After serving as a Met Gala co-chair last year, Jennifer Lopez decided to take a break this year from the high-profile fashion event. Lopez was last photographed on April 21 at a reading for Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas’s book Climbing in Heels in New York City, though she posted a workout photo on Instagram on Met Gala Monday.

Her absence from tonight’s festivities is likely owing to her conflicting projects, including production on the film Office Romance and her upcoming hosting gig for the American Music Awards on May 26. Lopez made her Met Gala debut all the way back in 1999, for which she wore a peach dress alongside her then-boyfriend, Sean “Puffy” Combs.

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Last year, the star spoke to Good Morning America about her impressions of the Met Gala, particularly as a co-chair. “I was really honored to be asked to co-host it alongside Zendaya, Bad Bunny, and Chris Hemsworth,” she began. “We’re going to have a good time. It’s always a nice time there. It’s such an interesting mix of artists and business people, and you know, it’s not just music or film. It’s everybody: fashion, film, music, business, and you get to have some really interesting interactions and looks.” Lopez admitted she could “barely ever” walk in her dresses, adding, “The Met Gala looks are not about comfort.”
Lopez’s 2024 dress, a custom Schiaparelli Haute Couture gown that was made of 2.5 million beads, took 800 hours to make:

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Lopez has been filming Office Romance in New York City this spring. In September, Lopez spoke to Interview, her first big chat since her breakup with her ex-husband Ben Affleck.

She expressed optimism for her future, saying she does not regret “one second” of the pain she went through on her journey. “That doesn’t mean it didn’t almost take me out for good. It almost did,” she clarified. “But now, on the other side of it, I think to myself, ‘Fuck, that is exactly what I needed. Thank you, God. I’m sorry it took me so long. I’m sorry that you had to do this to me so many times. I should have learned it two or three times ago. I get it. You had to hit me really hard over the head with a fucking sledgehammer. You dropped the house on me. Don’t have to do it again.’

“I finally got it!” Lopez said. “And by the way, that doesn’t mean I have everything figured out. Now I’m excited, when you say you’re just going to be on your own. Yes, I’m not looking for anybody, because everything that I’ve done over the past 25, 30 years, being in these different challenging situations, what can I fucking do when it’s just me flying on my own….What if I’m just free?”