Do we like Rihanna?
Our score: 8 out of 10. A long record of using her money and platform for others, with one contested casting remark and one brand settlement on the other side.
Rihanna's story starts in Barbados, and Barbados has never forgotten it. When the island became a republic in 2021 it made her a National Hero, only the second woman to get the title. For a pop star that is a pretty rare bit of paper.
The big news this year is something no one would wish on anybody. Prosecutors allege a woman drove up to Rihanna's Los Angeles home on 8 March and fired about 20 rounds at the property while Rihanna was on the grounds. No one was hurt. The accused has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including attempted murder, and the judge has now found her fit to stand trial.
Her business life has had one real stumble. In 2022 three California district attorneys' offices and the Santa Monica City Attorney sued Savage X Fenty, alleging its VIP membership charges weren't clearly disclosed. The brand settled for $1.2 million and, per court documents, changed its website and renewal notices. It's a billing-practices stain on the company, not a character one, and the brand didn't comment.
On the harm check she comes up clean. In 2017 a fan asked why Fenty Beauty had no trans models, and she replied that she respects all women and doesn't do trans castings, just as she doesn't do straight ones. Some read that as a missed chance and some as a refusal to tokenise, and where you land depends on which. In 2019 she posted a photo of herself holding an “immigrant” shirt, captioned “Hey @realdonaldtrump”.
The planet side stacks up too. In January 2022 her Clara Lionel Foundation pledged $15 million to 18 climate justice groups in the US and the Caribbean. They included the Climate Justice Alliance and the Movement for Black Lives, and the money came with Jack Dorsey's #StartSmall initiative. She said climate disasters don't hit all communities equally, and that's real money behind a real point.
The gossip side is thin. This year's rows, like a viral photo of her feeding a cow in India while carrying a calfskin handbag, and Met Gala fan wars, are social-media noise from lower-grade outlets, and tabloid territory. The record is not a long one, and we found no harmful words, no slide into conspiracy theories and no dodgy company.