Redeem now - Rihanna's dad told TMZ he didn't know the star was pregnant until the Super Bowl halftime show.
- Rihanna and her dad, Ronald Fenty, have had a strained relationship.
- Rihanna's backup dancers and her stylist were also surprised about her pregnancy.
Rihanna's pregnancy reveal during last weekend's Super Bowl halftime show surprised even her father, according to TMZ.
The 34-year-old star's dad, Ronald Fenty, told TMZ that he traveled to the show from his home in Barbados with tickets courtesy of Rihanna. But during his daughter's performance, Fenty told TMZ that he turned to his partner, saying, "Oh my god! My baby girl looks pregnant!"
Fenty, 69, also told TMZ he hasn't been a very active grandparent with Rihanna and A$AP Rocky's first son, who was born in May 2022, due to distance and a busy life. But he hopes to be a part of baby No. 2's life, he told the outlet.
Fenty had previously hoped for a baby girl, TMZ reported, since he currently has four grandsons.
Rihanna has had a strained relationship with Fenty. She told Good Morning America in 2009 that Fenty used to beat her mom and had a drug and alcohol addiction during Rihanna's childhood. Rihanna also sued Fenty in 2019, alleging that he exploited her name for his entertainment company's benefit. She dropped the lawsuit in 2021.
A representative for Rihanna did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Others close to Rihanna were surprised about her pregnancy too
Last week, a backup dancer for Rihanna said she was also unaware of the "Umbrella" singer's pregnancy, despite rehearsing with her for a week before the Super Bowl.
"I was low-key mad at everybody because I was like, 'this is just her postpartum body, why are you judging her?'" the dancer, Luhnyae Campbell, said on TikTok. "But no, she's actually pregnant. I forgot that women can just do that back-to-back — we're so amazing, that's crazy."
Rihanna's stylist, Jahleel Weaver, was also in the dark until a few weeks before the show. "She finally told me when we were reviewing sketches, and I was like, 'Is this a joke?'" Weaver told Vogue.
Watching the singer's performance — in an outfit Weaver designed for flexibility and style — made him emotional. "She has no fear," he said. "It's really cool that she is always willing to do what looks cool and new."
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