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No, But Seriously, Why Isn't Beyonce At The 2018 Grammys?

Twitter has barely recovered from seeing Beyoncé and JAY-Z's look at the Pre-Grammy Gala on Saturday night, an aesthetic which can best be described as "Black Panthers in Paris." Of course, their appearance at the Pre-Grammy Gala, as well as the fact that JAY-Z is nominated for eight awards this year, has the Beyhive wondering: why isn't Beyoncé at the 2018 Grammys?

Update: Later in the show, Beyoncé did appear to be at the Grammy Awards. She was pictured alongside her daughter Blue Ivy, and husband JAY-Z.

Earlier: A source reportedly told Us Weekly, "She has called in a bunch of dresses for the Grammys. So, safe to say she’ll be attending with Jay on Sunday."

But she wasn't on the red carpet and shots of her husband in the audience have been suspiciously tight. Although JAY-Z leads the pack of nominations with his eight nods, he decided to opt out of performing this year in a surprising move, according to People. It's especially surprising considering JAY-Z's deep connection to New York and the fact that the Grammys are returning to the city for the first time in 15 years to broadcast from Madison Square Garden. Beyoncé performed last year in an epic medley of basically half her album Lemonade, and she did it while pregnant with twins. In fact, news of her first post-pregnancy performance was just announced earlier this month when the lineup for Coachella was released: she's set to headline the music festival in April after canceling her 2017 appearance due to being heavily pregnant. (Although I personally don't doubt her ability to perform "Love on Top" at full tilt while in her third trimester, doctors apparently had other orders.)

More than an hour into the broadcast, cameras finally panned over to The Family Knowles-Carter, looking sharp as ever. Bey rocked dark sunglasses, a hat worthy of Sunday church, gorgeous statement chandelier earrings that hung down to her collarbones, and a black gown with geometric cold shoulder cutouts and a pair of mile-high slits for either leg. JAY-Z and Blue Ivy were similarly monochromatic in a black suit with an understated black turtleneck and a ruffled white wrap dress, respectively.

Aside from Beyoncé's earrings, Blue Ivy may have had the most striking accessory of the bunch with her glittery silver shoes. Sadly, her seven-month-old twin siblings Rumi and Sir were not in attendance at the Grammys. While Beyoncé shared a picture of the twins on Instagram one month after they were born, and they've since been spotted in a few paparazzi shots, the family has yet to make a big public appearance all together. But we have plenty of years ahead to look forward to perfectly coordinated outfits from the Knowles-Carter clan.

Twitter noticed that both Rihanna and Beyoncé opted for subtle entrances at the Grammys, rather than working the red carpet or, seemingly, even finding their seats until well into the broadcast. We glimpsed Rihanna, finally, when she accepted the award for Best Rap/Sung Performance alongside Kendrick Lamar for his song "LOYALTY.," which features her. But JAY-Z lost out on all the awards in the Rap Field, which were presented early in the broadcast, to Lamar, so we didn't have an excuse to pan to Beyoncé for the first 90 minutes of the show. He didn't manage to win any of the big three awards either, which Bruno Mars swept. Beyoncé didn't even present, so we never did to experience the full effect of her look, even for a brief moment.

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