Why Ben Affleck Skipped the 2024 Met Gala

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The 2024 Met Gala has unfortunately passed us by without a single Bennifer sighting.

Ben Affleck apparently opted out of attending the biggest night in fashion, despite wife Jennifer Lopez being one of the evening’s celebrity co-chairs. While his presence at J.Lo’s side has been sorely missed, Affleck actually isn’t a typical Met Gala attendee. In fact, he’s been to the prestigious event only one other time, when he accompanied Lopez in 2021.

At the time, Affleck eschewed walking up the carpeted steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, instead meeting up with Lopez inside of the venue for the party. He wore a classic black tuxedo, while the “Can't Get Enough” singer embraced the year's “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” theme in a western ensemble composed of a cowboy hat, a fur shawl, and a dramatic dark brown gown, custom-made by Ralph Lauren.

While we don't yet know why Affleck decided to skip this year's Met Gala, the actor's ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, previously talked about why she herself hasn't attended the glitzy affair since 2007. “I went to the Met ball exactly one time,” she explained in a recent interview. “I found it a little bit scary, so I haven't been back.”

It's also entirely possible that Affleck simply didn't have time to fit the Met Gala into his busy schedule. Just yesterday, the Air director made a surprise onstage appearance at Netflix's three-hour comedy special, The Greatest Roast of All Time, which took place in Inglewood, California.

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