When Rihanna told Interview Magazine she's killing the haters silently these days, it didn't come as much of a surprise. With a long history of memorable quips, the unapologetic Bad Gyal had a time shutting down anyone who sent shady energy her way on social media, especially during her rockstar era. Her Internet footprint is nothing short of legendary. However, the clapback queen has put her crown away — or at least has been on hiatus from her throne for a little while. Unlike her younger self, she now selectively uses her handles to share moments of her beautiful family, promote her brands and amaze fans with stunning editorial photoshoots instead of responding to haters.
Though Rihanna is less concerned with setting the record straight on X and Instagram nowadays, her famous lines — like 2011's "Good luck with booking that stage you speak of" — belong in a savage Hall of Fame created just for her. In no particular order, here are 12 of RiRi’s most legendary clapbacks that made everyone on the internet collectively gasp.
1. Ciara
Ciara and Rihanna exchanged words after the "Goodies" singer mentioned her on an episode of E!’s “Fashion Police” in 2011, sharing that Ri "wasn’t the nicest" when they ran into each other at a party. The Bajan singer took to Twitter to address the comment, resulting in a sharp back-and-forth and her iconic jab about a lack of demand for Ciara's performances. Despite Rihanna's scathing retort, the feud didn't last more than a day.
2. Piers Morgan
When Piers Morgan suggested that the multihyphenate should "grow her hair back... fast" in a 2012 tweet, Rihanna dismissed the British TV personality's unsolicited opinions in just four cutting words. There wasn't much left to say after that.
3. MTV
The superstar couldn't have cared less about MTV's criticism of photos that showed her rolling a joint on a bodyguard's shoulders at Coachella in 2012. How do we know? Well, she told them. The network tweeted a link to the pictures, writing, “Yikes. @Rihanna’s marijuana photos from Coachella spark controversy" to which she replied, “@MTV Yikes… @rihanna ran out of f**ks to give.”
4. Amanda Bynes
In 2013, Amanda Bynes targeted Rihanna with a hateful and outlandish Twitter rant. The actress callously referenced the Chris Brown incident and attacked the “Diamonds” singer’s looks, among other unsettling remarks. What was RiRi’s reply? A straightforward tweet that needed no explanation: "Ya see what happens when they cancel ‘Intervention’?"
5. TLC
Out with modesty, in with covering your breasts in Swarovski crystals. At least that was Rihanna's attitude toward critics who weren't fond of her glamorous, free-the-nipple moment at the 2014 CFDA Fashion Awards. Among those who couldn't get with the gown were two members of the ’90s R&B group TLC: T-Boz and Chilli.
“Every time I see [Rihanna], [she doesn’t] have to be naked,” T-Boz said on “Sunrise Australia.” “We sold and became the biggest selling girl group of all time with our clothes on. That says a lot. It's easy to sell sex.”
The award-winning icon wasn't here for it. The day after the interview was released, RiRi tweeted a picture with her tongue out alongside the caption, "When there's no changing the fact that I'm me, and they're well... they're them." It wouldn't be a legendary moment if things just ended there. Rihanna also changed her profile header to a risqué photo of TLC that proved T-Boz's comments to be hypocritical.
6. Teyana Taylor
Teyana Taylor and the Fenty Beauty founder had a heated exchange online when Ri posted a video seemingly mocking Taylor's Instagram cover of Anita Baker's "Caught Up In the Rapture." The artist didn’t take it lightly and responded with a series of since-deleted cutthroat tweets. The two engaged in a battle of bank accounts, and things escalated quickly when Taylor changed her profile header to a picture of Rihanna's injured face after the altercation with Brown.
7. Celebuzz
The famed singer’s clapbacks make it clear that she’s uninterested in opinions on her appearance. When Celebuzz suggested the star "class it up and put some clothes on," she gave them a raunchy piece of her mind and perhaps one of her best responses yet.
8. Kendall Jenner
In 2013, Kendall Jenner mentioned Rihanna on Twitter to let her know she would be "very upset" if the star didn't perform her favorite song at a concert. In a now-deleted reply, Rihanna cheekily informed Jenner that instead of making demands, she could opt not to attend.
9. Barstool Sports
When Barstool Sports wrote a since-deleted blog titled “Is Rihanna Going to Make Being Fat the Hot New Trend?" the icon slammed the body-shaming story with an assist from Gucci Mane. She posted a comparison photo of the “Freaky Gurl” rapper to Instagram with the caption, “If you can’t handle me at my 2007 Gucci Mane, you don’t deserve me at my 2017 Gucci Mane.”
10. Matt Barnes
Rumor has it that former NBA player Matt Barnes went on a few dates with Rihanna in 2015, and when TMZ cornered him to ask about their relationship status, the songstress felt the basketball player was shooting for falling stars. In the interview, he said, "I think it just passed the crush stage a little bit."
While Barnes might've felt a few butterflies for RiRi, she claimed his insinuations were a lie, and made it clear by publicly curving him in an Instagram post and a series of humorous hashtags.
11. Azealia Banks
Azealia Banks is more known for laying out divisive commentary online than for making music, but Rihanna didn't let the rapper's Instagram think piece stop her from getting political. In fact, she used it in her favor. Banks condemned the Caribbean Queen for tweeting a critique of Former President Donald Trump's executive order that banned refugees from several countries, and questioned whether Rihanna was American or could vote. The “SOS” hitmaker responded with an Instagram post embracing her immigrant status while subbing Banks in the hashtags.
12. Diplo
In a 2017 GQ interview, Diplo revealed that he unsuccessfully contacted Rihanna multiple times for a collaboration. When speaking of the star’s reservations about working together, the DJ said she turned him down with brutal honesty, commenting that one of his tracks "sounds like a Reggae song at an airport." Ouch! Rihanna sort of apologized in an Instagram post with a “My bad,” a few laughing emojis and the hashtag #DutyFree. Diplo didn't take offense to the banter and used the opportunity to shoot another shot for a joint record in the comments.