Carmelo Anthony Finally Explains That Viral “Risk It All” Meme Featuring Rihanna [Video]

Carmelo Anthony is setting the record straight about the infamous photo of him looking way too focused on Rihanna at the 2014 Met Gala afterparty.

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The meme, which has been making the rounds again, shows Melo looking like he was ready to “risk it all.” Now, nearly a decade later, he’s breaking it all down on his podcast, 7 PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony.

Melo explained the chaos of the star-studded event, sharing how the paparazzi’s relentless flashes made it impossible to stay low-key. “We already in there having a good time. Every time a celebrity comes in, the cameras go crazy,” he said.

Once Rihanna entered the room, things got even wilder. “All you see is white flashes,” Melo recalled. “There’s only one area to go to, and I’m like, ‘Please don’t come over here.’” But, of course, she did.

“I finally walk in and get through the cameras and sit down—now I found my comfort zone,” he continued. “Then she walks in, the flashes are going crazy, so I put my head down. I look up, and she’s right there posing.”

Though the photo made it seem like he was mesmerized by Rihanna, Melo said it was just bad timing and a hilarious shot. He admitted he never fought the internet’s reaction because the meme was just too funny. “I never fought it,” he said, laughing.

The picture may have been a moment of chance, but it’s cemented itself in internet history—and even Melo is in on the joke.