The REAL reason Selena Gomez chose to skip the 2024 MET Gala for sixth year in a row – with boyfriend Benny Blanco also not making an appearance at star-studded event

Selena Gomez was noticeably absent from the 2024 MET Gala in New York City on Monday – while her boyfriend Benny Blanco also failed to appear on the big night.

A source recently confirmed this People Tuesday that the Single Soon singer, 31, was simply “busy working.”

While she’s been spending time in the Big Apple, Gomez — who has been “talking about marriage and kids” with Blanco — is filming the fourth season of Hulu’s Only Murders In The Building.

She has also been highlighting her own brand, Rare Beauty, and attended Rare Beauty’s third annual Mental Health Summit earlier this month on May 1.

The record producer, 36, has also had a busy schedule and recently joined Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show.

The Eastside hitmaker also celebrated the launch of his own cookbook titled Open Wide: A Cookbook For Friends – which officially became available on April 30, just six days before the MET Gala.

Selena was last present in 2018 at the annual festivities that take place on the first Monday in May.

The theme that guests could follow at the time was Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.

The former Disney channel star donned an off-white dress with a sheer, flowy skirt and an enchanted bodice.

However, while talking to Glamor Britain in 2022, she labeled the appearance and her tan a “memorable” beauty accident.

“While I was getting ready for the Met Gala a few years ago, we put on a little tanning lotion and it looked beautiful, but as the evening went on it got darker and darker,” she recalled to the outlet.

‘When I sat down [inside the event]I saw a picture of myself, and it looked completely orange. And here I am at this prestigious event. My first thought was, ‘I have to get out of here!’

She explained it too Fashion, ‘When I look at a photo of myself sitting down, I’m completely orange. I thought, ‘This is going to be terrible because this is going to eat me alive.'”

In addition to attending the MET Gala in 2018, she made four more appearances, including in 2014, 2015, 2016 and in 2017 with her ex, The Weeknd.

Gomez wasn’t the only A-list celebrity to opt out of the MET Gala on Monday, with other stars like Khloe Kardashian, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Rihanna and Taylor Swift not appearing on the red carpet.

The Gossip Girl alum and her husband opted to stay home with their family instead, a source said Elle that “the couple chose to spend the night at home, rather than on the red carpet.”

Swift also devastated fans when she failed to appear for the eighth year in a row.

Last April, it was reported that the Bad Blood hitmaker and boyfriend Travis Kelce would not be attending the MET Gala.

And the real reason why Taylor and Kelce wouldn’t attend turned out to be Swift’s conflicting dates for the Eras Tour, which kicks off in France on May 9.

But speculation arose shortly before the event when Anna Wintour sat down for an interview with Today’s host, Jenna Bush Hagerto talk about the festivities.

Jenna revealed Anna’s rather cryptic response to being asked if Taylor Swift will be in attendance.

“I had to ask too, because Mila Hager asked if Taylor would be there, and she (Anna) said, ‘I hope she comes and enjoys the exhibit,’” she said, referring to her daughter.

Rihanna also had to skip the event because she was “sick with the flu,” a source revealed People.

While she’s busy with Only Murders In The Building and her brand Rare Beauty – which recently raised $7 million for charity – she’s also preparing for the release of her new spin-off series Selena + Restaurant.

The star expressed a bit of “anger” while dishing out blackberry caviar in a preview clip of the upcoming show shared with People on Tuesday.

In the video, the actress and her friend Raquelle Stevens trained with Hollywood restaurant Lemon Grove’s chef Marcel Vigneron on how to make a dessert inspired by “the full moon.”

The Disney Channel alum was instructed to break up blackberries that had been frozen with liquid nitrogen, and said she would “express some anger” as she broke the fruit.

Gomez was then presented with a meat pounder, and after asking if she could “crush” the blackberries, Vigneron instructed her how to extract “individual cells” from each piece of fruit.

Although the singer seemed to get a little carried away as she smashed the blackberries, Vigneron stated that she “looked pretty good” as she helped prepare the dish.

Her boyfriend, Benny Blanco, also has a passion for food and published his cookbook Open Wide: A Cookbook For Friends.

A source said this recently We weekly that the couple – who were confirmed dating in December 2023 – “have talked about getting married and having children.”

The insider added that the beauty is “ready to settle down” and added that Selena believes she has “found the love of her life” in Blanco.

‘He makes her feel safe and happy. They both think they have found the person they will be with forever.”

“She definitely sees this relationship going to the extreme,” the source said, adding that her “friends and family” are very supportive of the relationship.

“They’ve talked about getting married and having children and are largely on the same page.”