Children, come gather ’round for a much-needed lesson in fact-checking, presented by none other than Mother Naomi of House Campbell. We mean that figuratively, of course—but you wouldn’t know it from the rumors that were swirling on Tuesday morning, when Harper’s Bazaar, amongst other publications, suggested that the supermodel might be expecting a child with her rumored boyfriend, grime rapper Skepta.
Granted, there was ample reason to speculate; the pair has been the subject of speculation for some time, which was only fueled by a steamy cover story of the two in British GQ’s April issue. So when Skepta (given name: Joseph Junior Adenuga) posted a sonogram pic labeled “Baby Adenuga” on Monday, folks understandably got excited by the prospect of possibly the most beautiful baby alive—and “folks” include famous friends like Drake and Lil Yachty, who posted their congratulations.
But if these two were a pair, they certainly aren’t any longer. While Campbell has at times expressed interest in motherhood, she made it abundantly clear that she is not the expectant mother of Baby Adenuga—and in supreme supermodel style, she did it without even dignifying the rumors with a response.
Onboard a yacht somewhere we probably can’t even pronounce, let alone afford, on Wednesday, the 48-year-old stunner shared a shot of her living her best, non-pregnant life in a tiny black bikini and body jewelry, simply captioning it: “Happy 1st of August my loves.” She’s also purportedly unfollowed Skepta, making it likely that the two won’t be the subject of further speculation.
Of course, Bazaar has since updated their inflammatory post (including the title) to say that “Naomi Campbell Shuts Down Pregnancy Speculation with an Epic Bikini Instagram.” But at bigger issue is a lesson we should likely all learn and abide by: Like relationships, fertility is a very personal and often sensitive issue. While Campbell took it in stride, how about we steer clear of publicly commenting on the status of other women’s reproductive systems until we have some facts—and enthusiastic confirmation—to back it up?
But never let it be said that Naomi Campbell isn’t always on brand; already a legend in killing the game, she just wrote another chapter in the book of slayage—without saying a single word.