Overview
- Tiny clips from the Met Gala showing Tyla near Rihanna without a greeting went viral on social media and were framed by many viewers as a snub.
- In a widely viewed TikTok, Tyla said she had met Rihanna previously, that Rihanna stepped away for a call from A$AP Rocky, and that she later chose not to approach because Rihanna seemed busy.
- Tyla stressed that she felt awkward rather than disrespected and said she hopes for a calm conversation with Rihanna in the future.
- Rihanna has not commented, and an X repost by RedMedia_us replaced Tyla’s word “occupied” with “weird,” which helped fuel backlash against Tyla’s video.
- Some fans read Rihanna’s Met Gala recap using Ayra Starr’s song as shade, though outlets describe that as speculation and point to the event’s hectic setting as a common source of decontextualized moments.