It shouldn't come as a surprise that those who've actually gotten to date the irresistible
Rihanna would want to tell the whole world about it.
From the supportive to the outright unrequited and totally awkward, Rihanna's exes have a
lot to say.
While a lot of Rihanna's exes are fellow celebrities, her alleged first love, Negus Sealy, isn't
in the entertainment industry.
The "Stay" songstress briefly dated him before she became famous after meeting him at a party
when she was just 15 and still living in her native Barbados.
Sealy recalled to Daily Mail:
"I guess we pretty much took to each other's character, and it was just cool ever since then.
We would just chill and have a good time.
We go to the beach, party, just basic socializing."
Rihanna eventually left for the U.S. to launch her career, but Sealy has nothing but good
things to say about the star, gushing:
"She's absolutely amazing and gorgeous.
I am so lucky to have spent so much time with her and will always consider her to be a closer
personal friend."
The two apparently did remain friends throughout the years, even hanging out when Rihanna went
home to Barbados in 2011.
That's when they were spotted seductively dancing together at a Carnival celebration.
Yet Sealy said they were nothing more than friends, explaining that Rihanna just doesn’t
have the time for any serious relationships.
“This is what I call a Prom date.
Are we going the whole d–?”
“Okay, okay.
A lot of Rihanna fans may’ve forgotten that the "We Found Love" singer had briefly dated
"American Honey" star Shia LaBeouf around 2007.
The pair sparked romance rumors after they were spotted dining together at a restaurant
in Beverly Hills that summer.
While talks of their fling went on to die down, LaBeouf revealed what really happened
between them two years later when speaking to Playboy about their extremely short-lived date.
He shared that it was Rihanna who had made the first move by texting him, recalling to MTV:
"[I was] filming a sword fight when I got the message.
I said, 'Can this be my life?'"
The two eventually decided to meet up in person for a real date which, from what we can infer,
was most likely when they were seen eating out together in Beverly Hills.
Despite LaBeouf's obvious excitement, it didn't work out in the end.
He explained to MTV:
"It never got beyond one date.
The spark wasn't there.
We weren't passionate about each other in that way, so we remain friends."
Rihanna and professional baseball player Matt Kemp seemed to have had a hot and heavy romance
back in 2010.
Rumors began swirling that the two were an item after they were spotted together on New
Year's Eve but they were pretty much confirmed soon after when the two were photographed
getting touchy-feely in Mexico.
Rihanna even told Elle that year that she was smitten, gushing:
"I have a boyfriend.
I'm so happy.
I feel really comfortable, and it's so easy."
Kemp was just as open when talking about Rihanna, telling Us Weekly,
"That's my girl!
She's just a fun person.
I love to be around her."
Of course, Rihanna's busy touring schedule then and Kemp's travel with baseball had to
make spending time together difficult.
When asked if she goes to his baseball games, Kemp hinted that was an issue too, saying:
"She's definitely not gonna be here for a little while.
Hopefully, when she gets back, she'll be at a couple [more] games."
It appeared Kemp didn't mind their long-distance relationship, though, since he clarified to
Us Weekly that he considered her a, quote, “great person” in his life and showed
no signs of not being happy being her plus one.
However, it must have gotten to him eventually because they split months later.
A source explained to Us Weekly:
"He just can't keep up with her crazy travel schedule.
Matt's sick of always following after her like a puppy dog all over the world."
You could say that Rihanna's 2014 courtship with Real Madrid soccer player, Karim Benzema,
began with them flirting over Twitter.
Rihanna may have been watching one of his games when she tweeted:
"@Benzema I feel your pain right now!"
He definitely took notice that the SAVAGE X FENTY founder had reach ed out to him and responded:
"@Rihanna No Pain, no gain, thanks for the support!"
That was one of the last things Benzema said about the "Diamonds" singer publicly, but
Us Weekly reported that the two did go on to date a year later in June 2015 after they
were spotted on a breakfast date together in New York City.
However, a source dished it was nothing more than a fling, saying:
"They're definitely hooking up.”
While another source claimed:
“She’s not officially dating him.”
Yet, a month later, E! reported that they were a couple and that it worked because Benzema
understood that Rihanna had a busy career and was willing to take things slow.
Whatever Rihanna and Benzema were doing apparently came to an end in 2017, though.
A source close to him told the Spanish newspaper Don Balon Rosa that Rihanna didn’t want
to hurt his feelings and admitted that she’d quote, “always love Chris Brown.”
Regardless of what the reason was, Benzema was apparently over being asked about Rihanna
in 2022 since, per the Daily Star, he told reporters:
"I don't follow her on Instagram, I don't follow her."
It appears that Rihanna may have kept things super casual when it came to her reported
fling with Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton back in 2015.
He was photographed with the "Love on the Brain" singer in her native Barbados celebrating Carnival.
Days later, they were still by each other's side — but in New York City, where Page
Six reported that they were seen canoodling at a nightclub.
While Hamilton's rep unsurprisingly claimed that the pair were quote, "just friends" at
the time, a source close to Rihanna hinted that they were actually more than friends
but nothing that serious since she was just dating and not putting labels on anyone.
Hamilton, however, might not have liked that she was still talking to other people or just
wanted to downplay what was becoming a high-profile romance since he himself told E!,
"You know, I've known Ri for a long time.
We've been friends for a while.
We get to hang out every now and again."
It may come as a surprise to some fans that Rihanna briefly dated Travis Scott in 2015
before his highly publicized relationship with Kylie Jenner.
But just like how he seemingly was with the Kylie Cosmetics founder in the past, Scott
didn't want their relationship too public.
When Lawrence Schlossman, an interviewer for Complex, asked the "Sicko Mode" singer about
his romance with Rihanna, Scott responded:
“[Don't] do [me] like that, man."
However, Schlossman pointed out that Scott had skipped out on their scheduled interview
the night before to "hole up" in a hotel room with Rihanna instead.
While Scott didn't want to divulge too much about the "Work" singer, he was willing to
compliment her when asked to describe her in three words.
He called her "creative," "inspiring," and a "muse."
Rihanna and Scott's relationship didn't last long, though, with Schlossman blaming the
fact that the couple didn't like their dalliance being revealed to the world in Complex.
Yet it's worth mentioning that TMZ had published photos of them legit making out at New York
Fashion Week around that time too.
Regardless, Schlossman explained on the "Throwing Fits" podcast that it was Scott, in particular,
who was vocal with his annoyance about his and Rihanna's relationship being exposed,
saying:
"Apparently, for the next couple of years, he would complain about that.
It's because Rihanna's like, 'Don't tell anyone that I'm smashing Travis Scott, please.'”
“That might have been one I took to the club.”
Perhaps the most outspoken of Rihanna's exes was Drake, since he's seemingly been talking
about the "Rude Boy" singer ever since they were first linked back in 2009.
Their relationship quickly went south though, with Drake telling The New York Times that
next year that she basically used him, saying:
"I was a pawn."
He reiterated that his feelings were hurt to Elle too, sharing that he thought there
was more between them.
Drake and Rihanna eventually made up and collaborated on music, releasing several songs together
in the years that followed.
Drake made it known he still had a crush in interviews.
But it's safe to say that when Drake presented her with an award at the VMAs in 2016, that
reaction got the most attention.
He openly gushed about her in front of everyone, saying:
"She's someone I've been in love with since I was 22 years old.
I've looked up to her even though she's younger than me.
She's a living breathing legend in our industry."
The pair continued to date after that.
Yet by 2018, Rihanna told Vogue that they were over and that she didn't necessarily
love his VMAs speech ... or any of her exes talking about her for that matter.
That's because she dished:
"I don't like too many compliments; I don't like to be put on blast."
Chris Brown is probably Rihanna's most famous ex, and not for a good reason.
The "Umbrella" singer had started dating Brown in 2008 but broke up after he was arrested
that next year for brutally assaulting her.
He later admitted in his documentary, "Chris Brown: Welcome to My Life”:
"From there it just went downhill because you know it would be fight to be verbal fights,
physical fights, as well."
He explained that their relationship was already volatile at the time because he had cheated.
The couple somehow got back together briefly in 2012, with Rihanna admitting to Vanity
Fair that she felt she had to protect him.
By 2013 they were over for good, though, but that time, they appeared to end things on
good terms.
Brown even told the "Kyle and Jackie Show”:
"I mean, at the end of the day, shawty doing her own thang, she on the road.
It's always gonna be love."
Brown appears to have meant it, too, considering that he's been vocal about his support for
Rihanna over the years despite their breakup.
He's not only commented on her Instagram posts but seemingly congratulated her on her first
pregnancy in his own Instagram Story.
It looked like Brown was proud of Rihanna's Super Bowl performance too, writing on Instagram
Story "GO GIRL," with a red heart and praying-hands emojis.