Rihanna Purposely Mispronounced Her Name During ‘Shy Ronnie’ Sketch on ‘SNL’ Because She’s a Total Professional, Okay?

Does Rihanna not cognize however to pronounce her ain name? For years, overmuch of the satellite has been going with “Rih-AH-na,” which, arsenic RihRih has told us, is not right. It’s actually pronounced “Rih-ANN-na,” though judging from her quality successful the legendary 2009 Saturday Night Live “Shy Ronnie” sketch, possibly we were close each along?

In the bit, Rihanna and Ronnie (Andy Samberg) are dropping cognition to a radical of people schoolers with the vocalist crooning successful her powerfulness scope arsenic timid Ronnie tin hardly emergence supra a susurration to her utter consternation. At the top, Rihanna introduces herself utilizing what we’ve learned is the incorrect pronunciation of her name, truthful what gives?

On the caller occurrence of The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast — on which the Samberg-led trio and precocious nighttime big interruption down immoderate of their classical integer shorts and different drama projects — Naked Gun manager Schaffer yet untangled the “Shy Ronnie” moniker muddle. “Andy went, ‘Ree-awn-uh and Shy Ronnie,'” Schaffer explained of Samberg’s slip-up erstwhile signaling the intro to the temp way that was meant to usher Rihanna’s performance. “And past she was truthful large astatine signaling precisely Andy’s inflections to get the jokes cleanable that she did that [too].”

In different words, blasted Samberg and praise Rihanna for being a consummate professional.

Schaffer said connected the pod that erstwhile helium aboriginal heard Rihanna present herself utilizing the close pronunciation helium was adjacent much confused. “I heard her accidental her sanction to idiosyncratic other retired loud, and I went, ‘Why did you accidental “Ree-ANN-uh”? Wait, is your sanction Ree-ann-uh?'” Schaffer said, noting that her existent sanction is Robyn Rihanna Fenty.

When Schaffer asked what the singer’s ma calls her, helium said Rihanna laughed, “‘Ree-ANN-ah,’ and I’m like, ‘Aw.'”

Samberg took the clip to erstwhile again enactment that the trio are “huge Rihanna fans,” making definite it was wide that helium present knows however to decently accidental her name. “She told america it’s ‘Rih-ANN-ah,’ and we were like, ‘Why don’t you close people?'” Samberg recalled asking. “[And] she’s like, ‘I don’t care.'” They went connected to gush astir the singer’s flawless method and gag astir however her squad fundamentally kicked them retired of their bureau and “put silks implicit each the lamps and dimmed each the lights and lit candles” to make a chilled-out ambiance for the vocal signaling session.

Her technologist past hopped connected 1 of their computers and got...