When a Pregnant Rihanna Faced Backlash for ‘Honoring’ Kanye West at Super Bowl Halftime Show

In 2023, Rihanna found herself at the center of a controversy when she performed a Kanye West song during her Super Bowl halftime show. The Barbadian singer, who was pregnant at the time, included a brief rendition of All of the Lights— a track from West's 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy that she featured in— as part of her medley of hits. The event, which marked her first live concert in five years, also had her sporting an eye-catching West-inspired outfit—his all-red Donda listening party outfit from 2021.

While West did not make an appearance, some fans were angered by the inclusion of his song given his past antisemitic comments. This sparked a debate around Rihanna's decision to 'honor' the rapper on such a major stage. A spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism told Newsweek, "Rihanna's inclusion of a Kanye West song on one of the biggest stages in the world [was] grossly insensitive." The spokesperson added, "It was only a couple of months ago that West said that he wanted to go 'Defcon 3' on the Jews and denied the Holocaust. This is not a man who deserves such a glamorous platform."

Noa Tishby, Israel's special envoy for combating antisemitism, also questioned Rihanna's decision, posting a video on X that gained over 400,000 views. She asked, "Did @rihanna have to play a #Kanye song during the #SuperBowl #HalftimeShow?" A netizen tweeted, "This is how Rihanna said, 'I don't support Kanye, but I'm honoring him' without saying." Another added, "We all know that the Super Bowl Performance by Rihanna was her endorsement for Kanye West and giving support to Kanye West in everything he is going through. I hope Kanye is doing well thanks Rihanna." 

West, in the months leading up to the Super Bowl, made headlines over his controversial assertions. In September 2022, he wore a 'White Lives Matter' T-shirt at his Yeezy fashion show in Paris, with models and conservative pundit, Candace Owens, who also donned the same. The next two months saw West making a series of antisemitic comments on social media and in interviews. This led to him losing lucrative partnerships with Balenciaga and Adidas; he was canceled online and venues refused to host his concerts.

In the wake of the backlash, Rihanna's representative, Amanda Silverman, later confirmed that the singer was pregnant at the time. A source close to Rihanna told The Sun that the singer is 'still great friends with Ye, and so is [ASAP] Rocky.' The source added, "She doesn't care if people are offended by her paying tribute to him at the Super Bowl. She still supports him, even if she doesn't always agree with what he has to say, or his political views." However, they added, "She would never have brought him [West] out on stage because it was her moment, and she wanted to reveal her pregnancy, she didn’t need a guest."