South African artist Tyla has addressed a viral video from the Met Gala that sparked online speculation about her interaction with Barbadian singer Rihanna.
The clip shows the two artists in close proximity without engaging with each other, leading to claims that Rihanna had ignored Tyla.
Here’s the video of Tyla getting ignored by Rihanna
pic.twitter.com/uJpORwoVR7
— Ŵął£
(@101Tino0) May 6, 2026
Tyla has since posted a video explaining what happened.
She said she first met Rihanna the previous year but felt their interaction was cut short, which left her feeling awkward.
“I met her last year, and she was cool, but I think she was occupied. I went up to her and was like, ‘Oh, hey, you know…’ and she was like, ‘Hey, um – my baby daddy is calling me,’ and then she left. And I was like, maybe she was busy, so I do not know, I felt awkward,” she said.
Tyla added that she chose not to approach Rihanna at this year’s event, believing she was also occupied.
“So, this time I was waiting for my car, and she was there. I didn’t wanna go up to her because I thought she was busy, I mean, the last time she was busy, so I want, if we do end up speaking ever, I want it to be calm so we both can vibe and talk nicely,” she said.
Met Gala 2026
Tyla and Rihanna were among the celebrities who attended the 2026 Met Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on Monday, 4 May 2026.
This year’s Met Gala dress code was “Fashion is Art”; here are the best and worst Met Gala 2026 looks.
