It's been a while since we last saw Zendaya and Tom Holland walking a red carpet together, so it was only natural to wonder if that could change at the Met Gala 2024 — and, sadly, it did not.
Though Tom Holland has been spotted supporting Zendaya during her recent Dune 2 and Challengers press tours, the buzzy couple rarely steps on the red carpet together unless it's for Spider-Man promotions, in which they star together.
Earlier this year, when Zendaya served as a presenter at the 2024 Oscars, many wondered if Holland would tag along as a plus one, but all hopes disappeared when the star arrived on the red carpet alone. Upon further inspection, we realized Holland likely didn't attend the Oscars alongside Zendaya because he had a charity event in London the same weekend, so what was the reason for skipping the Met Gala? Well, we might have found it.
While usually the Met Gala guest list is top secret, we did know Zendaya was going to be making her long-awaited return to the Met Gala ahead of time. The last time she attended the event was in 2019, but earlier this year, she was announced as one of this year's co-chairs alongside Bad Bunny, Chris Hemsworth, Jennifer Lopez, and Anna Wintour. From then on, people started to wonder if Zendaya could be bringing Tom Holland along for the Met Gala, but the answer is no.
Zendaya graced the Met Gala 2024 red carpet not once but twice on May 6. The star first arrived earlier in a Maison Margiela Artisanal look by John Galliano before changing into an archival Givenchy period gown to repeat the process. She even changed into a third look, another custom Celia Kritharioti, which she's been wearing a lot lately, to host the actual ceremony.
Now, you might be wondering: Did Tom Holland not go because Met Gala co-chairs don't get to bring a plus one? That'd be incorrect. Though it's customary for the co-chairs to pose for some solo shots on the red carpet, they can bring guests. Blake Lively, who served as a co-chair at the 2022 Met Gala, brought along her husband, Ryan Reynolds, to accompany her at the event, so if Holland's schedule was free, he could have done the same for Zendaya.
This brings us to this point: Holland probably was not free. Holland is set to star in a musical adaptation of Romeo & Juliet in London's West End starting May 11, so he likely has some sort of rehearsals or previews planned leading up to that day, which is exactly Met Gala week.
Zendaya teased she wouldn't be alone at the Met ahead of May 6, confirming her Challengers co-stars Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist will also attend fashion's biggest night. On the red carpet, she was also joined by her longtime stylist, Law Roach, as well as her BFF and PA, Darnell Appling, who also has a role in Challengers.
While Holland might not have been there in person, he still found a way to show his support for Zendaya. While during the actual Met Gala night he took to his Stories to share a golf injury, he made sure to reserve a spot for her on his main Instagram feed the day after the Ball. Holland shared Z's first red carpet look of the night with the caption: “😍😍😍." Sometimes an emoji — or three — is worth a thousand words.
