Rihanna lauded for refusing to shade Britney Spears in resurfaced interview: 'What a classy response'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A resurfaced clip of Rihanna is making waves online. It showcases a moment when she refused to join the media's pile-on against Britney Spears.

The old MTV interview, shared on social media this week, highlights how the singer shut down an attempt to mock Britney during one of the most difficult times in the pop icon’s life, as reported by Buzzfeed.

Rihanna refuses to shade Britney Spears 

In the clip, the interviewer mentions that Rihanna had been called “the next Britney Spears,” a comment that prompted groans from the audience. He then doubled down, adding, “Six years ago, that would have been a really nice compliment… Now? I don’t know, not so much.”

Without missing a beat, Rihanna flipped the narrative. She responded, “People always seem to forget all the great things that people achieve. She has accomplished so much, she’s an incredible dancer, singer, she makes great hits. People always look at the negative things, so that’s a compliment, I’ll take it.”

The crowd quickly changed its tune, erupting into cheers. One X user, who posted the clip, captioned it, “Look at how fast everyone switched up when they realized Rihanna didn’t like the Britney shade,” a reaction that has since gone viral.

Rihanna’s response is now being compared to Beyonce, who also declined to comment on Britney in a 2007 '60 Minutes Australia' interview.

Fans applaud Rihanna for refusing to speak negatively about Britney Spears in old clip

Rihanna is earning praise for a resurfaced interview where she gracefully refused to shade Britney Spears despite a TV presenter’s attempts. Fans are celebrating her unwavering support, noting how the media back then often tried to pit women against each other.

One user wrote, “Rihanna always been on the right side of history,” while another noted, “Black women were so nice to Britney! It’s also kinda crazy how much the media added to it. They were HUNTING for women to dog pile on her.”

Others pointed out how Rihanna’s response reflected her character, with one person saying, “They were brutal with Britney and I’ll always hate the media for that. She was like 21 at this point, so her response says a lot about her as a young woman. Love her down.”

Fans also applauded Rihanna for staying true to herself, with one comment reading, “She’s always defended Britney when it mattered. When you don’t put down your peers, you actually climb higher, and that’s exactly why Rihanna is still relevant and an icon.”

Another commented, “OH RIRI THE QUEEN THAT YOU ARE”

“I've always loved how awesome Rihanna is and she is absolutely right about people overlooking positive achievements and only focusing on stuff they can hate on,” one user said.

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