Rihanna is a mom! On May 13, the superstar gave birth to her first child, a boy, with partner A$AP Rocky. The news wasn’t made public until May 19, when TMZ broke the news, which was later confirmed by People.
The superstar first announced her pregnancy at the end of January, after she and the “Fashion Killa” rapper were spotted hand in hand on a casual, snowy stroll in New York City. Since then, RiRi has spent the past several months elevating maternity style by turning out ensemble after ensemble of runway ready looks at Milan Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week and beyond.
In an April cover story for Vogue, the singer-turned-Fenty mogul bared not only her baby bump, but also her approach to pregnancy style, saying, “I’m hoping that we were able to redefine what’s considered ‘decent’ for pregnant women. My body is doing incredible things right now, and I’m not going to be ashamed of that. This time should feel celebratory. Because why should you be hiding your pregnancy?”
She also revealed during the chat that her pregnancy was an unplanned but ultimately welcome surprise. “Planning? I wouldn’t say planning. But certainly not planning against it. I don’t know when I ovulate or any of that type of s–t. We just had fun,” she said. “And then it was just there on the test … Then I was in the doctor’s office the next morning and our journey began.”
During her final trimester, Rihanna also weathered more than her fair share of drama, from viral rumors that Rocky had cheated on her with fashion designer Amina Muaddi (who promptly shot down the accusations as “fake gossip”), to her rapper beau’s April arrest in connection to a November 2021 shooting in L.A. (He’s since been released on $550,000 bail.)
Meanwhile, the Barbados-born star reassured fans shortly after revealing her baby bump that her long-awaited follow-up to 2016’s Anti is still on the way. She joked in February, “My fans would kill me if they waited this long for a lullaby.”