Carmelo Anthony has finally explained the context to the viral photo of him staring at Rihanna at the 2014 Met Gala.
After making its way onto the internet, the picture quickly went viral as fans joked that Melo, who was married to La La Anthony at the time, was “ready to risk it all” for the Bajan beauty.
AD LOADING...
Speaking on his podcast 7PM in Brooklyn, the former NBA star shared the real story behind the photo, revealing that he was not actually lusting over RiRi.
“It was after the Met [Gala]. I think the afterparty was at Darby or Up&Down. We’re already in there, having a good time,” he said. “Every time a celebrity comes in, the cameras go crazy with flashes. It’s small in there, so you see all the flashes. It’s commotion when you walk in there.
AD LOADING...
“I finally walk in there, get through the cameras and sit down. I found my comfort zone, trying to be low. Rih walks in, cameras go crazy. All you see is white flashes. And there’s only one way to go, there’s only one area to go to. And I’m like, ‘Please don’t come over here.’”
Melo then said: “I put my head down and I look up and she’s right there posing. And the cameras is going, and I’m like [looks up unimpressed]. So that’s the story, man. It was the flashes and like, ‘Damn, why you come over here and make it hot?'”
Had to clear this one up 😂 https://t.co/mWzAUwLs6w
— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) January 16, 2025
Carmelo Anthony was ready to risk it all 😭 pic.twitter.com/6bb8U1K0tN
— ۟ (@headnavy) July 29, 2023
Rihanna has only released one album since that viral moment a decade ago and recently appeared to suggest that she was moving on from music.
The 36-year-old, who also runs lingerie and skincare brands, was speaking at the launch of Fenty Beauty in Barbados last November when she made the shock statement.
Speaking to those in attendance, she said: “I would say music was the thing that got the attention. But God had other plans for me and I was able to create in ways … that were very sincere and genuine or organic and authentic to the things that I love.
“So it doesn’t even feel like a job. But when you bring it home, I cannot express to you guys what this day means for me to be able to celebrate with the people that deserve it the most, the community that has always propelled me to the next place and given me the strength and the grace and you guys have always inspired me.”
