Rihanna gave the internet two gifts this weekend: confirmation that she will perform at next weekend’s Oscars and a rare up-close look at her and boyfriend A$AP Rocky’s baby boy. While the couple hasn’t shared their son’s name yet, they have let him be photographed with them for British Vogue and appear on his mom’s TikTok. This marks their child’s third major public appearance.
Rihanna also cheekily addressed her second pregnancy in the caption, which she announced during her Super Bowl performance last month. “My son when he found out his sibling is going to the Oscars and not him @theacademy #oscarnominee #oscarperformancein1week swipe for tb of my fat man,” she wrote over the three-photo carousel.
Rihanna spoke about her and Rocky’s relationship with their son during her British Vogue interview. She admitted that Rocky and him have a special bond. “I’m just sitting on the sidelines when they’re together,” she said. “I’m literally the girl trying to get into the boys club, waiting for my turn. He is obsessed with his father. And I’m like: ‘Didn’t I give birth to you? What is going on?’ Their connection is undeniable. The second Rocky makes eye contact with him he is on fire. The whole thing they say about sons and moms, it’s a myth. Sons and fathers is crazy. I realized that the validation that you really need as a boy is from your father.”
She added that she and Rocky have become closer as they take care of their little one and closest friend. “We’re best friends with a baby,” she said with a laugh. “We have to be on the same page, but we’ve always kind of had that in our relationship. Everything changes when you have a baby but I wouldn’t say it’s done anything but made us closer.”
Senior News and Strategy Editor
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.