Jay Z Skips Met Gala 2016: What We Know About His Distinct Absence

Beyoncé walked the red carpet solo after dropping Lemonade

By Francesca Bacardi May 04, 2016 9:12 PMTags
Jay ZXposure / AKM-GSI

Before the 2016 Met Gala even took place, everyone was talking about Beyoncé.

She had released Lemonade, an album that is said to be semi-autobiographical, only about a week before, so everyone was wondering whether she would attend the exclusive annual event with Jay Z by her side. Only two years ago Solange Knowles attacked Bey's husband in the elevator at the same event, sparking rumors of infidelity on the rapper's part.

Once Beyoncé's explosive lyrics hit the airwaves, people were obsessed with finding out whom "Becky with the good hair" was. Jay appeared at the opening night of her Formation World Tour concert in Miami, and E! News obtained exclusive pictures of them riding a golf cart backstage, showing that they were still a united front in the wake of the scandalous headlines.

So Monday rolled around and everyone anxiously waited for Bey-and-maybe Jay to arrive. Celebrities and their designers walked the multicolored red carpet in their on-theme (or maybe not) ensembles. Eventually the "Sorry" songstress arrived in her latex Givenchy gown and everyone looked on with envy as per usual.

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Met Gala 2016: Inside the After-Parties
David X Prutting/BFA/REX/Shutterstock

But where was Jay? Sources tell E! News that the "99 Problems" rapper intentionally didn't attend so as to better promote his wife and her headline-making album. "They thought it was a good move that Beyoncé go alone this year to the Met," the insider tells us. "They aren't fighting but they thought it would be a better look if she came solo for her new album and all the hype that was attached to it."

Ahhh promotion.

Not only did Beyoncé attend the gala alone, she also hit up the Balmain after-party without her hubby. Another source tells E! News that she didn't seem to mind his absence. "She was in a group that included Olivier [Rousteing], her sister and her sister's husband," the insider says. "They were hanging in their area having a great time."

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Beyoncé Parties the Night Away in New York City Sans Jay Z After Met Gala 2016

In addition to Solange, Queen Bey also arrived with her bodyguard and stylist. She partied until about 2 a.m. before retiring for the evening but not before mingling with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.

There's no doubt that Bey's honest lyrics have produced some major paychecks for her, so why not feed into them? It's only more money in her pocket and she's controlling the narrative by not giving any interviews or acknowledging her accusations in any way. Sure, she'll reveal the skeletons in her closet, but in a way that's beneficial to her.

It's win-win—on paper at least.

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Met Gala 2016: Inside the Exclusive Event