Rihanna fired back at EJ Johnson with a single-word comment after the reality star publicly shaded her for tardiness at a Paris Fashion Week event.
The “Umbrella” singer, 38, simply wrote “Damn” in the comments section of a video showing Johnson, 34, being blocked from entering their Paris hotel after posing for paparazzi, according to the exchange that played out across social media this week.
Johnson, who uses they/them pronouns and first gained fame on “Rich Kids of Beverly Hills,” had taken to Instagram earlier to document their preparations for the Dior show. In a follow-up clip posted after the event, they gave followers a candid rundown that included a pointed remark about Rihanna’s arrival time.
“It did start an hour late because Rihanna was late and you know … we didn’t care to wait for her but the show was beautiful nonetheless,” they said in the video.
The two-day gap between Johnson’s original shade and Rihanna’s terse response allowed the tension to build across platforms, with the “Diamonds” singer choosing brevity over elaboration when she finally weighed in.
This was not Johnson’s first public critique of Rihanna’s fashion choices. Following the Met Gala 2026 in May, Johnson claimed the “big names” including Beyoncé, Rihanna and Kim Kardashian “fell short” with their looks that evening.
“It’s a very hard day — especially for me to say that about Rihanna because she’s been going through a lot but like let’s go back to Guo Pei and the yellow cape that was cascading down the stairs all those years ago,” Johnson said in an Instagram video, referencing the Fenty Beauty founder’s celebrated Met Gala 2015 look.
“I mean, it was bomb,” the nepo baby added.
Johnson has also drawn direct comparisons between their own purchases and Rihanna’s wardrobe. In another viral clip, they showed off a Bottega calf-skin cape they had bought.
“I think this is the one that Rihanna wore after the show,” the “Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” voice actor said.
“I think she wore the sample that came down the runway but I was actually the only person that bought it off the runway,” Johnson added.
The back-and-forth has generated significant online discourse, with additional videos of Johnson throwing shade at Rihanna surfacing after the initial headlines began circulating.
Representatives for both Rihanna and Johnson did not immediately respond to requests for comment when reached by outlets covering the developing story.