Rihannas ASL Interpreter Stole the Show During the Super Bowl Halftime Performance

While Rihanna pulled off a historic halftime performance during last night's Super Bowl, there was someone else who also got some well-deserved attention.

Justina Miles, a 20-year-old American sign language interpreter, is now going viral on social media after clips of her passionately signing to Rihanna's "Bitch Better Have My Money" made the rounds online.

Miles became the first deaf female performer to sign during the Super Bowl Halftime Show, according to Entertainment Tonight. She made an appearance earlier in the evening to sign "Lift Every Voice and Sing," which was performed by Abbott Elementary's Sheryl Lee Ralph.

"I value the opportunity to make it possible for all deaf people to enjoy these songs, and not have them miss out on the full Super Bowl experience," Miles said, per CNBC, before the Super Bowl.

She added that it's an important moment "not only for me to share this experience with the whole world, but to really bring that empowerment to millions and millions of Black deaf people all over the country who've never really seen that before. I feel that is truly lifting every voice, even my voice."

Rihanna, who announced that she is pregnant with her second child during her performance last night, opened up about preparing for her return to the stage during a press conference with Apple Music last week.

"The setlist was the biggest challenge. That was the hardest, hardest part. Deciding how to maximize 13 minutes, but also celebrate. That's what this show's gonna be, it's gonna be a celebration of my catalog in the best way we could have put it together," she said. "And you only have 13 minutes, that's the challenge, so you're trying to cram 17 years of work into 13 minutes. So it's difficult. You know, some songs we have to lose because of that, and that's gonna be okay. But I think we did a pretty good job of narrowing it down."

As an associate editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com, Chelsey keeps a finger on the pulse on all things celeb news. She also writes on social movements, connecting with activists leading the fight on workers' rights, climate justice, and more. Offline, she’s probably spending too much time on TikTok, rewatching Emma (the 2020 version, of course), or buying yet another corset. 

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