ICYMI, Rihanna made a surprise guest appearance during the final night of Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt 30th anniversary “Extra Innings” shows at Yankee Stadium in New York.
The appearance marked Rihanna’s first public live performance since her 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show and a private performance at the Ambani pre-wedding celebrations in India in 2024. Unsurprisingly, fans were excited to see the Grammy-winning singer back on stage alongside Jay-Z, but the performance quickly sparked mixed criticism online.
While many fans celebrated Rihanna’s return to the stage, others criticized her vocals, with some claiming she had “lost her voice” and speculating that it was the reason she has yet to release any music or her long-awaited ninth studio album. Others also targeted the singer with body-shaming comments.
One viral post from South African author and X user Jackie Phamotse, which received more than 33,000 likes, read:
Another viral reaction from popular Nicki Minaj fan account DR M amplified the criticism, writing:
Despite the criticism, many fans rushed to Rihanna’s defense, arguing that short clips circulating on social media failed to capture the full performance and pointing out that she has not toured or performed publicly on a regular basis in years.
And for the first time in a long time in fan culture, Rihanna and Beyoncé’s fans have ended their two-decade-long feud to collectively attack Nicki Minaj fans after their comments on both artists following Beyoncé and Rihanna’s appearance at Jay-Z’s event.