Rita Ora Sizzles in Bikini, Skips Met Gala

is normally a stalwart at the on the first Monday in May, having previously attended the fashion event of the year 10 times.

However, this year, the singer, 35, decided to skip the prestigious event and instead shared a recent highlights reel to her Instagram Story on the same day.

Rita's notable absence from the gala comes amid a growing backlash against the event, with protests reaching fever pitch hours ahead of the kick off time.

Fury grew over the involvement of Amazon billionaire , 62, and his wife , 56, who have bankrolled much of the event. 

Rather than attending, Rita posed for a series of sizzling thirst traps, sporting an array of skimpy bikinis, which showcased her incredible figure to perfection.

One included a metallic green two-piece, which she teamed with a checked cap in a photo taken on her phone in front of a floral backdrop.

Rita also took a photo in a bathroom which she shared, wearing a black knit bikini with a bandeau style top and brief bottoms. 

Also included in her new post was a picture of her husband Taika Waititi, taken from behind as he walked ahead of her.

Rita last attended the event in 2024, marking her 10th appearance.

Over the years she has showcased some incredible looks on the red carpet and had been deemed a big supporter of the event.

However, fans were left disappointed by her skipping the soiree last night after also missing the gala in 2025.

In the last 24 hours, activists have employed disgusting maneuvers in a last-ditch attempt at a boycott.

Baskets containing plastic water bottles were also installed outside the museum, urging passersby to urinate in them.

Above the stash, a sign read: 'The Met Gala VIP toilet. Installed in honor of Met Gala chair Jeff Bezos. Go ahead, it's good enough for his staff.'

The stunt was employed in a bid to draw attention to Amazon's treatment of its workers.

Everyone Hates Elon, the campaign group behind the stunt, claims employees at Bezos's corporation have been forced to urinate in bottles because they are not allowed time to take toilet breaks.

On Sunday, protest messages were projected onto Bezos's apartment block as well as the city's biggest landmarks, including the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building.

'Boycott the Bezos Met Gala,' read one of the projections, while another said, 'no red carpet for Trump's billionaires.'

Video messages from Amazon workers were also emblazoned onto Bezos's penthouse on Fifth Avenue, where he reportedly hosted a pre-Met Gala party.

Again, the stunt was organized by the anti-billionaire campaign group, funded by 1,000 donors worldwide, and supported by current and former Amazon workers.

A spokesman for Everyone Hates Elon said: 'Amazon founder and oligarch Jeff Bezos just finished his Met Gala pre-party at his penthouse and is getting ready for the big night.

'We couldn't let him get away with using celebrity and fashion to hide his crimes. We're exposing them instead.'

The Daily Mail has reached out to Amazon and the Metropolitan Museum of Art for comment. 

When the ball kicked off, devastated fans took to social media to blast this year's Met Gala, branding it as the 'worst' one ever, .

The event was noticeably missing many big names who had become Met Gala regulars, such as Zendaya and Billie Eilish, and instead, was .

Plenty of the stars who did show up got it spectacularly wrong, turning the red carpet into a parade of sartorial disasters and outright fashion flops.

Famous faces at this year's event included Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Kendall Jenner, Sabrina Carpenter, Blake Lively, Zoe Kravitz, Hailey Bieber, Beyonce, Rihanna, Gigi Hadid, Heidi Klum and Katy Perry. 

But it seemed there were more Z-list celebrities than A-list, as other attendees included Cristiano Ronaldo's model fiancee Georgina Rodriguez, influencer Grace Ann Nader - her older sister, Sports Illustrated model Brooks Nader was absent - and Rupert Murdoch and Wendi Deng's heiress daughters, Grace and Chloe.

And there was no shortage of billionaires at the event, with the guest list including Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, heiress Isha Ambani, George Soros's sons Alex Soros and Robert Soros, Walmart heir Samuel Robson Walton and venture capitalist and author Amy Griffin.

Fans were quick to criticize this year's turnout on X, branding the event 'tacky,' 'out of touch' and a 'billionaire's ball' and claiming that it felt 'gross,' 'gauche' and 'dystopian'.

'Ah, the Met Gala, the chance for multi-millionaires to wear my life savings for a bit of fun and get attention. F**k the Met Gala,' one X user raged afterward. 

'The Met Gala is just a bunch of washed-up celebrities and out-of-touch millionaires while wearing $50k dresses made by people who can’t afford rent,' slammed another.

'Meanwhile, real Americans are grinding, watching prices explode and dealing with actual problems. I’d rather watch paint dry than pretend these clowns are relevant. Hard pass.'

'The Met Gala stopped being an aspirational event and became a circus for millionaires,' claimed someone else.

'Ever since the Met Gala allowed TikTokers, influencers and K-Pop idols to be part of it, the event has become cheaper, nothing like the Mets when those people didn't attend.' 

'Met Gala and the people eating it up are losers... People can’t afford to eat but yes let’s care about some billionaires and what they are wearing for a night,' read a fourth post.

A fifth said: 'Nothing says "Fashion Is Art" quite like billionaires buying honorary titles while the rest of us check gas prices. 

'At this point, the most avant-garde thing anyone could wear to the Met Gala is a "Closed for Renovation" sign. It’s time to retire this $100,000 costume party.'

A different user compared it to The Hunger Games, writing: 'It’s just like in The Hunger Games - everyone else is starving while they’re in the Capitol, they're dressing up all "fancy."'

'The Met Gala: Where "fashion" goes to die and billionaires pretend they . Every first Monday in May, the world’s most overrated charity cosplay event rolls out the blood-red carpet for a bunch of multimillionaires to LARP as avant-garde artists while the rest of us watch from our couches like it’s the world’s most expensive train wreck,' another person sarcastically posted.

'This isn’t a gala, it’s a hostage situation where good taste is held ransom by egomaniacs in tinfoil and feathers.'