Stars Skip Red Carpet At Lance Armstrong Benefit

Just days before Lance Armstrong was stripped of all seven Tour de France titles and banned from the sport of cycling for life over doping allegations, the cyclist hosted his annual Livestrong cancer benefit in Austin, Texas. Unlike previous years, when the red carpet was packed with his celebrity friends, only pal Sean Penn showed up and talked to the press.

“It was shocking that Robin Williams and Norah Jones skipped the red carpet and entered through the back door,” one celebrity watcher tells me. “Plus, where was Matthew McConaughey? These two used to be very close friends, and he even lives in Austin.”

Not a single image of Armstrong and any of the aforementioned guests at the event has been released. In the past, the Livestrong benefit received the support of many celebrities, including Halle Berry, Matt Damon, Hilary Duff, Michael Jordan, Jay Leno, Will Smith, Sharon Stone and Mark Wahlberg.