Here's the Real Reason Rihanna Skipped the Met Gala

Rihanna's baby bump never made its Met Gala debut.

The music, beauty, and fashion mogul and her baby daddy, A$AP Rocky, skipped the biggest night in fashion. But her absence may come as no surprise to some. Pregnant people are typically encouraged not to fly domestic flights after 36 weeks. And Rihanna confirmed that she was in her third trimester in March, bringing her to at least 28 weeks of pregnancy at the time.

Rihanna and Rocky were last spotted in late April grabbing dinner in Los Angeles, marking their return to California after a brief trip to Barbados.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky at the 2021 Met Gala.

The couple confirmed that they are expecting their first child together in a January 2022 photo shoot, in which Rihanna showed off her growing baby bump while wearing an unbuttoned hot pink vintage Chanel puffer coat.

Since, Rihanna has reinvented maternity fashion, often stepping out in baby bump-baring outfits or sheer looks. She explained her pregnancy style in a February interview with Entertainment Tonight.

"[Pregnancy's] a long nine to 10 months. You have to enjoy it," she told the outlet. "Fashion is one of my favorite things, so, you know, we’re defying what it even means to be pregnant and maternal. It can get uncomfortable at times and so you can dress the part and pretend."

First-time parents Rihanna and Rocky have been romantically linked since the end of 2020. The duo made their Met Gala couple debut last year. Then, Rihanna wore a voluminous black gown from Balenciaga, while Rocky wrapped up in a colorful quilted cape designed by Eli Russell Linnetz.