Inside Beyoncé and Rihanna’s secret feud: For first time, insiders tell of ‘betrayal’ that turned them into ‘frenemies’… and unmask the man who came between them

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Back in 2016, Rihanna mistakenly liked an Instagram post that was critical of Beyoncé, and a simple apology wouldn’t have been enough to fix things.

The performance also allowed the Barbadian singer to address the constant comparisons people were making between her and another pop star.

Rihanna expressed frustration with the idea of pitting Black women against each other, stating that they both deserve recognition. She said the Grammy Awards organization feels the same way. She also clarified she hadn’t seen a false claim circulating online that suggested her album, Anti, wasn’t nominated for a Grammy to benefit Beyoncé’s Lemonade album.

These two women seem like natural partners in the business world. Back in 2016, both were at the peak of their global popularity after long and successful careers. Now, as mothers, they’ve both built up impressive wealth through ventures beyond music – Rihanna with her Fenty Beauty and lingerie brands, and Beyoncé with her activewear, hair care line, and Champagne.

There hasn’t been much evidence of a close relationship between them. Beyond occasional photos taken at events, they’ve rarely spoken about each other publicly, never worked together, and haven’t been spotted spending time together outside of formal occasions.

Okay, so I’ve been following this for years, and finally, someone’s talking! Apparently, it’s been almost ten years since that whole Instagram drama, and the real story is… they used to be friends! Like, genuinely friendly. But now? Radio silence. Total ‘frenemies,’ someone told me. It’s just… heartbreaking, honestly. I always hoped they’d work things out, but it sounds like that’s not happening. I just needed to share because I’ve been obsessing over this for so long!

The primary reason for the falling out? A so-called betrayal of Beyoncé’s loyalty.

According to a source, Beyoncé used to see Rihanna as someone she could guide and mentor, though not like a younger sister. However, with Beyoncé now in her 40s and Rihanna in her late 30s, that dynamic has changed and they no longer have that mentor-mentee relationship.

It’s difficult to say exactly what happened, but Beyoncé highly values loyalty. She’s incredibly devoted to those who are devoted to her, and will stand by them no matter what. However, if you break her trust, she won’t forgive you. It seems Rihanna lost sight of that principle at some point.

A key issue seems to be Jason Lee, the founder of the often-controversial celebrity gossip site Hollywood Unlocked, and a close friend of Rihanna.

Lee says he met the singer near a party, and she remembered him as a dedicated fan of the reality show Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood, which made him well-known in 2005. He claims they communicate frequently now.

Recently, Lee, age 48, has publicly challenged Beyoncé, 44, and her husband, Jay-Z, 56, a prominent music executive, stating he possesses significant information about them.

Lee hasn’t said what the supposed information is or who it concerns. He’s hinted before that it involves Jay-Z, and even suggested Beyoncé might not know about it.

During his podcast in December 2023, he surprised his co-hosts by sharing something he’d hidden from the audience.

He didn’t want to say it, fearing it would cause a huge reaction online from Beyoncé’s fans.

He shared the information, though it was censored. This led one of his colleagues to wonder if Beyoncé was even aware of it.

Lee was speaking excitedly, insisting that Beyoncé was unaware of something, but her publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, was. He repeatedly stated he had proof to back up his claim, and believed he could get this information to Beyoncé if he could just reach her.

Lee also said that he has received endless ‘threatening’ calls as a result of his claims.

‘I stopped a major, major, MAJOR thing for Beyoncé. Didn’t even get a thank you,’ he said.

It’s not known exactly when Rihanna and Lee became friends, but reports suggest Beyoncé was upset by the connection. Apparently, Beyoncé feels hurt because she supported Rihanna early in her career.

People say Beyoncé advised music executive L.A. Reid, who was running Def Jam Records at the time (where Jay-Z was president), to choose Rihanna instead of Teairra Mari, even though Reid initially thought Mari had more potential to become a star.

In his memoir, Reid shared a story about Beyoncé, who approached him and playfully commented on Rihanna, calling her a ‘beast’.

Rihanna signed a record deal with Def Jam in 2005, but she eventually moved to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label.

According to a source, Beyoncé has consistently supported Rihanna privately and was disappointed by what some of her supporters considered a questionable decision.

Jason Lee has publicly criticized Beyoncé, and while he’s entitled to his opinion, Beyoncé is puzzled as to why Rihanna remains friends with him, considering all the support she and Jay-Z have given Rihanna over the years.

However, another source says Rihanna’s relationship with Beyoncé was always based on what each could gain, while she feels much more relaxed and herself around Lee.

Rihanna has a lot of trust in him, and they’re very close friends. They don’t always need to discuss work; their friendship is strong enough on its own, according to a source.

But it’s not just Lee. 

For years, there have been reports of unhappiness among top artists, reportedly starting with tension between Jay-Z and Rihanna at Roc Nation. Frustration also built up over the complicated rollout of Rihanna’s last album, Anti.

In January 2016, the album was accidentally released early on Jay-Z’s streaming service, Tidal. This quickly resulted in numerous illegal copies being shared online.

Tidal claimed it was an honest error, but Rihanna reportedly believes the situation was a deliberate publicity stunt. A source says this has made her hesitant to continue releasing music through Roc Nation.

Last year, rumors of a rivalry between Beyoncé and Rihanna began circulating after both singers launched their own haircare brands. The two haven’t been photographed together since 2017, adding fuel to the speculation.

Beyoncé’s stylist, Neal Farinah, appeared to subtly respond to Rihanna’s recent debut of her natural curly hair. He shared a video highlighting Beyoncé’s long, natural hair shortly after photos of Rihanna with her curls surfaced, sparking online conversation.

Beyoncé released her hair care line, Cécred, in February, and Rihanna followed with Fenty Hair in June. Interestingly, Rihanna actually applied to trademark Fenty Hair back in March 2021 – a year before Beyoncé filed for the Cécred trademark in June 2022.

So, has all love been lost? 

According to a source close to the situation, these two aren’t enemies, but they’re not exactly friends either – they’re ‘frenemies.’ There’s still affection between them, but their relationship is complicated. They’ll be polite if they happen to see each other, but they won’t actively seek each other out.

They didn’t have a dramatic breakup conversation where they explicitly ended things. They simply drifted apart and stopped communicating.

According to a source familiar with the situation, the two parties aren’t currently communicating, simply because there’s no need for them to do so.

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lee and Noel-Schure for comment.

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2025-12-12 23:51