Why Ben Affleck Was Not at the 2024 Met Gala With Jennifer Lopez - E! Online (2024)

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2024 Met Gala: Co-Chair Jennifer Lopez Glitters in a Silver See-Through Gown!

Ben Affleck made quite the appearance on May 5, but the NSFW roast of Tom Brady had nothing to do with whyhe wasn't Jennifer Lopez's plus-one at the 2024 Met Galaon May 6.

The Oscar winner, fresh from tearing anyone who ever hated on the former New England Patriots quarterback a new one, was actually never signed up to accompany his wife to this particular work event.

Affleck remained in L.A., where he's been busy shootingThe Accountant 2, the sequel to his 2016 action hit, his rep told E! News. He's also been noticeably clean-shaven for the role.

Lopez, meanwhile,went ahead to New York to prepare for her 14th Met Gala appearance and first as one of the event's co-chairs. And she of course had no trouble getting all dressed up on her own for theethereal-sounding "TheGarden of Time" dress code, spun from thisyear's Costume Institute exhibition, "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion."

While that name is a nod to reviving pieces of couture that have been fast asleep in theinstitution's archive,the 54-year-old was still givinghappily-ever-after in glittering naked-effect gown by Schiaparelli Haute Couture. (Swoon over everylook on the Met Gala red carpet right here.)

And there was no fashionable lateness on Lopez's part, either, as this yearshe wasa de facto host with Zendaya, Chris Hemsworth, Bad Bunnyand Vogueeditor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

Affleck, 51, did attend the Met Gala with Lopezin September 2021 (usually the first Monday in May, it was delayed due to the pandemic), the couple wearing masks on the red carpet in keeping with the de facto theme of safety first, alongside the actual theme, "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion."

Lopez wore a safari-inspired gown with a plunging neckline by Ralph Lauren and he wore... you know, a tuxedo.She tapped the classic American brand last year, too, when she hit the stairs solo for "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty."

While she and Affleck don't always attend events like these together, when they do...all eyes are on them.

So he mayhave wished he'dbeen wearing a maskat the 2023 Grammys, when a few photos taken during the ceremony gave off the impression to some people that he wasn't having the best time ever.Asked about it later, the actor noted that he was, in fact, at his "wife's work event."

But, Affleck clarified to The Hollywood Reporter,"I had a good time at the Grammys. My wife was going, and I thought, 'Well, there'll be good music. It might be fun.' At movie award shows, it's speeches and, like, sound-mixing webinars. But I thought this would be fun."

However, he not only missed his chance to be meme fodder alongside his wife tonight, he missed a meet-up with buddy Matt Damon, who was in attendance with wife Luciana Barroso. (As well as notably missing fromThe Greatest Roast of AllTimefor his favorite QB.)

Keep reading to see which couples have turned the 2024 Met Gala into a date night: