Rihanna’s incredible halftime performance at Super Bowl LVII had the world talking, as she sang everything from “Rude Boy” to “Diamonds,” but that wasn’t the only thing people were thinking about.
She had just given birth to a baby boy in May 2022, and her devoted fan base wonders whether she was expecting again. A spokesman for the 34-year-old singer told The Hollywood Reporter that she is expecting after her halftime show.
Sunday was Rihanna’s first live performance in five years, and she made a grand comeback to the stage with a medley of her best singles including “Bitch Better Have My Money,” “We Found Love,” “Work,” and “Umbrella.”
Next month, she will compete for an Oscar Nomination; she has been nominated for Best Original Song for her contribution to the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” album, “Lift Me Up.”
It was not immediately clear how far along Rihanna was in her pregnancy or whether she was indeed pregnant.
Nate Burleson, a reporter for CBS News and a former NFL receiver, seemed to be one of the first real confirmations since he had talked to Rihanna right before her show. When a fan said that Rihanna’s “surprise guest” might be a baby, Burleson shouted, “Bingo!”
Rihanna admitted she had second thoughts about singing at the Super Bowl halftime show in an interview before she walked the stage in Glendale, Arizona. Grammy winner said that her kid, who is just nine months old, was a deciding factor in her decision to perform.
“I was like, ‘You sure? I’m three months postpartum. Should I be making major decisions like this right now? Mesfin Fekadu of The Hollywood Reporter quotes her as saying, “I might regret this.”
“When you become a mom, there’s something that just happens where you feel like you can take on the world, you can do anything. The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages of the world,” she said. “There’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all.” Putting on a halftime show during the Super Bowl is no easy feat, but Rihanna deserves extra praise for pulling off a spectacular performance while being pregnant at the time. Last year’s concert, which included Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar, was upstaged by her performance.
