Fans Convinced Rihanna Was Subtly Shading Tyla After Awkward Met Gala Snub

Fans are convinced that Rihanna isn't here for up and coming South African pop star Tyla, who some feel is forcefully trying to come for RiRi's legacy.

via: The Mirror

Rihanna fans are speculating that the singer may have subtly thrown shade at Tyla following their awkward encounter at the Met Gala.

The 38-year-old R&B singer and mom-of-three appeared to ignore 24-year-old music star Tyla during the 2026 Met Gala, with some convinced there may be tension between the pair.

Both stars attended the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual fashion showcase, where Rihanna arrived in a Maison Margiela couture dress and Tyla wore a bold Valentino look as part of the Costume Art theme. Clips circulating online later showed Tyla standing nearby during Rihanna’s interactions with reporters, with the Umbrella hitmaker seemingly ignoring her. Rihanna was also accused of having a tense moment with her partner, A$AP Rocky.

The drama didn't end there. Rihanna later shared a video on social media giving fans an insight into her Met Gala experience. Fans quickly pointed to Rihanna using Ayra Starr’s Who's Dat Girl on the Met Gala recap video, suggesting it might have been a subtle dig at Tyla.

The video received mixed responses as some people believed Rihanna wasn’t taking aim at Tyla. A fan wrote, "I hate how Tyla’s fandom thinks the whole world is against her, such a victimized fandom. Rihanna has always spoken highly of Arya bc she loves her. ALWAYS. The song also fits the video. Y’all will cry forever."

Someone else agreed, "Rihanna is not subbing Tyla, at all!" However, people appeared to think the opposite, as one person said, "Now THIS is how you throw shade." Another social media user wrote, "Rih can be so petty."

Just days after the event, Tyla responded directly to the online discussion in a TikTok video, addressing the situation and clarifying her feelings about the encounter with Rihanna. She began by clearly stating, "Everyone knows I love Rih," before revealing she had actually met the music star previously.

"I met her last year and she was cool… I met her, but I think she was occupied," she revealed. "I went up to her, I was like, 'Oh, hey!' She was like, ‘Hey, um, my baby daddy’s calling me.’ And then she left."

Rihanna shares three children with her longtime partner A$AP Rocky. Tyla continued, "I was like, 'Oop.' Maybe she was busy," before adding, "I don’t know. I felt awkward."

Expanding further on the encounter, Tyla explained that she struggled with the timing of approaching Rihanna again. "I felt awkward, I don’t know how to say hi. If I feel like someone’s busy, it’s like, mmm. So this time, I was waiting for my car and she was right there… I [didn’t] wanna go up, because I felt like she was busy."

She added that she would prefer a more natural interaction in the future, "If we do end up speaking ever, I want it to be, like, calm, so we both can just, you know, vibe, and talk nicely."

Some people have questioned Tyla's intentions with posting the video, arguing that it comes across as "very unprofessional" and "childish." One person wrote, "Why would you post this?" Meanwhile, another viewer wrote, "so what was the point of this?"