Shaquille O’Neal Has 4 Words for Critics of Rihanna’s Super Bowl Performance

Shaquille O’Neal just attacked the people who are against Rihanna’s performance at Super Bowl LVII. While appearing on his podcast The Big Podcast with Shaq featuring Nischelle Turner and Candace Parker, the NBA legend went after those who were bashing the halftime show in which Rihanna performed for 13 minutes. O’Neal said those people need to “shut the f— up!”

“She did a wonderful job,” he said, per TMZ Sports. “She’s pregnant. She blessed it. She didn’t fall. Just leave it there. All you superstars that’s disrespecting and causing beef … shut it up.”  O’Neal went on to say that if he was her boyfriend A$AP Rocky’s shoes, he would be defending her. “If she was my woman and I seen one of you superstars do that,” he stated, “I’m gonna have to get at you.” “Rappers. Presidential candidates. I’m gonna have to get at you. Leave her alone.”

There have been a few notable figures to call out Rihanna’s performance including former President Donald Trump. He wrote: “EPIC FAIL: Rihanna gave, without question, the single worst Halftime Show in Super Bowl history — This after insulting far more than half of our Nation, which is already in serious DECLINE, with her foul and insulting language. Also, so much for her ‘Stylist!’”

Another notable figure to blast the show is Goldberg who said on his “I thought Rihanna was frickin’ horrible. I was disgusted by it. That’s all. Let’s just say that. I thought it was horrible.” While Trump and Goldberg had a problem with the show, more people watched Rihanna in action than the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. It was reported Rihanna’s show brought in 118.7 million viewers while the game was seen by 113 million people. 

“It feels like it could have only been now,” Rihanna said before the performance, per CBS Sports. “I mean, when I first got the call to do it again this year, I was like ‘You sure? Like, I’m three months postpartum, should I be making major decisions like this right now? Like, I might regret this.’ When you become a mom there’s something that just happens where you feel like you can take on the world, you can do anything and the Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world, so as scary as that was because I haven’t been on stage in seven years, there’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all. It’s important for me to do this year. It’s important for representation. It’s important for my son to see that.”