Rihanna's SNL Mispronunciation Traced to Andy Samberg's Influence

According to a recent episode of The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast, Rihanna's impeccable professionalism led to an unintended gaffe during the recording of the 2009 SNL digital short "Shy Ronnie." Rihanna has repeatedly stated that the correct pronunciation of her name is "Ree-ann-uh," but the pop star ended up singing her name incorrectly as "Ree-awn-uh" because Samberg had pronounced it that way in the temp track.

Akiva Schaffer, the Naked Gun director and Lonely Island bandmate, was later horrified to hear Rihanna introduce herself with the correct pronunciation. However, the singer seemed completely unbothered by the mix-up, telling Schaffer, "It's fine either way!" Rihanna even spoke fondly of the "Shy Ronnie" experience during a recent Late Night segment with Seth Meyers.

Years later, Samberg says Rihanna still occasionally invokes the "Shy Ronnie" sketch when they see each other, much to his delight. The original "Shy Ronnie" was successful enough that Rihanna reteamed with the Lonely Island for a sequel sketch a year later, titled "Shy Ronnie 2: Ronnie & Clyde."