This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission.Why Zendaya Won’t Be at the 2026 Met Gala Tonight

Alyssa BaileyMon, May 4, 2026 at 4:58 PM UTC

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ELLE has learned Zendaya will not be at the 2026 Met Gala tonight.

Zendaya attended last year, wearing an all-white Louis Vuitton look.

The actress has been on press tours for The Drama and Euphoria season 3 over the past few weeks and has also started promoting The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

After doing two press tours near-simultaneously for The Drama and Euphoria season 3, Zendaya is taking a break from the spotlight on Met Gala night. ELLE has learned the actress will not be at the New York City event this evening.

Her stylist, Law Roach, told us in an interview this Friday that he will be attending on his own. “It’s one of the first times in my career that going to the Met is about me,” he said, before previewing his look.

Zendaya was last seen in New York City on Friday. Earlier today, nail artist Marina Dobic sparked speculation that the actress was in London when Dobic posted a video of the “classy French tips” she did for Zendaya. (Just Jared also reported that Zendaya and Tom Holland were seen in London this afternoon.)

Zendaya spent the end of last week in New York though. On Thursday, she was spotted shooting an On campaign in SoHo and also spoke with Roach about their On collection during an event at the brand’s flagship store.

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Prior to that, she was photographed in Sherman Oaks, California, on Wednesday, supporting her partner, Tom Holland, at his Bero Padel Classic event.

Zendaya at the Bero Padel Classic on April 29, 2026.Leon Bennett - Getty Images

Zendaya attended the Met Gala last year, dressing up in an all-white Louis Vuitton suit. Holland, meanwhile, has never attended the fashion event.

Zendaya at the 2025 Met Gala, which celebrated the museum’s “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibit.Matt Crossick - PA Images - Getty Images

Zendaya recently spoke about her style evolution in a Vogue interview with her stylist, Law Roach. She started paying attention to fashion at a young age: “Something my parents allowed me to do when I was a kid was express myself through my clothes,” she recalled. “Once I was old enough to kind of decide what I wanted to wear, they kind of just let me dress myself, which was cool. So I wasn’t that kid who had the perfect matching outfit going to school—I kind of just picked whatever I wanted, starting in kindergarten, first grade. The Cheetah Girls was a major thing, so I wore a lot of leopard print—that’s not cheetah print, but I didn’t know the difference.”

She added, “I love when I see kids and they’re in a princess dress and rain boots—they’re just experimenting with clothes, and they are already figuring out their little personalities. I probably wore some very interesting combinations as an elementary schooler, but I think it was more about what made me feel confident and whatever color I was into, or my fixation at the time. It was nice, because it was before you really have an understanding that you’re being perceived by others because of your clothes—before you feel like you’re being judged for what you wear.”

She noted that now, teens have more access to social media than she did growing up. “I guess YouTube became a thing with me, and there was MySpace and Facebook, but it was nothing like it is now—thankfully, not all of my awkward outfits were documented, and there weren’t a bunch of tutorials or links to help me or decide who I was,” she said. “It’s just something that you had to figure out on your own. And I think that exploration is so important—it’s important to go through awkward phases; to look back at things you wore when you were a teenager and be like, ‘Oh my God, what was I thinking?’ Very few people are chic their whole life. It’s something that your taste and your personal preference develops as you get older. I’ve always been able to lean into experimenting with clothes, and I owe a lot of that to Law, obviously.”

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