Speculation began on social media almost as soon as Rihanna appeared on screen for her Super Bowl halftime show last night in Glendale, Arizona: The singer seemed to be showing a “baby bump” in her tight red outfit, which she even appeared to cradle several times during the performance.
The speculation was soon confirmed by her representative, who told both Variety and CNN that Rihanna was expecting her second child with her “partner,” rapper A$AP Rocky.
Talk on Twitter during and immediately following her performance ran the gauntlet from thoughtful to humorous to near worshipful, but consistent across much of it was the thought that the world would soon see another child from the singer.
Y’all. #Rhianna felt low energy to me!?! Thoughts? #SuperBowlLVII The floating platforms were cool! #HalftimeShow pic.twitter.com/blZqenjkdH
— Erica DeLong (@EricaDeLong) February 13, 2023
My husband just turned to me and said, ‘#Rhianna can’t be pregnant already. She just had a baby.’
We have two girls 11 months apart.
???
— Laketra Chick (@Lioness_389) February 13, 2023
Rhianna doing a half time show…
A. Clearly pregnant and looking strong
B. Not having any cameos, showing she is enough
C. Dressing beautiful without having to show skin
I’m impressed… good for you Queen! Shine bright like a Diamond ? #Rhianna #superbowl pic.twitter.com/tq9d3ckLRs— Jill Drehmer (@JillDrehmer) February 13, 2023
CNN noted that Rihanna and A$AP Rocky had welcomed their first child together into the world in May.
“When you become a mom, there is something that just happens where you feel like you can take on the world,” she told CNN prior to the Super Bowl.
She said the show required as many as 400 people to set up the stage and then tear it down again in less than 10 minutes, calling the achievement “almost impossible” to pull off.
“The Super Bowl is one of the big stages in the world, so as scary as that was, because I haven’t been on stage in 7 years, there’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all,” said Rihanna, who last toured in 2016. “It’s important for me to do this this year. It’s important for representation.
“It’s important for my son to see that,” she added.
The show included some of her most popular songs, including ” “B**** Better Have My Money,” “We Found Love,” “Rude Boy,” “Work,” “Only Girl (In the World)” and “Umbrella.”
“We Found Love” spent 10 weeks at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2011.
Super Bowl 57 was played last night at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The Kansas City Chiefs came from behind to beat the Philadelphia Eagles by three points.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
