Rihanna confirms second pregnancy during Super Bowl half-time show

Rihanna confirmed she is pregnant for a second time during a hit-heavy headline slot at the 2023 Super Bowl half-time show.

The Barbadian singer, 34, kicked off her live performance suspended high above the stadium, dressed in a bold red ensemble jumpsuit while an army of dancers dressed in white gathered beneath her.

Debuting her pronounced baby bump at the beginning of the performance, Rihanna rubbed her hand over her stomach to announce her second pregnancy nine months after the birth of her son in May 2022.

The pop megastar treated fans to a selection of hits from her catalogue, including Bitch Better Have My Money, We Found Love and Umbrella, as well as two tracks she recorded with controversial rapper Kanye West – played back to back.

West, who has recently come under fire over a series of antisemitic remarks, featured on Run This Town, which was written by her former mentor Jay-Z.

Rihanna also sang on his track All of The Lights, which is included on 2011 album My Dark Twisted Fantasy.

Throughout the performance Rihanna commanded the stage, strolling up and down alongside a flock of dancers dressed in white hoodies and sweat pants, at one point stopping to touch up her make-up, and performing razor-sharp choreography throughout her entire show.

The 13-minute set also included recognisable hit songs Only Girl (In the World), Rude Boy, Work and Wild Thoughts.

Strobe lights and fireworks punctuated the show, and the singer donned a long red coat to finish with hit Diamonds from her 2012 album Unapologetic.

Famous faces spotted among the crowds in the 63,000-seat stadium included Jay-Z, Floyd Mayweather, Adele, and Sir Paul McCartney – who headlined the Super Bowl halftime show himself in 2005.

Model and actress Cara Delevingne was also among the celebrities in the audience, and shared a photograph on Instagram of herself sporting a t-shirt with the slogan: “Rihanna concert interrupted by a football game, weird but whatever.”

The Kansas City Chiefs engineered a second-half comeback to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 and claim their second Super Bowl in four years at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday.

Rihanna previously said that the “biggest challenge” for the show had been curating the setlist – creating around 40 versions.

Speaking ahead of the show, she said there was “something exhilarating” about the challenge of the performance, and that following the birth of her son she felt like she could “take on the world”.

She also previously hinted that the performance would be a family affair, saying that it was “important” for her son to watch it.

In a separate interview with Total Access NFL, she said she was “thinking about bringing someone”.

Last year, hip hop heavyweights Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J Blige and Kendrick Lamar performed during the half-time show.