• Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce did not attend the 2025 Met Gala for a very understandable reason, sources told TMZ
• The appearance would have marked Kelce's Met Gala debut and Swift's first since 2016, prior to which she was a mainstay at the annual event
• In April, a source told PEOPLE the couple is "making the most of their time off together" following the NFL season and end of the Eras Tour

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce did not attend the Met Gala this year for a very simple reason.

The Met Gala vet, 35, and her NFL star beau, also 35, did receive an invitation to fashion’s biggest night this year, but they had to decline due to their respective schedules, sources told TMZ.

Swift and Kelce, who began dating in 2023, have both been enjoying some downtime following the end of the NFL season and the singer’s Eras Tour.

"They have been traveling nonstop and very much enjoy it," a source told PEOPLE in April. "They are making the most of their time off together. They are hanging out with friends, too. It's a special time for them."

The insider also said that the stars are "very serious and in sync," adding: "They value the same things. Right now, the focus is very much on private time out of the spotlight." 

 Had Kelce attended the May 5 event — and taken his signature style from the locker room to the iconic steps of the Met — it would have been his first-ever appearance at the prestigious New York City event.

Swift, meanwhile, has attended the Met Gala several times, but the last was over a decade ago, when she was a co-chair at the “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology”-themed 2016 gala.

The “Karma” singer — who also skipped last year’s gala due to her busy schedule — made her Met Gala debut in 2008. She has since attended the star-studded event five more times, becoming a mainstay (and must-see!) at the gala until her last appearance in 2016.