A seemingly harmless tweet has put pop star Rihanna in the center of a new controversy, this time revolving around, of all things, cockroaches and grasshoppers.
As part of her "Diamonds World Tour," the 25-year-old singer is currently in the Dominican Republic, where she happened to encounter some creepy crawlies in her hotel room that she made sure to let her Twitter followers know about.
"What de rasshoooolllleee!!! I just get run out my room from a bat, a grasshopper, and a roach de size of a bat!!! Only in the #DR," she tweeted on Oct. 28. NBC Latino reports that many of her followers did not take well to that comment and found it to be an offensive misrepresentation of their country.
What de rasshoooolllleee!!! I just get run out my room from a bat, a grasshopper, and a roach de size of a bat!!! Only in the #DR
— Rihanna (@rihanna) October 28, 2013
"That's so stupid you are from the Islands too, what a humble person!!! Is same in Hawaii bugs are bigger," one user wrote, referencing Rihanna's Barbados origins, while another slammed her with the comment: "The only roach that you´ve seen was yourself, stop talking trash and smelling....you know what, ungrateful #prouddominican."
Other fans critiqued the star for her unabashed drug use, writing comments that ranged from "the grasshopper was the weed you were smoking," and "It wasn't a roach...it was ur mind with all that molly u use."
It wasn't just Twitter fans that took offense to Rihanna's complaints, however. On his radio show "El Gobierno de la Mañana," popular host Alvaro Arvelo claimed that Rihanna's tweet about the bugs she encountered was "full of hot air," and according to Agencia EFE, called her concert in the DR "una porquería, un desastre, un concierto vacío" (a mess, a disaster and an empty concert).
And as NBC Latino reports, although the singer made her complaints about the insects on Monday, hotel management claims she had left her room the day before.
This isn't the first time the star has caused a stink while visiting another country. While in Abu Dhabi for a concert, Rihanna posted a photoshoot to Instagram featuring pictures of her striking a number of poses in front of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which staff allegedly found to be inappropriate and asked her to leave the area that is off-limits for visitors.
Despite the latest backlash, other fans agreed with Rihanna's assessment of the bug situation in the country. "That's why the Dominican Republic is unique," one user wrote in response, as many fans seemed to take her comment lightheartedly. Rihanna also seemed to enjoy her time in the country, posting photos of her enjoying a dip in a swimming pool on Instagram along with the caption, "With love from the #DR."
