Rihanna fans baffled as star makes bizarre gesture during Super Bowl halftime show performance

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By Asiya Ali

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Rihanna stole the show during her Super Bowl halftime performance but some fans were more shocked by one particular moment on stage.

Last night's Super Bowl saw some excellent results as the Kansas City Chiefs became NFL champions after fighting back to claim an exhilarating 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

The star of the match was Patrick Mahomes as he proved why he is the NFL’s Most Valuable Player after fighting off an ankle injury to lead his team to a thrilling triumph so they could earn their second Super Bowl in four years.

But, amongst all the football talk was the 34-year-old hitmaker as she made her grand return to the stage after seven years at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona for the Super Bowl Halftime show performance.

Watch Rihanna's performance below :

After taking a break from the music scene to focus on her businesses, Rihanna performed a medley of her greatest hits such as 'B***h Better Have My Money', 'Where Have You Been', 'Rude Boy', and 'Diamonds'.

Fans immediately began speculating whether she was pregnant as she wore a PVC bustier and an unzipped bright red jumpsuit that unveiled her small baby bump.

She was also seen cradling and caressing her tummy during her performance, before her representative officially confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that she is expecting another baby with her boyfriend A$AP Rocky.

But her pregnancy wasn't the commotion of the evening, as viewers watching at home spotted a strange detail in the dance routine as the musician belted out 'Rude Boy'.

Watch the moment below:

As the camera moved onto the stage and through her epic dancers, the 'Only Girl In The World' singer rubbed her hand across her crotch before gyrating several times. She then raised her hand to her face and pretended to give it a sniff.

Despite some viewers loving her sultry moves, others said that it made for some uncomfortable half-time viewing for football fans watching with their families.

One user wrote: "Did Rihanna just scratch her crotch then smell her fingers?"

Another said: "Rihanna just touched her crotch and smelled it during the #SuperBowl halftime show and my conservative mother in law just about buckled in front of the tv."

A third commented: "Call me old fashioned but rubbing the crotch and then sniffing the hand is a bit much for a football game."

A fourth shared: "Classless halftime performance. Kids watch football too Rihanna, and that crotch rub & sniff was just nasty!"

At a press conference last Thursday (February 9), the iconic star said that narrowing down her excellent discography into just 13 minutes "was the biggest challenge," according to People.

"That was the hardest, hardest part - deciding how to maximize 13 minutes but also celebrate," she said, revealing that there were 39 versions of the setlist.

"That's what this show is gonna be - it's gonna be a celebration of my catalog in the best way that we could've put it together," she added.

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Rihanna's crotch-grabbing routines were a bit much for some viewers. Credit: UPI / Alamy

Following her performance, the Barbados native was joined by her close friends backstage as she celebrated her history-making performance - becoming the first woman to headline a Super Bowl halftime show while pregnant.

In a video shared on Instagram, Rihanna was still donning part of her performance outfit - except for the oversized jacket - while her friends hyped her up after a job well done.

Featured image credit: UPI / Alamy