Rihanna Drops One-Word Reaction After EJ Johnson Calls Out Her Lateness

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Rihanna’s Paris Fashion Week appearance has sparked a playful social media back-and-forth after EJ Johnson called out her late arrival at the Christian Dior show. 

The singer, already making headlines for her fashion-week appearances, responded with a single word after a video surfaced showing Johnson in an awkward moment of their own. 

The exchange also revived Johnson’s earlier fashion criticism of the singer, including remarks about one of her most celebrated Met Gala looks.

Rihanna Responds After EJ Johnson Calls Out Her Dior Delay

Rihanna’s Paris Fashion Week appearance became a talking point after EJ Johnson claimed the Dior show started an hour late because of the Grammy winner. 

Johnson shared the behind-the-scenes update on Instagram after attending the September 29 runway presentation.

“We just left the Dior show. Getting out of there was crazy, but the show itself was beautiful. It did start an hour late because Rihanna was late. We didn’t care to wait for her, but the show was beautiful nonetheless,” they said.

The comment might have ended there, but Rihanna later encountered a video of Johnson being blocked from entering their Paris hotel after posing for photographers outside.

The singer responded in the comments with one word: “Damn.”

Rihanna Had Already Been Making Headlines For Fashion Week Tardiness

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Rihanna arrived at Dior in an all-black look consisting of a spaghetti-strap dress, jacket and heels, paired with sunglasses, layered silver jewelry and her dark brown curls styled into an updo.

However, the Dior delay was not the only Paris Fashion Week timing issue involving Rihanna. The day before the Dior presentation, the 38-year-old attended the Matières Fécales Spring 2027 show, where Harper’s Bazaar reported that she was also an hour late.

That delay pushed back the runway presentation. At Dior, however, Rihanna remained a major presence once she arrived. 

She was photographed during a photocall before taking her seat for the show, where she watched the collection alongside other fashion-world figures.

Johnson Says Rihanna, Beyoncé And Kim Kardashian Fell Short At The 2026 Met Gala

The Dior comments were not the first time Johnson had something to say about Rihanna’s fashion choices. 

In May, the television personality delivered a much harsher verdict on the 2026 Met Gala, placing Rihanna alongside Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian among the night’s biggest names who, in their view, failed to make an impact.

In a reel shared on Instagram, Johnson called the Met Gala “the graveyard,” describing the looks as “awful on awful and awful, and then a little more awful.”

The fashion personality then focused on the event’s biggest celebrities. “You have all the heavy hitters, Beyoncé and Rihanna and Kim and they all fell short,” Johnson said.

Johnson did single out Emma Chamberlain as the standout of the evening, praising her custom vintage-inspired Mugler look. “The only one who came to work was Emma Chamberlain, honey,” they said.

Rihanna received a more complicated critique. Johnson acknowledged that the “Diamond” singer had “been going through a lot,” before comparing her 2026 appearance with her celebrated 2015 Met Gala look in the yellow Guo Pei cape.

“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.

More From The Blast

• Rihanna recently opened up about her post-baby body while taking over Paris Fashion Week.
• Rihanna’s 2026 Met Gala appearance became part of viral speculation involving Tyla and a perceived celebrity snub.
• Rihanna previously reunited with Ciara at the Met Gala years after their infamous social-media feud.
• The singer had another viral hotel moment after an uncomfortable exit prompted a sharp one-line reaction.
• Rihanna and A$AP Rocky previously stepped out in Paris with their family following a frightening incident at home.

Johnson Once Called Rihanna One Of His Biggest Fashion Icons

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Johnson’s assessment of Rihanna’s Met Gala look stood in sharp contrast to how they once described the icon’s influence on their own style. 

In a 2015 Teen Vogue interview, Johnson was asked about their fashion muses and immediately named Rihanna. “I love Rihanna all day, every day,” Johnson revealed.

At the time, the 34-year-old was building a reputation for bold fashion through “Rich Kids of Beverly Hills” and their own fashion and lifestyle blog. 

They described their personal style as “high glamour,” while also enjoying avant-garde and downtown-edgy pieces.

Johnson explained that moving to New York for college greatly affected their approach to clothing. “People were just always to the nines and giving looks,” they said.

Their interest in fashion also had family roots. Johnson credited their mother, Cookie, with teaching them and their sister Elisa how to dress and put outfits together.

Johnson Attended Rihanna’s Diamond Ball Before Their Fashion Critiques

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Johnson’s connection to Rihanna extended beyond admiring her clothes. In December 2015, they attended Rihanna’s second annual Diamond Ball at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, an event Rihanna hosted in support of her Clara Lionel Foundation.

Johnson was photographed among the celebrity guests at the December 10 event, which brought together Rihanna’s friends, fellow entertainers and members of her wider circle.

The evening included appearances from Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Kylie Jenner, Tyga, Emily Ratajkowski, Zendaya, Justine Skye and others. Rihanna was joined by her family, including her cousin Majesty.

The Diamond Ball is a major fundraising event for the Clara Lionel Foundation, the nonprofit Rihanna founded in honor of her grandparents. 

The organization supports education and emergency-response initiatives worldwide.

The Rihanna Drops One-Word Reaction After EJ Johnson Calls Out Her Lateness first appeared on The Blast