Summary
- Rihanna had a difficult childhood due to her dad's personal issues with alcohol, but her talent and love for music helped her and her mom escape poverty.
- Even though she had an imaginary friend as a child, Rihanna's encounter with danger occurred when she flung the car door open while moving on the highway.
- Despite her past struggles, Rihanna has achieved remarkable success in the entertainment industry and remains passionate about pursuing different ventures alongside her music.
She may not be an open book, but there are certain things that Rihanna does share with her fans and followers. Through various interviews over the years, fans have learned about Rihanna's relationships, her early life in Barbados, and her rise to fame. She shares anecdotes about her family, and is still very close with her mom. She also returns to Barbados often to visit.
Although she does keep parts of her motherhood under wraps (like keeping mum about her babies' names for a bit), Rihanna isn't afraid to open up, even if she's sharing embarrassing stories about her childhood or trauma stemming from her abusive father. When she sat down with co-star Jim Parsons for interviews while they worked on a movie together, Rihanna opened up about an experience she had as a child that went from normal kid stuff to life-threatening very fast.
Rihanna Didn't Have A Great Childhood
Though she has mad love for her mom, Rihanna has shared details about her troubled childhood and how her family struggled with her dad's personal issues related to alcohol.
She also shared that she had a tough time in school, being bullied for her body and her looks; ultimately, music was her escape and helped her lift her and her mom out of poverty. It started with her winning a talent show in high school, which then led to starting a girl group.
That led to Rihanna being noticed by a record label.
Yet in some ways, Rihanna had something of a normal childhood, at least for a while. She has shared stories about sneaking out of the house as a teen, being a tomboy, and having good friends who always had her back.
Sadly, her normal childhood experience also turned dangerous once, but Rihanna's mom saved the day.
Rihanna Had 'Imaginary Friends' As A Kid (And Things Got Dangerous)
While she was working on Home with Jim Parsons, Rihanna did a ton of press. The film was more or less glossed over by the public, not earning great reviews at the box office, but the experience brought together two of Hollywood's most unlikely stars.
After doing all that press, Jim and Rihanna might not be close anymore, but the two learned a lot about each other during the experience. Fans got to learn a lot about both stars, too, including during a game of "Never Have I Ever" inspired by Home.
Both Jim and Rihanna admitted they weren't sure whether they believed in aliens, answered yes that they had been on road trips, and confessed to having snuck out of their respective houses as young adults.
One question that Jim answered no to turned interesting when Rihanna shared her story. The question was whether either of them had ever had an imaginary friend. Jim said no, but Rihanna said sort of.
Her story involved imagining not a pretend friend, but a group of tiny green men. Her explanation (especially after the alien question) for the tiny green men was that her brother had some toy soldiers that were tiny and green.
Either way, Rihanna imagined these little guys talking to her while she and her mom were in the car. She was talking to the tiny green men and was about to open the door of the car expecting to "be in another world somehow."
Saying goodbye to the little green men—and saying she'd be right back—Rihanna said she flung the car door open while they were moving and on the highway.
Rihanna's mom reached back and slammed the door before the unthinkable happened, and fortunately, that was Rihanna's only encounter with an imaginary friend (or perhaps a foe).
Given Rihanna's Childhood, She's Lucky To Be Where She Is Today
Jim pointed out that "we're lucky she's here," especially because Rihanna's reckless playdate with her imaginary pals occurred when she was four years old. She concluded by saying that it's "not safe to have an imaginary friend," but of course, that wasn't the only time Rihanna experienced anything dangerous.
She's not fearless by any means, though, and has admitted to feeling nervous before shows. She also picked up something of a bad habit to help her cope with backstage nerves, but that doesn't mean Rihanna has slowed down any.
Now that she's a mom of two, Rihanna might be doing different things with her life and career, but if her Super Bowl performance was any indication, she's not ready to leave the entertainment industry just yet.
She did step down as Savage X Fenty CEO but has remained involved with the brand and her other ventures. Fans are still waiting for more music from the songstress, but Rihanna's not afraid to bite back when anyone criticizes her for pursuing other passions and putting music on the back burner.
