Blake Lively shares photo of herself pumping breast milk after Ryan Reynolds addresses absence at Met Gala

Lively’s post comes after Ryan Reynolds confirmed couple would be in UK on night of fashion extravaganza

Blake Lively has shared a photo of herself pumping breast milk after confirming her absence from the 2023 Met Gala.

On Monday 1 May 2023, the Gossip Girl star, 35, joked about her plans for the infamous date of the annual fashion extravaganza on Instagram, where she posted a photo of herself pumping in a bathroom.

“First Monday in May,” she captioned the photo.

The post from Lively, who recently welcomed her fourth child with husband Ryan Reynolds, comes after the Deadpool star revealed the reason that he and Blake Lively will not be attending the 2023 Met Gala is only partly due to the expansion of their family.

Lively, who has become a staple at the annual fashion extravaganza, confirmed that she would not be in attendance while speaking to reporters at the re-opening of the Tiffany & Co Fifth Avenue in New York City on Thursday.

After she was asked whether fans would see her on the red carpet-covered Met Gala steps on 1 May 2023, Lively said: “You will not.”

However, the actor promised she wouldn’t be missing out on the festivities completely, as she said she would be “watching”.

Lively then joked about the outfit she’d be wearing at home on the first Monday in May after a reporter complimented her on the gown she’d worn to the 2022 Met Gala, with the A Simple Favor revealing she’d be wearing the New York City-inspired Atelier Versace dress again.

“Thank you, that’s very sweet. I’ll be wearing that on my couch,” she joked.

For last year’s Met Gala, which celebrated the theme: “In America: An Anthology of Fashion,” with the dress code “Gilded Glamour,” Lively arrived on the red carpet in a strapless copper gown with a large bow inspired by the Statue of Liberty.

As fans, fellow attendees, and her husband Ryan Reynolds watched, Lively’s gown then underwent a colourful transformation, with the unveil revealing a teal-coloured train inspired by the constellation decor in Grand Central Station.

On 30 April, Reynolds also confirmed the news of his and Lively’s absence while speaking to Access Hollywood, with the actor revealing the couple would be in the UK celebrating Wrexham, after the team won promotion to the English Football League for the first time in 15 years.

“I think we’re off to … we’ll be in the UK,” Reynolds said, adding: “We have Wrexham business to deal with.”

(Blake Lively / Instagram)

Lively, who co-chaired the event alongside Reynolds last year, is no stranger to the Met Gala red carpet, as she has been attending the event since 2008.

Her fashion choices for the night are also some of the most-anticipated, as Lively has been known to match her gowns to the colourful stairs that cover the iconic Met Gala steps on the first Monday of each May.

On social media, the news has been met with disappointment from fans, who were still hoping to see the actor posing on this year’s red carpet.

“What’s the point of the Met Gala if there’s no Blake Lively?” one person tweeted, while another said: “A Met Gala with no Blake Lively is NOT the same.”

Although Lively will not be in attendance at the annual fundraiser for the Met Gala’s Costume Institute, she did recently make her return to the red carpet, when she attended the Barnard College Annual Gala in New York City.

This year’s Met Gala, which will take place on 1 May, will celebrate late designer Karl Lagerfeld with the theme “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” while the official dress code for the event will be: “In Honour of Karl.”