Rihanna Skips 2024 Met Gala After Coming Down with the Flu: Source (Exclusive)

She may be a Met Gala mainstay, but Rihanna unfortunately had to sit this year's event out — here's what we know

The Met Gala just doesn't feel quite right without Rihanna, but we'll simply have to make do this year, because the Grammy-winning artist is staying home.

Why isn't Rihanna at the Met Gala, you ask? A source tells PEOPLE exclusively Rihanna had to cancel attending as she is sick with the flu.

In past years, Rihanna, 36, and partner A$AP Rocky, 35, have made some of our favorite (and most fashionably late) appearances at the Met Gala. Being tardy to the party has been a part of the couple’s Met Gala reputation since 2021, when they made their debut at 10 p.m. They did the same in 2023, which means showing up after call time has become somewhat of a tradition for the music superstars.

Related: A Look at Rihanna's Fashionably Late Met Gala Appearances (Approved by Anna Wintour) 

Before Met Monday, the "Umbrella" singer, 36 teased to Extra that her vibe was going to be "real simple." Alas, we may never know what she was planning to wear.

Related: A Comprehensive Guide to All of Rihanna's Jaw-Dropping Met Gala Looks

Rihanna has worn epic looks on her own, too. In 2018, the year she was co-chair of "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination," and she made a grand entrance in a physically demanding bishop's headdress, a bejeweled minidress and a collared robe. The entire ensemble was Maison Margiela Artisanal by John Galliano.

See all of PEOPLE’s Star-Studded Met Gala Coverage in One Place!

We also can’t leave out the breathtaking canary yellow Guo Pei dress she wore in 2015 when the theme was "China: Through the Looking Glass." The fur-trimmed cape flowing down the entirety of the carpeted steps remains one of her most iconic looks to date, even though it almost never happened.

“I actually didn’t think the dress was the right one for her,” Pei confessed to Women’s Wear Daily. “I thought it would be too heavy and too hot, but she was so touched the moment she put it on."

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Rihanna and A$AP Rocky spent their weekend in Miami, where the Fenty Beauty founder debuted a new bubblegum pink hairstyle. She was on hand supporting her man's A$AP Rocky X Puma pop-up shop and wore a black satin dress with a matching corset to really let her pastel hair pop. She also rocked a large diamond “A” necklace and large silver diamond ring, further accessorizing the look with pink tennis shoes.

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