Shaq defends Rihanna amid critics of Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show performance: 'Shut your face'

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Shaquille O’Neal wants to hear no Rihanna slander following his Super Bowl LVII halftime performance. 

Critics went to social media to take shots at Rihanna’s show, but the former NBA champion had her back on "The Big Podcast with Shaq" this past Friday. 

"All you people disrespecting Rihanna, shut your face. Shut it up," O'Neal said. "We living in a world where people got too much freedom, keep your f---ing thoughts to yourself.

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Rihanna, who was dressed in all red for her first live performance in seven years, stunned fans when it was revealed she is pregnant with her second child.  (Getty Images)

"She did a wonderful job. She's pregnant, she blessed it, she did her thing, she didn't fall. Just leave it there. All you superstars that's disrespectful and causing beef, shut your face."

O’Neal mentioned "rappers" and "presidential candidates" in reference to those superstars he brought up. Perhaps former president Donald Trump was who he was pointing fingers at. 

RIHANNA'S HALFTIME SHOW TEAM ‘CAREFULLY MANAGED’ PREGNANCY NEWS BEFORE SUPER BOWL REVEAL, DIRECTOR SAYS

Trump took to social media to give his opinion on the performance and it wasn’t a nice one. 

"EPIC FAIL: Rihanna gave, without question, the single worst Halftime Show in Super Bowl History," he wrote. "This after insulting far more than half of our Nation, which is already in serious DECLINE, with her foul and insulting language. Also, so much for her "Stylist!"

Rihanna performs during Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images