Olivia Wilde has been forced to defend herself after being hit with backlash for making an 'inappropriate' comment about A$AP Rocky when he was filmed at the Super Bowl.
Fans of Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Athelaston Mayers, couldn't get enough of the couple when they were both seen at the sporting event on Sunday (12 February), where Rihanna revealed her second pregnancy while he cheered on from the crowd.
The rapper looked delighted as he watched his partner and mother of his children perform, using his phone to record the show before bursting into applause.
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Wilde was among those who showed her appreciation for Rocky after he was filmed at the event, though some fans of him and Rihanna weren't happy with the way the actor and director showed that appreciation.
Taking to Instagram, Wilde shared a video of Rocky watching Rihanna at the Super Bowl and wrote: "'If I thought he was hot before, this really put me over the edge."
She tagged the couple in the post and included a love heart emoji.
The comment didn't go down well, with fans branding Wilde 'inappropriate' and arguing there was no need for her to praise Rocky how she did.
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"A simple 'this is sweet' would’ve sufficed," one fan wrote, while another commented: "Who talks like that about another women’s man? she could have said literally anything else."
Wilde deleted the Story in the wake of the backlash, and has since uploaded another post to clarify that she had been attempting to appreciate Rocky for the way he supported Rihanna.
"For anyone who got it twisted... It's hot to respect your partner," she wrote, before going on to celebrate Rihanna's performance as she added: "Especially when your partner just did thaaaat."
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A number of Wilde's fans stuck up for the director after she was hit with criticism online, arguing people shouldn't assume she was attempting to be flirty with Rocky.
"Shame on you deliberately misunderstanding and reporting and spreading the misunderstanding to a herd of people willing to believe," wrote one person. "And if you honestly believe that’s what she meant maybe you need to stop just stop."
Rihanna and Rocky were confirmed to be dating in 2021, and the following year welcomed their first child, a baby boy, together.
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Rocky has previously described Rihanna as the love of his life, saying love is 'so much better when you got the One'.
Emily Brown