Have Rihanna and ASAP Rocky split up? Cheating rumours explained - and who is Amina Muaddi

For celebrities, having thousands of people speculate over your private life is pretty much a given - especially those in high profile relationships, like Rihanna and ASAP Rocky.

After rumours regarding a potential pregnancy for the singer, it was finally revealed at the start of the year that yes, the two are expecting a baby together.

Questions about their relationship took a turn after cheating rumours began ciruclating online - however the person who originally spread the claim on Twitter has since apologised for the “dumb decision” to tweet about their relationship.

This is everything you need to know.

Have Rihanna and ASAP Rocky broken up?

Months after announcing her pregnancy with Rocky, rumours began circulating that Rihanna and the rapper split up.

The rumour was started by Louis Pisano (@LOUIS_via_ROMA on Twitter), a fashion influencer, who wrote in a now-deleted thread of tweets: “Rihanna & ASAP Rocky have split. Rihanna broke up with him after she caught him cheating with shoe designer Amina Muaddi.

“Amina was responsible for designing Fenty’s footwear offering and Rihanna is often seen in custom shoes from her own label.

“ASAP & Amin is not new though as she was seeing him years ago and also collaborated with him on a collection of shoes.

“Things apparently hit the fan at Craigs in LA.

“Allegedly this happened during Paris Fashion Week.”

Many Twitter detectives wasted no time in debunking the claims made regarding Rihanna and Rocky’s relationship, specifically in regards to the timing of their alleged breakup.

Two days prior to the tweets announcing their split, Rihanna posted on her Instagram account a picture of her wearing custom shoes designed by Muaddi. Muaddi also posted the photo of the singer wearing the shoes yesterday (Thursday 14 April) on her Instagram story.

It was claimed that the two split during Paris Fashion Week, which ran this year from 28 February to 8 March, which would have placed Rihanna as wearing the Muaddi shoes after she and Rocky supposedly broke up.

Looking at their respective Instagram accounts, Rihanna and Rocky both also still follow each other on the platform.

Pisano has since tweeted an update apologising for causing Rihanna and Rocky “unnecessary drama”.

They wrote: “Hi all, so I’d like to address the situation. Last night I made a dumb decision to tweet some information I had received. I’m not going to talk about sources, blame others for a discussion that was started, etc because at the end of the day I made the decision to draft that tweet, press send and put that out with my name on it.

“So I’d like to formally apologise to all parties I involved with my actions and for my reckless tweets.

“I full accept the consequences of my actions for my tweets and any harm they caused. I have no excuse for it, I’ve been way too wrapped up in Twitter drama and unfortunately leaned into being messy as a brand which is something going forward I’m going to move away from.

“I’m going to take some time away from Twitter to figure out what that looks like and how I can start using my platforms better as I’ve gotten away from using them for more poisitve work.

“Again I apologise to them for this unnecessary drama.”

Who is Amina Muaddi?

Muaddi is a Jordanian-Romanian fashion designer and shoemaker who has had her pieces worn by the likes of Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, and Bella and Gigi Hadid.

Talking to Vogue in 2020, Muaddi said: “By the time I was nine, I was determined to work in the fashion industry.

“I was constantly reading magazines and asking my mum how I could get a job in fashion. Obviously, she had no idea.

“We were living in Jordan and then Romania, and it wasn’t the most open environment. Still, my interests began there.”

Muaddi ended up moving to Italy where she enrolled in the European Institute of Design in Milan.

“When I was in university, literally all my money would go into shoes,” Muaddi said. “Clearly it was an obsession.

“I think my interest stemmed from [the fact] that shoes are sculptural; they’re objects.

“You can put them on display on a table or shelf, and they’ll look good, but they’re most special when you try them on because they can impact your attitude.”

In 2013, Muaddi co-founded her own label, Oscar Tiye, but previously she worked as an assistant stylist for Conde Nast, Vogue Italy, L’Uomo Vogue and GQ Magazine in New York.

In 2017, Muaddi left the Oscar Tiye label to launch her own footwear brand, and in 2018 she was commissioned by Rihanna to design footwear for the singer’s Fenty brand, with their first collection together launched in 2020. In December 2020, Muaddi also collaborated with Rocky on a collection.

Also in 2020, Muaddi was selected as a member of the jury for the Vogue Fashion Prize.

Have Rihanna and ASAP Rocky addressed the rumours?

Neither Rihanna or Rocky have addressed the rumours head on, however multiple sources have confirmed in statements to TMZ and Page Six that the cheating claims are fake.

One source said that the cheating rumours and breakup claims are “100% false on both counts, one milion percent not true” and that the couple are “fine”.

Muaddi addressed the rumours on a statement that was posted to her Instagram story.

She wrote: “I’ve always believed that an unfounded lie spread on social media doesn’t deserve any response or clarification, especially one that is so vile.

“I initially assumed that this fake gossip - fabricated with such malicious intent - would not be taken seriously.

“However in the last 24h I’ve been reminded that we live in a society that is so quick to speak on topics regardless of factual basis and that nothing is off limits. Not even during what should be one of the most beautiful and celebrated times in one’s life.

“Therefore I have to speak up as this is not only directed toward me but it is related to people I have a great amount of respect and affection for.

“While Rih is continuing to live her serene, best dressed pregnancy life and I got back to my business - I wish everyone a beautiful Easter weekend!”

What has Rihanna said about their relationship?

Rihanna spoke about her relationship with Rocky very recently in an interview for the cover of Vogue which was published on Tuesday (12 April).

She said: “People don’t get out of the friend zone very easily with me.

“And I certainly took a while to get over how much I know him and how much he knows me, because we also know how much trouble we can land each other in.”

Rihanna reflected on when she and Rocky had their first encounter at the VMAs in 2012, when the rapper joined her for a performance of her single Cockiness.

Part way through the set, Rocky made a move on Rihanna that had not been part of the plan.

She said: “He grabbed my ass on stage. That was not part of the rehearsal!

“I was like, “What are you doing?!”

“My manager was like, “Oh, god, she must like this guy a little bit. She never let this s**t slide”.”

It was when the whole world went into lockdown over the Covid-19 pandemic that their relationship got serious, with the singer saying that  “[Rocky] became my family in that time”.

Rihanna added: “I just feel like I can do any part of life by his side.”

When asked what it is she loves most about their relationship, she replied: “Transparency with everything: how we’re feeling, what our goals are, what our fears and insecurities are. The vulnerability to be able to say what you feel about each other.”

The singer also talked about her pregnancy in the profile, explaining that she and Rocky wouldn’t say they were planning to have a baby - but they also weren’t “planning against it” either.

She said: “I don’t know when I ovulate or any of that type of s**t. We just had fun.

“And then it was just there on the test. I didn’t waste any time. I called him inside and showed him. Then I was in the doctor’s office the next morning and our journey began.”