew ahead of time that Gisele and Tom Brady – also regulars at the event – would not be coming. But what about some of the other big names?

No Benedict Cumberbatch. Benedict came to last year’s Met Gala and he was on all of the leaked guest lists for this year’s Met Gala. Many believed he would come out with his heavily pregnant wife Sophie Hunter. I theorized several weeks ago that Sophie is probably due around now and that would mean A) Bendy wouldn’t want to leave his wife in London, when she could give birth at any moment and B) Sophie wouldn’t be able to fly this close to her due date anyway. A lot of you shouted at me for pointing that out. Looks like I was right though.

No Blake Lively. I didn’t really miss her, although at one point in our coverage yesterday, I did have a moment of “Oh, Blake didn’t come out this year. Huh.” According to Page Six, Blake didn’t “bail” on the Met Gala in the last minute, she RSVP’d NO weeks ago. Blake’s rep told Page Six: “Blake RSVP’d to Vogue a month ago and said she couldn’t make it. She is shooting back-to-back movies in China and Bangkok.” If you’re anything like me, Blake’s rep’s statement created a big “Wha?” Blake’s IMDB shows she only has one film in pre-production and nothing currently in production. She was also in New York early Monday – she made a public appearance and she was photographed and everything. And some sources say she was actually scheduled to appear. Huh. I feel like this could be a bigger story, right?

No Gwyneth Paltrow. Back in 2013, Gwyneth wore a sad pink dress and whined about how much the Met Gala “sucked”. She whined about it for weeks. The 2013 Met Gala was the worst thing that ever happened in Gwyneth’s charmed life. And to her credit, after dissing the gala so hard, she has not returned. I bet it wasn’t difficult this year, considering Gwyneth’s ex-husband’s lover (Jennifer Lawrence) was one of the co-chairs. But the Met Gala was on Goop’s mind, because she posted this Instagram of Apple:

This was the red carpet in my house last night

A photo posted by Gwyneth Paltrow (@gwynethpaltrow) on

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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62 Responses to “Why were Benedict Cumberbatch, Goop & Blake Lively Met Gala no-shows?”

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  1. Dash says:

    Blake not showing up is really weird. Her movie just came out, a good showing on the red carpet could have boosted ticket sales. And she’s meant to be all about fashion AND Vogue. So strange.

    • Lee says:

      I think I read or heard her saying she would be in China to shoot something for her new movie while she was promoting Adaline weeks ago, so her absence makes sense.

      • Brittney B says:

        Read this article again. She was photographed in New York the next morning.

      • Mia4S says:

        That was Kaiser’s point though; Her rep said she was shooting back to back movies in China. Evidence clearly showed she’s not and she wasn’t. She was in NYC that day. Her rep lied. Something’s up.

      • Lee says:

        …Not that she missed a big thing this year…I found the MET underwhelming.

      • FLORC says:

        IMDB isn’t often up to date. And more often than realized information is kept off of it for a variety of reasons. Also, some financial demands on the part of IMDB have it exposing its shelf life. Unless it’s a massive movie and they want publicity or the actor wants something listed and makes those changes nothing goes up until it’s wanted up.

    • Oxy says:

      I thought so too. But she left later that day hence why she didn’t attend – she landed in Beijing yesterday. She’s shooting something in China (Chinese produced) then starts filiming her next movie All I See Is You in Thailand.

  2. Xiufetish says:

    Goopy’s nanny is great with a camera.

    • Jegede says:

      Lol. But Apple seems relaxed enough to let her mama put this on Insta.

    • Brittney B says:

      Haha, I think the same thing when I see pictures of North West… but in this case, I kind of doubt Gwyneth needs to fool us. She seems genuinely active in their precious little privileged lives.

  3. Jegede says:

    Including Blake, here were many MET main stays who were no shows this year –

    Kate Bosworth, Emma Stone,
    Christina Ricci, Lauren Valkigh (sp),
    Rooney Mara, Michelle Williams,
    Florence Welsh, Nicole Richie
    and so on and so on……………………………………..

    In fact, but for Beyonce arriving at the very tail end for the red carpet as usual, it did not really feel like the Met Gala.

    • Abbott says:

      We really needed some Emma Stone. I think the inclusion of the K-klan made the event seem a bit budget.

    • mia girl says:

      Everyone is bound to skip a year here or there I suppose.

      With the exception of Welsh and Ricci (who always wear interesting things) and Stone who I like – I personally didn’t miss any of the others you listed.

      • Jegede says:

        Its not a case of missing them or not.

        My point was their absence, all in one year, was a fact and changed the synergy.

        How great if Tom Brady could have finally shown up for the first time as a Superbowl champion

        I did not care about most of this year’s attendees.

        For me both the Oscars and MET Gala red carpet (although the MET had a few exceptions) ended up both being yawns.

      • mia girl says:

        Yeah, I get it and I don’t disagree that with a few exceptions, overall this year’s MET carpet was lacking. For me though, many of those you listed would have not stopped this year’s MET from being a yawn.

        I agree that the synergy of the event changed, but the MET has been changing for quite some time and is an evolving thing I suppose. I could argue that as soon as Beyoncé started showing up last on the red carpet it changed the previous synergy of the event. This event has been going on for over 50 years – Beyoncé has been attending for like 7.

        Personally, I think the themes picked for the past few years have proved challenging and confusing to many. So it provides a lot of misses or people who just play it safe and don’t adhere to the theme at all.

        Regardless of the reason, seems like we both agree the MET Gala needs a facelift.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        @jegede, Tom had a very cool Saturday, attending both the Kentucky Derby and the Fight and partying with his teammates. He was probably happy to skip the Met gala this year

    • Caspar6 says:

      I was surprised that Rupert Murdoch’s ex Chinese wife was invited.
      Many celebrities would want to punch her in the face.

  4. Lindy79 says:

    With Goop’s shade I’m not surprised she didn’t go. Sounds like she’s over it.

    Glad Bendy didn’t go to be honest, she’s more than likely due around now and had he traveled for this I would have been very a very judgey Lindy. China was probably borderline for the timewise. He couldn’t top last year anyway.

    • MP says:

      I think the baby is already here. That’s why there hasn’t been any sightings of Sophie for a while. At least very public ones. I don’t have twitter so I don’t know about any fan pictures.

      I think the breaking of the baby news will leave mood boards and 1800-century looms to shame.

  5. Jessie says:

    I still can’t get over the fact that the Kardashians are now big names at the Met Gala. I just don’t get it.

    • Santia says:

      Which might explain the mass exodus of real celebrities.

    • Honeybea says:

      Many doors came flying open for them last year with Kim’s Vogue cover. Its like she is finally validated as a legitimate celeb. To me, she is still in the same boat as Farrah Abrahms.

      • jujoki says:

        ^this. It gives hope to the Farrah Abrahams of the world. man,I used to love the Met and now it just looks so trashy and tacky. I cheer on the ones that didn’t attend.

        On a second note, would it be possible that Blake didn’t attend because she’s preggo again? I don’t know why I’ve got the feeling she’ll have anothe one very soon.

    • Josephine says:

      Not sure they are “big names” so much as you’re now allowed to buy tickets, explaining the mom at least. No one seems willing to take pictures with them, unless they are musician-friends of Kayne. The whole event is just budget. It’s filled with a lot of those model kids whose parents’ names (or sister’s porn tape) got them their jobs.

  6. PunkyMomma says:

    I missed Benny. Methinks he’s on baby watch.

    • loli says:

      Maybe the Octopus Queen is already spouting at this very moment.

    • hermia says:

      Take a good look at the photo here, because that man won’t come back. He’s gone, baby, gone. Gone boy. Ha.

      • Blargh says:

        Gone, gone, gone, he been gone so long, he been gone, gone, gone so long.

  7. qtpi says:

    What about Taylor Swift? Had she ever been?

    • Marguerita says:

      I’m not a Swifty fan, and I was wondering about that. Didn’t she go last year? I actually like seeing what she wears.

      • Joanne_S says:

        I have a vague recollection of her attending it in the past.

        Btw, I’m no fan of hers, but I do – grudgingly;) – admit, she wears clothes really well.
        Do you remember that dragon gown she wore a couple months back, to some British event? At this year’s gala that would’ve been perfection!

    • PrettyBlueFox says:

      She definitely went t to the punk themed Met Gala a few years ago, because I remember being surprised by how well she did the theme. (Honestly, I didn’t know she had it in her.)

    • Tiffany :) says:

      Her tour just started in Japan this week, I believe.

  8. Anna says:

    It has turned into a circus!

    • jen2 says:

      My thoughts exactly. It was all about the dueling naked butts. I also give Rihanna some credit. She is notorious for showing her naked butt, but she kept it covered and was even on theme.

      There were some real actors in attendance–Edward Norton and Colin Firth–but few photos and their wives looked lovely, especially Colin’s and he looked dashing in his tails. Much better than Clooney’s ill fitted suit. But he was with Wintour’s new dress up doll (in a pretty dress). The classy women who came on theme–Fan Bingbing and many others got treated like after thoughts. And any event that features KKW and her clan goes down in class even before it starts.

      • Josephine says:

        Especially Fan Bingbing as she was best dressed of the night and the media just ignored her. Many of the international stars were stunning (and actually dressed on-theme) but we just saw one half-naked loser after another.

      • GlimmerBunny says:

        Yeah, Fan BingBing looked great and she should have gotten her own post her on Celebitchy! Three separate Kardashians got to headline posts and that’s just not right.

      • Zwella Ingrid says:

        Fan Bingbing looked amazing.

      • oneshot says:

        Fan BingBing basically dressed as a modern version of her character from Empress of China, and it was AMAZING.

        The Chinese A-list at the Met Ball really could give everyone else pointers on how it’s done, whether it’s the two BingBings, Zhang Ziyi (glorious in that Carolina Herrera) or the flawless Gong Li (literally the first and only time in my life I have seen a Roberto Cavalli dress look classy, and of course it’s on her)

      • MtnRunner says:

        The Met Ball has turned into a joke. “Dueling Naked Butts” is a good description. Putting Kimye on the cover of Vogue only shows the levels at which Wintour will sink to to sell mags. What the hell is Miley Cyrus doing at that thing? Some of it was just plain boring. I was disappointed in 3/4 of what I saw on Monday.

        I agree with oneshot — the Chinese put most everyone took most everyone else to school with their choice of dress. There should have been a CB post just for them since none of them got the coverage in the media that the exhibitionists got.

    • Lee says:

      + 1

    • Santia says:

      It started off as a circus; a delicious, fun, fashion circus. I’m not sure what it is now; a p0rn shoot (with all the nakedness)?

    • Carmen says:

      Thank you. It used to be one of the classiest events of the year until Anna Wintour turned it into a circus sideshow. I’m betting that after this year, fewer and fewer real celebrities will want to be associated with it. It’s become too tacky for words.

    • ruiz says:

      The theme of MET Gala was very ironical.
      Chinese guests did not have presence at all, and nobody paid attention to them.
      Fan BingBing is surely beautiful cosmetic surgery Queen. However, who can say her masterpiece? Most people of the world don’t know who she is.
      The attractive Asian man, Ken Watanabe and Cary Fukunaga are Japanese both.
      We were waiting for beautiful Lucy Liu, but she did not appear. Her parents came from Taiwan. China does not recognize Taiwan now as an independent nation.

      The dress which celebrities wore, was inspired by the gorgeous Manchurian royal clothes. The Manchurian formed early modern Chinese culture. Most of they were slaughtered by the terrible Cultural Revolution. A scholar, a writer, a poet, an artist are included in that.
      The Han’s clothes are only tactless Mao suit. Symbol of holocaust and the oppression. Why did nobody wear it?

  9. Boston Green Eyes says:

    I almost wonder if the mass exodus of celebrities from the Met Gala is because it’s so trashy now. If actors want to be “taken seriously” do they really want to be juxtapositioned next to a Kartrashian who is wearing next to nothing?

  10. Gill B says:

    The Met has turned into a circus – but I don’t buy the idea that it was celeb-light this year. In fact, I had the opposite impression, I thought this year it is was very celeb-heavy, with the A+ list being better represented than in previous years.

  11. Bichon says:

    I doubt I’d go to event that Kardashians were at.

  12. Mia4S says:

    Lively’s rep needs a smack. They all lie but that is Lohan levels of poor planning. It’s so easy to disprove! Just say the baby wasn’t feeling well so she stayed home to be a Mom (the Minivan crowd would eat that up). Very strange.

  13. FingerBinger says:

    Despite the no shows it was still the most talked about event since the oscars.

  14. Vampi says:

    2015: The year the MET became a basic, budget, glorifed MTV style awards show.
    *sings to the tune of “American Pie”*….””The year..the gala……died””

    • Tiffany :) says:

      “2015: The year the MET became a basic, budget, glorifed MTV style awards show”

      A very apt description.

  15. Miss Melissa says:

    They should have invited Hiddleston instead.

  16. boredblond says:

    I really don’t understand the feeling that everyone must go to this event..it’s basically pr for celebs and $ for the institute. I think the lists are now ‘who’s big in tabloids’ and a handful of celebs with actual interest in the fashion industry. It has zero to do with talent, or awards. The original concept -the costume institute exhibition-has been lost in the shuffle. (It’s been years since I’ve been, but if you’re in NYC, it’s a fun visit)

  17. Sam says:

    Blake Lively decided not to go this year because she realized that she’d out do everyone on the red carpet once more and wanted to give everyone else a chance for once.
    On a serious note…the pictures that you speak of were actually taken earlier during her Age of Adaline promo tour and she is in fact in China shooting a film and then heading to I think Thailand for her movie “All I see is You,” which she talked about filming for during one of her interviews during her Age of Adaline promo tour.
    She was definitely missed this year though. Love her or hate her the woman knows how to dress for these kinds of events!

    • Lee says:

      it also seems she’ll be in Woody Allen’s next movie…if she’s fine with working with such controversial people. …I’ll never support Allen’s movies. But it may be good for her career. She seems to be working more now that she’s a mom than she’s ever been in the past years. Wonder if it’ll become a problem in the marriage.

  18. ISO says:

    Polly Ution and Humanrights Violations were also too busy in China to attend the Met Gala