Rihanna’s fans are defending her after a video of the singer holding her son, RZA, at his birthday party went viral online.
The Barbados-born artist and her partner, A$AP Rocky, celebrated their oldest son’s second birthday on May 11 with a private party at Color Factory in New York City, an art museum with interactive exhibits. A video has been shared online of Rihanna holding RZA upside down at the event, swaying him side to side as people sing him “Happy Birthday.”
“Rihanna holding her child is going viral,” Daily Loud, a hip-hop and viral news outlet, captioned the clip on X, formerly Twitter. At the time of writing, it had been viewed 12.4 million times.
Many commenters believed that the implication was that Rihanna was holding her son incorrectly, with the majority disagreeing.
“Hopefully it’s going viral for being cute because I don’t see a problem here?” @mouthy_mom_ wrote on X.
“I did that to ALL of my kids. They love it. I would stand up, hold them by the ankles and sway them side to side while saying, ‘Tick tock, tick tock’. And almost every day they begged me to do the tick tock,” said @funkatopia.
“I know that baby was enjoying and was like “Do it again mommy”. Kids love that typa s***,” @Themba_Taylor wrote.
“They’re just playing, what’s the big fuss about,” @McodeHtg posted.
Others pointed out how happy the family looks, with one person writing: “I love seeing them together, like this was meant to be. This is beautiful.”
Newsweek reached out to a spokesperson for Rihanna via email for comment Tuesday.
Rihanna in Los Angeles, California, on October 1, 2020. Fans leapt to her defense after a video of the singer holding her son, RZA, went viral. Rihanna in Los Angeles, California, on October 1, 2020. Fans leapt to her defense after a video of the singer holding her son, RZA, went viral. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2 Presented by Amazon Prime Video
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky went all out for their son’s special day. Guests uploaded pictures on social media showing a variety of toys, slides, and even a ball pit. The venue had also been customized for RZA, and there were various decorations, including a “RZA’s 2ND BIRTHDAY” banner and cutouts of the 2-year-old’s head.
The couple also has a younger son, Riot, who was born on August 1, 2023. Rihanna revealed she was pregnant with Riot while performing at the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show in Glendale, Arizona, that February.
In a December interview with Access Hollywood, Rihanna raved about her growing family, saying she had always wanted to be a mother.
“I hoped that I could have kids one day, and I hoped I could have them in love, and I hoped that I can be a part of a family that you know, breaks generational curses and just like, moves forward and does new things, and raises our kids better than we’ve been raised, and all the beautiful things, and it’s happening, and I can’t believe it,” she said.
The “Diamonds” singer also spoke of her deep connection with A$AP Rocky and how their dynamic has shifted since they have become parents.
“I loved him differently as a dad. This is major, major, like—it’s a turn-on. What a leader, what a great, patient, loving… and my kids are obsessed with him. I’m just a background, like, I’m an extra,” she said.
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