Easily, one of the most iconic moments on the 2023 TV schedule was Rihanna’s surprise pregnancy announcement during her Super Bowl halftime show. I think most of us remember the beginning of her set, the camera zooming out and the confirmation that she was expecting. Overall, the entire performance was legendary, but, announcing your second child at the Super Bowl is next level. However, the pop star wasn’t exactly planning on letting the world know about her baby that way, and she explained why that was the case, and why she ultimately went through with it.
When asked about the pregnancy reveal by Access Hollywood, Rihanna put her hand up ready to explain what happened. The “Rude Boy” singer then said:
Here’s the thing. I did what I had to do, right? My jumper couldn’t zip up. No one knew I was pregnant. I just told my stylist, ‘Make sure it’s stretchy.’ So the undergarment was stretchy and this [jacket] was baggy, but you know, the zip. It just stopped right there! So it had to be what it had to be.
So, ultimately it came down to her wardrobe and an issue with the zipper. However, I don’t think anyone expected this to be unplanned.
In the video of Rihanna’s show, you can see that her undergarment looks like a red spandex-type material, and her jacket is big and puffy. However, as she said, the jumpsuit she was wearing couldn’t zip all the way up. In the end, rather than trying to adjust the outfit, she decided to run with it, and reveal her pregnancy in the most memorable way.
Between her announcement and the entire performance, this halftime show is easily one of Rihanna’s most iconic performances. If singing “Bitch Better Have My Money” from a platform suspended high above the Super Bowl field when you announce baby No. 2 isn’t one of the most epic celebrity pregnancy announcements, I don’t know what is.
Continuing to speak about playing the halftime show for the biggest football game of the year, the singer explained that it was an “out of body” experience, and that was the first time she’d ever felt something like that. Ahead of the big game, Rihanna said she was “nervous, but excited,” and while performing on such a large stage would constitute this kind of reaction, the fact that she was also pregnant likely added to the anticipation.
After the Super Bowl, the “Umbrella” singer continued to rock incredible looks that highlighted her bump. She had one of the boldest looks at the 2023 Oscars, where she performed her song from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and this spring she shared topless maternity photos to show the “magic this body made.”
Then, seven months after the Super Bowl, on August 3, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky welcomed their second child into the world. Now, they’re a happy family of four, and the pop star seems very happy with the absolutely legendary way she let the world know she was expecting.