The internet had one thing on its mind heading into the 2026 Met Gala: would Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner finally walk the Met Gala carpet together as a couple? The two had been spotted hand-in-hand at a Broadway show just the night before, practically gift-wrapping the speculation. Jenner showed up in a custom Schiaparelli. Chalamet had other plans, and those plans had absolutely nothing to do with fashion week.

While Jenner was busy making 11,000 hours of embroidery walk a red carpet, Chalamet was busy making sure he had the best seat somewhere else entirely.

Timothée Chalamet skipped the 2026 Met Gala to watch the New York Knicks take on the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of the playoffs. Reported by Vanity Fair during their live updates, his absence was confirmed as a deliberate scheduling call. He is a lifelong New Yorker and a passionate Knicks fan. The game was at Madison Square Garden, and for him, that was clearly the only arena that mattered that night.

While Chalamet was cheering from the stands, Kylie Jenner walked the carpet alone and made every second count. She wore a custom Schiaparelli haute couture gown by Daniel Roseberry featuring a nude illusion strapless bodice paired with a voluminous ivory skirt embroidered with 10,000 baroque pearls, 7,000 painted fish scales, and 2,000 stitch balls totaling 11,000 hours of craftsmanship. Her bleached brows and sculpted waves sealed it as one of the most talked-about looks of the night.

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As Jenner and Chalamet add themselves to the list of couples the Met Gala carpet is still waiting on, this was hardly Chalamet discovering a new habit.

Timothée Chalamet skipped the 2025 Met Gala too, watching the Knicks versus the Boston Celtics from home and even posting about it on Instagram Stories with friends. He has attended the Met Gala only once, back in 2021 as a co-host, and has since called that Knicks run one of the most fun periods of his life on a podcast with Carmelo Anthony. As a lifelong Knicks fan who grew up in New York, Chalamet has consistently prioritized basketball over high-profile fashion events like the Met Gala.

Despite Chalamet and Kylie Jenner never sharing a Met Gala carpet, the couple has been very publicly together for nearly three years. They were courtside at a Knicks playoff game just days before the gala and attended a Broadway show the night before with Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner. The relationship shows no signs of friction; basketball season simply comes with its own set of rules for Chalamet.

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What are your thoughts on Timothée Chalamet skipping the Met Gala two years in a row? Let us know in the comments.