It’s been nearly a decade since Carmelo Anthony was turned into a meme for his facial expression towards Rihanna at the 2014 Met Gala afterparty. Now, Anthony has explained the viral moment on a new episode of his podcast 7 PM In Brooklyn.
In the photo, the retired NBA champ looked as if he was ready to “risk it all” for the Bajan beauty, although he was very much married at the time. However, according to him, he was simply caught off guard by the overwhelming number of flashing cameras—not by Rihanna herself.
“We already in there having a good time,” the 40-year-old recalled attending the event with his ex-wife La La Anthony. “Every time a celebrity comes in, the cameras go crazy. It’s commotion when you walk in there. I finally walk in and get through the cameras and sit down—now I found my my comfort zone.”
Anthony then recalled Rihanna making her grand entrance. “All you see is white flashes,” he explained. “There’s only one area to go to and I’m like, ‘Please don’t come over here.’ The flashes is going, so I put my head down and I look up and she’s right there posing.”
Following the snapshots, Melo hilariously reenacted his black stare from the photo and admitted that he had a feeling the photo was going to become a spectacle at the time.
Despite the jokes and speculations of him having a thing for the Anti icon at the time, Anthony admitted he never pushed back against the rumors following the photo.
“I never fought it,” he said.
See the full episode below.
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