Rihanna “Went Straight Into Protective Mode” After Paparazzi Took Unauthorized Pic Of Baby

Before giving birth, Rihanna warned, “I’m going to be psycho,” as a parent, promising to be a fiercely protective mother, especially concerning shielding her child from the public.

After welcoming their son last year, A$AP Rocky and Rihanna have kept a relatively low profile, and fans don’t know much about their baby, including his name, save for what the family has shared.

The first glimpse of the baby last December came as a surprise to fans. Rihanna joined TikTok to share a cute video of the little one giggling in his car seat. The couple also shared a few images with the public via Hollywood Unlocked.

The new family shared their first official photo shoot with the world on Wednesday (Feb. 15), covering British Vogue. However, in the accompanying interview, Rihanna revealed an unauthorized paparazzi snap taken during that shoot forced the couple to unveil their baby before the unofficial pics did.

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She recalled her horror after realizing a photographer had snapped them from afar during the shoot on a Malibu beach.

“It’s the thing you never want to happen,” Rihanna admitted. “We get to decide as parents when and how we do that. End of story.”

While she’s not crazy about the paparazzi, the star of last weekend’s Super Bowl Halftime Show has come to terms with them. However, when it comes to their son, A$AP Rocky and Rihanna insist their son is off limits.

“Throw me to the wolves. Do what you want with me. But he doesn’t have a say in any of this,” Rihanna declared. “We’ve been protecting him thus far and you don’t have any consent to be posting photos or selling photos of my child, a minor. Get the hell out of here with that.”

The superstar couple moved fast once they realized the photos would soon be public.

“I just went straight into protective mode,” Rihanna recalled. “Like there wasn’t even time for rage. [Rocky and me] drove up to the trailer area and we sat in the car chatting and working out how we move forward. As parents it just feels so icky, like a violation.”

They ultimately decided to share a few images from her camera roll. “As we were speaking, we knew they were making calls and deals,” she added.