A long time coming! Rihanna was open about her desire to start a family before welcoming her first child.
In January 2022, the singer revealed her baby bump in a maternity shoot with partner ASAP Rocky, showing her bare stomach in an unbuttoned pink coat and ripped jeans. Later that week, Rihanna gave her social media followers another glimpse at her stomach. “How the gang pulled up to black history month,” the then-expectant star captioned a February Instagram photo taken in her bathroom.
Us Weekly confirmed in May 2022 that the “Consideration” singer had given birth to a baby boy in Los Angeles.
The Ocean’s 8 star’s road to motherhood included a few bumps, most notably in April 2022 when ASAP Rocky was rumored to have cheated on her with Fenty designer Amina Muaddi. The Romania native quickly refuted the rumors via Instagram Story, explaining that while she would normally ignore such “vile” and “fake gossip,” she felt the need to speak up for two “people I have a great amount of respect and affection for.”
Later that month, Rocky was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in connection with a shooting that took place in November 2021. The New York native was returning from a vacation in Barbados alongside Rihanna at the time.
Rihanna and Rocky first sparked romance rumors in 2019 and confirmed their relationship two years later. The rapper called the Barbados native “The One” in a May 2021 GQ interview. “She amounts to probably, like, a million of the other ones,” the New York native gushed about his “lady” at the time. “I think when you know, you know.”
One month prior, a source exclusively told Us that the musicians were going strong, explaining, “It’s obvious they’re a couple and also are each other’s best friend. They kid around a lot [and] laugh a lot. They have private date nights together a lot and have a blast hanging out together. They’re not necessarily hiding the fact that they’re dating — they more so just don’t want people in their business. They’re two chill people that don’t want that kind of attention, so they show up randomly to a spot and nobody really knows until afterwards.”
While speaking to GQ, Rocky noted that he’d make a great father if it was his “destiny.” The “Praise the Lord” singer said, “I think I’d be an incredible, remarkably, overall amazing dad. I would have a very fly child.”
In August 2021, another insider told Us that the producer and the “Umbrella” songstress were “madly in love” and an engagement was possibly “in the works.”
The source explained, “Going by the hints Rocky’s been dropping, [it] may well happen soon, but there’s no pressure and what matters most to both of them is to keep building on this truly beautiful thing they’ve got going. They’re very open with friends that it’s unlike any connection they’ve ever experienced with anyone else, and they see each other as life partners. They don’t need a piece of paper to be happy, but Ri’s a real romantic and her friends and family — her mom, especially — would love to see her married.”
Keep scrolling to read Rihanna’s quotes over the years about becoming a mom, from her ideal timeline to her willingness to be a single parent.
