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Fact check: Viral photos of seemingly pregnant Rihanna are doctored and outdated

The claim: Photos show Rhianna is pregnant

On Sept. 13 singer and fashion mogul Rihanna attended the Met Gala in an oversize black ensemble. Some saw the star’s outfit choice as evidence of unconfirmed and reoccurring pregnancy rumors.

Online, social media users are resurrecting a set of doctored photos to support the pregnancy rumors. The old photos show the star in a tight black dress, black purse and heels. Her silhouette in the tight dress makes it appear she is pregnant.

One Sept. 14 Facebook post with the images congratulated the singer. It garnered more than 43,000 shares by Sept. 20.

However, a reverse image search shows the photos were taken several years ago and altered to appear as if the star was expecting.

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The Facebook user did not respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.

Photos are old and altered

Nearly identical images of Rihanna in that same outfit have been posted to various celebrity and fashion blogs with the description that they were taken outside of Giorgio Baldi in April 2014. Giorgio Baldi is a high-end Italian restaurant in Los Angeles the star has been known to frequent.

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Several other unaltered images of the star that were taken from different angles show she was not visibly pregnant. A reverse image search shows the altered versions of these images have spread online since as early as 2019.

Recent photos, including some from the star’s Met Gala afterparty, show she does not appear to be pregnant.

As of Sept. 20, neither Rihanna nor her boyfriend, rapper A$AP Rocky, had publicly announced they were expecting a child.

In a May 2020 interview with British Vogue, Rihanna discussed planning to one day have children. There is no evidence she has had any children yet.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky attend The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City.
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky attend The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City.

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Rihanna’s publicist did not respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.

Our rating: Altered

Based on our research, we rate ALTERED several photos that appear to show that Rhianna is pregnant. According to several fashion blogs, the photos were taken in April 2014 as the star visited a Los Angeles restaurant. Unaltered images from the same night show Rihanna with no obvious signs of pregnancy. The star has not recently announced a pregnancy.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Photos altered to make it appear as if Rihanna is pregnant