Claim: A picture of Rihanna and her newborn baby

Source: Viral image

Verdict: MISLEADING 

Researched by Gifty Tracy Aminu

A viral picture showing Barbadian singer, Robyn Rihanna Fenty, popularly known as Rihanna, holding a baby close to her chest, is being widely shared online and portrayed as a picture of the singer and her newly born baby.

This comes at a time when the famous singer and her lover, ASAP Rocky, are expecting to welcome their first child. The picture has been shared on social media platforms, including Twitter, and on Facebook.

A screengrab of a now-deleted Facebook post by TV3
A screengrab of a Tweet

 

Fact-Check

A Reverse Image Search conducted by GhanaFact shows that the picture first appeared on the internet on June 15, 2014, as shared by the singer on her verified Facebook page – with 102 million followers – with the  caption “Pinky and the brain.”

A screengrab of a Facebook post by Rihanna

The baby is identified as Majesty, the singer’s niece and this was reported by news platforms including Dailymail, and blogging platforms  (here and here).

However, the picture has resurfaced and is being circulated in countries including Nigeria, Dubai, South Africa, and Turkey, among others, after the news of the singer welcoming her first child broke on the internet.

The singer and her boyfriend are yet to make an official announcement about their newborn baby.

 

Verdict 

The viral image is being MISLEADINGLY portrayed.