Zendaya, the woman, the myth, the legend, is always a bright spot on the Met Gala red carpet. In 2019, she came in Cinderella cosplay. Last year, a bridal-white suit. On the 2026 Met Gala red carpet…well, Zendaya might wear nothing at all. Not in a naked-dress sense, but as in the pop culture icon is potentially a no-show for this year’s event.
Whispers of Zendaya skipping the 2026 Met Gala red carpet began on May 1, when Elle published an article claiming The Drama star would miss the first Monday in May event. How did the publication learn that Z would break her sacrosanct tradition and RSVP “no”? Unclear: “ELLE has learned the actress will not be at the New York City event on Monday” was the extent of reported information. Even so, it was enough to break hearts across the internet; “Cancel it” and “Met Gala over,” two sad Zswaggers commented on an Instagram post from pop culture news aggregate Pop Base re-sharing Elle’s reporting.
While we might never see how Zendaya and her long-trusted image architect, Law Roach, would interpret this year’s "Costume Art” dress code, it’s safe to assume it would be another hall-of-famer—as are each of their tag-teamed fashion collaborations. Of course, if Z does show up on May 4, Marie Claire will update this post with every detail available. But in the case she sits this one out, there’s always her incomparable Met Gala red carpet archive to use as a fashion fix.
On the 2025 Met Gala red carpet, Z and Roach chose a three-piece suit and matching white hat designed by Pharrell Williams for Louis Vuitton, which articulated the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" to a T. Beyond nailing the professional theme, the all-white look could also read as a personal homage to her engagement to Tom Holland. (Lest we forget when Roach incidentally spilled the beans that "the wedding has already happened" on the 2026 Actor Awards red carpet this past March.)
Zendaya’s Met Gala look from last year wasn’t without sparkle; she had a diamond-flecked snake brooch affixed to the back of her jacket and wore yellow diamond studs and a sparkling ring from Bulgari. As for the 5-carat old mine cut, East-West jewel on her left hand's fourth finger? That would be Zendaya’s engagement ring by jewelry designer to the stars, Jessica McCormack.
The year prior, the duo went in a distinctly anti-minimalist direction—both in look and execution.
Zendaya arrived at the 2024 Met Gala in a dramatic royal blue-and-emerald-green striped mermaid gown by Maison Margiela Artisanal by John Galliano. The dark, daring gown featured a one-shoulder silhouette, voluminous bunches of diaphanous blue fabric, and, perhaps most interesting of all, 3D fruitlike and bird motifs. Ticking off the "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" theme, Zendaya's Met Gala dress was inspired by a surrealist Galliano-designed Dior Spring 1999 look that featured similar grape embellishments and alternating striped panels.
Cut to a few minutes later, and Zendaya changed into a second Met Gala look, this one an enormous black ball gown from Galliano's Givenchy era, specifically a 1996 collection (the same year the actress was born). Pulled from the Beverly Hills-based vintage boutique Lily et Cie, the archival dress featured a mile-long train, puffy, off-the-shoulder sleeves, a corseted lace-up bodice, and a slightly flared peplum waist. Roach topped off Z’s look with a flower-bouquet fascinator, designed by Philip Treacy for Alexander McQueen in 2006.
But back to the present. Her up-in-the-air red carpet RSVP aside, Zendaya was spotted in NYC on May 1 outside of On's SoHo store, wearing a windbreaker she and Roach co-designed for the footwear brand. So, maybe she’s skipping the 2026 Met Gala red carpet because she’d rather have a cozy night in, lounging around in her own sportswear? Or, maybe she’ll disprove the absentee rumors, hitting the red carpet at the very last second à la Rihanna.
Regardless, we at MC will be on Z watch, closely monitoring the situation.
