Taylor Swift skipped the 2026 Met Gala as Joe Alwyn made a solo return 10 years after his first appearance.

On Monday, May 4, the 35-year-old British actor made a striking and somewhat unexpected appearance at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

This marked Alwyn’s second Met Gala appearance, following his 2016 debut, where he met the 14-time Grammy winner and began a six-year relationship that inspired several of her love and breakup songs, including Paper Rings, Lover, False God, Call It What You Want and The Prophecy.

For the star-studded event, the Hamnet star wore a taupe pleated tunic with black trousers, complemented by a gold cummerbund that added a touch of colour to the ensemble.

Swift also skipped this year’s Met Gala, having last attended the event in 2016.

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn’s relationship timeline

The Exile songstress and Alwyn reportedly began dating in late 2016, months after meeting at that year’s Met Gala.

By May 2017, reports suggested they were “quietly dating.”

Keeping their relationship largely out of the spotlight, the couple dated for six years before splitting in early 2023. News of the breakup was confirmed in April of that year, sending fans into a frenzy.

Taylor Swift was later briefly linked to Matty Healy, frontman of The 1975, before going on to date her now-fiancé, Travis Kelce.