Tyla Is Setting the Record on Rihanna Snub at the Met Gala — "She Was Busy"
“I felt awkward."
Published May 7 2026, 1:27 p.m. ET
Leave it to social media to create false narratives that celebrities are feuding. In the past, many celebs have spoken out about trolls and fans creating drama between them and other people.
From Justin Bieber to Taylor Swift, celebrities in the music industry have had to navigate sticky parasocial relationships. And now, it appears that Tyla is feeling the heat.
After the Met Gala, clips surfaced online of Tyla hanging back with Rihanna and other famous names in the vicinity. And while videos from the grand event usually show celebrities in conversation with one another, the clip caused fans to create narratives of a possible beef between the two ladies.
And while most of the time, fans can be off with their assumptions, in some cases, the celebrities in question actually don't see eye-to-eye.
What happened between Tyla and Rihanna?
In a video shared by Chafts Africa on May 6, Tyla can be seen standing by a wall, as Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, and other celebrities are talking with security and other attendees. Based on the video, Tyla appears to be a foot or two away from Rihanna, with a man in between them.
The initial poster shared the clip with the tweet: “Tyla looked upset after being snubbed by Rihanna.”
In a matter of time, the clip went viral, and social media users took the video and ran with it. From fans accusing Tyla of photobombing other celebs on the carpet to rumors of Rihanna being jealous of Tyla, the chatter persists.
However, Tyla immediately decided to set things straight.
In a May 6 TikTok video, Tyla shared that she met Rihanna on two occasions and said she loves her.
“Everyone knows I love Rih,” Tyla said. “I met her last year, and she was cool. You know, I met her, but I think she was occupied cause she was like, I was like, I went up to her. I was like, oh, hey, you know, she was like, hey, um, um, my baby daddy’s calling me. And then she left, and I was like, ‘ Oh, maybe she was busy,’ she said.
She continued: “I felt awkward. I don’t know how to say hi if I feel like someone’s busy.”
Later, she also spoke about meeting Rihanna again at the 2026 Met Gala.
“I don’t wanna go up because I felt like she was busy,” Tyla said. “You know what I mean? And the last time she was busy. “When we do speak, if we do end up speaking ever, I want us to be calm so we both can just, you know, vibe and talk nicely.”
Despite Tyla sharing her sentiments about meeting Rih, and that they are not beefing, folks have still chosen to spin the narrative.
Rihanna has not made any statements about her interaction with Tyla.
The old Rihanna had the time to set folks straight on Twitter (now X). However, the 38-year-old popstar had paid this situation dust.
There’s no telling if Rihanna privately reached out to Tyla, but it’s clear that she has too much going on to worry about rumors circulating online.
In fact, the rumor mill is buzzing that Rihanna and A$AP Rocky had a couple's quarrel at the event. However, most folks are chalking it up to the couple simply having a discussion and being ready to retreat for the night.