Naomi Campbell responds to Rihanna feud rumors after viral New York Fashion Week video

‘I’m not about to let the world pitch two Black women against each other,’ the Fashion for Relief founder says

Naomi Campbell squashes feud rumors between her and Rihanna (Getty)

Naomi Campbell has responded to feud rumors surrounding her and Rihanna after a viral video from New York Fashion Week sparked speculation.

Speaking to The New York Times, the 54-year-old international supermodel squashed the riff rumors, noting how she wasn’t going to “let the world pitch two Black women against each other.”

“We are two women with two children, mothers,” she said about the 36-year-old “Diamonds” singer, in the article published September 21.

Campbell’s comments come after a viral video showed the two fashion moguls at the Alaïa spring 2025 show on September 6, as fans argued that Campbell and Rihanna “hated” each other.

In videos posted on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), the “Work” vocalist was seen walking into the show’s venue at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, notably the last guest to arrive.

Rihanna – who was dressed in a barely-there shimmery outfit, complete with a long shawl and strapless bodice – was filmed walking over to a greet a man sitting next to Campbell. The two embraced one another, as Campbell gazed up at Rihanna as if she were trying to catch her attention.

However, instead of hugging Campbell or Law Roach, who was seated on the other side of the British supermodel, Rihanna walked off to find her own seat, prompting internet viewers to assume she purposefully ignored both of them.

“Naomi Campbell and Rihanna really do hate each other,” one X user wrote, while another pointed out: “The way they were looking at her with awe or waiting for her acknowledgment.”

A third said: “That was cold. I felt the tension through my phone.”

To make matters worse, Campbell and Roach posted an Instagram video together after the fashion show, which people assumed to be throwing shade at the “Stay” artist. The two style icons followed suit with the “very demure, very mindful” trend, coined by influencer Jools Lebron, with sarcastic statement about “what they don’t do” at fashion shows.

“We don’t go to shows like the other girls,” Roach remarked. “We don’t come with our ta-tas out or our chi-chis out.”

Internet users believed that Campbell and Roach were subtly snubbing Rihanna’s barely-there look at the Alaïa presentation. “If y’all mad she ignored y’all just say that. Very cutesy,” one Instagram user commented.

A second said: “Oh you wanted Rihanna to acknowledge you so bad I get it.”

“Oh the shade, honey,” one man noted.

Most recently, Campbell has made headlines for her foundation, Fashion for Relief. A recent inquiry into the charity, founded in 2015, saw a mismanagement of funds – leading to Campbell’s subsequent disqualification from the board of trustees for five years.

The misconduct included the use of charity funds for personal expenses, like Campbell’s five-star hotel stay in Cannes, France, as well as cigarettes, spa treatments, and room service at the establishment.