Rihanna’s highly anticipated Super Bowl LVII halftime show was met with mixed reviews, and the biggest question of the night — was her special guest her unborn baby?
Superfans sang Rihanna’s praises while critics complained about the lackluster performance. The internet was fixated on whether or not she is pregnant. Sunday’s halftime show was dominated by a series of biggest hits from Rihanna’s collection. She opened her set with “Bitch Better Have My Money,” a hit she debuted in 2015.
The way-back play-back was followed by a sequence of some of her best work, most of which was sung from a platform suspended in mid-air, well above the crowd. Critics slammed the star for her minimalistic choreography and complained that her show lacked energy, but the internet exploded with comments suggesting this show doubled as a pregnancy announcement, which makes this a pretty bold performance that deserves lots of credit. Either way, Rihanna has people talking.
this shot during Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance is so wild holy crap pic.twitter.com/jE8UWAnxjA
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) February 13, 2023
Social media erupted seconds after Rihanna hit the stage in an all-red number. People around the world began questioning if she had just announced her pregnancy, and her apparent baby-bump instantly began trending.
Rihanna reveals she is pregnant with her second child during her Super Bowl Halftime performance.
Congratulations my girl ❤️ pic.twitter.com/J9Q1quoUzV
— solé (@layxsnv) February 13, 2023
The star’s fans were amazed by the show she put on while suspended in the air, and soaked up her simple, yet on-point choreography. (RELATED: REPORT: Rihanna Teases Her Super Bowl Performance, New Details Released)
No offense to @Rihanna. @NFL Halftime show sucked. Next year pick an artist or band that can bring energy to the #SuperBowl or don’t even have a halftime show.#SuperBowlLVII
— Jess (@jessm227) February 13, 2023
Critics were unimpressed by the fact that her backup dancers carried the weight of the performance and criticized Rihanna for her low-energy show.
So many hits! I only wish there would have been more live singing 🙁 when she was singing, it sounded GREAT too!#Rihanna #SuperBowl https://t.co/OD3W8rkBMf
— dee garcia (@DeeGarciaRadio) February 13, 2023
Some slammed the singer for not singing live.
Not a #SuperBowl fan, but I loved #RihannaSuperBowl show. I love the fact that she didn’t have very thing so sucked in after having a baby last year. There was a slight mom belly and it was beautiful! I also loved the floating stages! @NFL @rihanna #ShineBrightLikeADiamond
— Кутрина Шумук 🇺🇦🇨🇦🏳️🌈 (@ProzacKat) February 13, 2023
Rihanna performed other hits, including classics “Rude Boy,” “Work” and “Diamonds,” and was quickly ushered out immediately following her performance.