Charlamagne defended Rihanna after Johnson criticized her late arrival at a Dior fashion show.
ByMark Elibert
October 11, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Charlamagne tha God urged EJ Johnson to leave Rihanna alone, arguing that “there’s levels to this queen stuff” and some stars are simply untouchable.
- Johnson sparked the exchange by complaining that a Paris Fashion Week show started an hour late because Rihanna was late, adding, “we didn’t care to wait for her.”
- Rihanna seemingly clapped back with “damn” under footage of Johnson struggling to enter a Paris hotel, extending a pattern of tension after Johnson previously criticized her Met Gala look.
Charlamagne tha God has some advice for EJ Johnson following his recent back-and-forth with Rihanna.
During the latest episode of The Brilliant Idiots podcast with Andrew Schulz, Charlamagne weighed in on the tension between the fashion personality and the nine-time Grammy winner following their appearances at Paris Fashion Week.
While Charlamagne made it clear he has love for Johnson, he suggested that taking shots at Rihanna might not be the smartest move.
“EJ, now EJ, you know I love you, but you got to know your limitations,” Charlamagne said. “There’s certain thrones you can’t throw rocks at, EJ, and Rihanna’s one of them.”
The radio personality continued by explaining why he believes Rihanna occupies a different level of celebrity status, especially when it comes to fashion and pop culture.
“There’s levels to this queen stuff,” he said.
“Now listen, there’s a lot of queens EJ stepping on. Like I like 99% of queens EJ stepping on. But it’s that 1% that EJ just not going to ever be able to touch. Rihanna’s one of them. Beyonce’s one of them.”
Charlamagne added, “The party don’t start till Rihanna walks in.”
The comments come after Johnson, the son of NBA legend Magic Johnson, appeared to criticize Rihanna during his Paris Fashion Week coverage.
In a vlog about the Dior show, Johnson praised the presentation but complained that the event was reportedly delayed because of Rihanna’s arrival.
“It did start an hour late because Rihanna was late, and you know, like, we didn’t care to wait for her,” Johnson said.
Rihanna seemingly responded on Oct. 2 after The Hollywood Fix shared footage of Johnson waiting outside a Paris hotel while photographers called for staff to let him inside. The singer dropped a one-word comment beneath the video: “damn.”
Johnson has developed a reputation for giving unfiltered opinions on celebrity fashion. Earlier this year, he criticized several looks from the Met Gala, calling the event a “graveyard” and describing some outfits as “awful on awful and awful.”
Among the celebrities he previously criticized were Rihanna, Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian.
