On January 17th, 2020, it was reported that Rihanna split from her billionaire Saudi boyfriend,
Hassan Jameel, after nearly three years.
During that time, these two kept their relationship private, but it seemed like it was destined
to last.
Here are some of the possible reasons why Rihanna and Hassan Jameel broke up.
In June 2019, Rihanna chatted with Ocean's 8 co-star Sarah Paulson for Interview magazine
and opened up for the first - and only - time about her relationship with Jameel.
Without mentioning him by name, the "Love on the Brain" singer gave insight into where
she was on the idea of love and potentially starting a family.
When Paulson asked who she was dating at the time, Rihanna simply told Paulson to "Google
it."
She admitted to being in love, and once the topic of marriage came up, she said,
"Only God knows that, girl.
We plan and God laughs, right?"
When asked if she wanted children, Rihanna admitted,
"More than anything in life."
Maybe Jameel wasn't on board with that?
Or perhaps the longtime couple's breakup was due to a personality issue.
A source cited by Us Weekly in September 2019 revealed,
"[Rihanna and Jameel are] so different, but it works for them."
Rihanna went on to tell Paulson about the specific changes in her life she'd made in
the past few years - particularly taking time for herself.
She explained,
"If you're not happy, you're not going to be happy even doing things that you love doing.
It'd feel like a chore.
I never want work to feel like a chore.
My career is my purpose, and it should never feel like anything other than a happy place.
I got into a new relationship, and it matters to me.
It was like, 'I need to make time for this.'"
While her cosmetics brand, Fenty Beauty, has quickly become a formidable, game-changing
force in the market, Rihanna hasn't released an album since 2016 - and her fans have been
growing impatient.
Previously confirming a 2019 release date, the singer dropped hints about her new album
to Vogue, saying that it's, quote, "reggae-inspired or reggae-infused."
But 2019 came and went with no new Rihanna album.
Did Rihanna's relationship with Jameel start feeling like a chore?
Or maybe he came between her and her music.
Whenever Rihanna is single, Drake seems to appear.
It's inevitable.
Here's what Rihanna told Vogue about her complicated relationship with the Canadian rapper in 2018:
"We don't have a friendship now, but we're not enemies either.
It is what it is."
Well, that didn't necessarily sound good.
However, flash forward to October 2019, when Rihanna showed up at Drake's 33rd birthday
party.
A source claimed to E! News,
"Rihanna made an appearance and stayed for several hours.
She was with two girlfriends and was escorted to Drake's table by security.
Her and Drake were talking for a while and were smiling and laughing.
It seemed like a very pleasant interaction and they looked like they were having fun
together as friends."
According to The Shade Room, Drake reportedly pulled the most Drake move by having McDonald's
delivered to the club for Rihanna.
This party led many to believe there might have been a rekindling romance happening between
the two - but not so fast.
Another insider told Hollywood Life at the time,
"Rihanna is in such a great place with Hassan right now.
And she's at a point in her life where she doesn't want to hold on to any past grudges
or negative feelings she may have had about any of her exes."
Sorry, Drake.
Although he shares a child and has sparked wedding rumors with Ammika Harris, Rihanna's
ex Chris Brown has reportedly struggled with the news that Rihanna is newly single.
A source claimed to Hollywood Life,
"It's bad timing, to say the least because he's in such a good place with Ammika.
They're trying to see where things could go with them, and throwing Rihanna into the mix
is going to end any chance of that working out.
[...] Rihanna is [Chris'] first love, in a lot of ways, it would be a dream come true
for him to get her back."
You're probably thinking Brown shouldn't hold his breath, right?
Well, the source agreed, saying,
"That ship has sailed and everyone is hoping Chris is smart enough to realize that."
But it wasn't just her January 2020 breakup that allegedly made Brown think about Rihanna
again - it may also be the time of year.
The insider explained,
"We are getting close to the Grammys and that is when the incident between the two happened.
So he always takes this time to reflect on himself and see how much he has changed."
When the news of Rihanna's split from Jameel broke, Twitter had a field day - as usual.
So, if you're feeling sad about RiRi's single status, here are some of the more hilarious
takes on this celeb breakup.
One user tweeted,
"Rihanna if you are reading this I'm free on Thursday night and would like to hang out
please respond to this and hang out with me on Thursday night when i am free."
Meanwhile, fans who'd patiently awaited the release of Rihanna's first album in years
couldn't help but jokingly share their hopes that a breakup record was on the horizon.
One fan wrote,
"Rihanna's first single from her long awaited album is Herself, I Stan."
Another quipped,
"Rihanna finally drop that single y'all been waiting for."
Meanwhile, one Twitter user jokingly gave credit to Rihanna's billionaire ex, saying,
"Hassan Jameel is taking one for the entire team by breaking up with Rihanna so she can
channel the heartbreak energy into an album.
A man."
"What?
Don't you say that ever again."
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