Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds Bow Out of 2025 Met Gala Amid Baldoni Lawsuit
Fantastic—you’d think skipping the 2025 Met Gala would require a solid excuse, but apparently a messy legal skirmish with Justin Baldoni does the trick. Look, I don’t want to be the one to point out the obvious, but Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have officially sat out this year’s Superfine: Tailoring Black Style-themed extravaganza in New York City, and nobody’s surprised. A PEOPLE insider spilled the tea back in March that the duo “haven’t gone since 2022, when they co-chaired,” and they’re giving this May 5 event the cold shoulder, thanks to their December 2024 legal battle with Baldoni—and yes, that lawsuit is still heating up.
Lively, 37, first graced the Met Gala red carpet in 2008 and co-chaired alongside her hubby in a jaw-dropping Atelier Versace ensemble complete with opera gloves and crown in 2022 (Reynolds played it low-key in a velvet tux). The couple’s red carpet debut together dates back to 2014, so their absence this year feels like a strategic PR pivot rather than a fashion faux pas. I told you so: celebrities and crises go hand in hand, especially when there’s a $400 million countersuit in play.
When asked about her Met Gala no-show at Tiffany & Co.’s Fifth Avenue reopening in 2023, Lively didn’t mince words. “You will not,” she quipped before sharing an Instagram Story of herself pumping breastmilk in a bathroom—complete with a cheeky sticker dripping milk. Motherhood, meet high fashion.
Outside the Met world, the couple’s social calendar is still strangely full. On April 27, Lively stunned in a mint green Tamara Ralph gown at her Another Simple Favor premiere, accessorized with Lorraine Schwartz jewels. Earlier in April, they made waves at the TIME100 gala—Lively channeling Old Hollywood glam in a muted pink Zuhair Murad number, while Reynolds made a solo appearance at Green Day’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony on May 1.
But back to the real headline: Lively’s lawsuit accuses Baldoni of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign, with Wayfarer Studios named among the defendants. Baldoni’s camp called that claim “meritless” and hit back with defamation and civil extortion charges. The legal showdown is slated for March 2026, so mark your calendars—this isn’t over yet.
Did anyone expect a different outcome? No? Thought so. And that, dear reader, is why we can’t have nice things.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and People Magazine, Dotdash Meredith
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
