Rihanna has reportedly been quietly dating a Saudi billionaire for 2 years. Here's what we know about him.
Rihanna was first linked to Saudi businessman Hassan Jameel in 2017. The pair was seen kissing and having coffee together during a trip to Spain.
The identity of the "mystery man" with Rihanna wasn't clear at first. But less than a day later, Jameel was identified and the two were officially declared an item.
Source: Vogue
Despite the media's immediate interest in their romance, neither the singer nor businessman officially discussed their relationship in the press at first — though Rihanna's dad did tell reporters that, while he was aware his daughter had a new boyfriend, he had no clue that boyfriend was a billionaire.
"She told me she had a new boyfriend about a month ago, but I didn't know who he was. I always tell her, 'Don't date an entertainer, don't date an athlete.' They are busy going this way and that way, they don't have any quality time, and they're good looking guys so women fall all over them," the singer's father told The Sun in 2017.
"He's going to have to buckle up, she's a hard-working girl, she's very independent and ambitious," he added.
Source: Toronto Sun
While Rihanna's net worth of $600 million (per Forbes' most recent estimate) is nothing to scoff at, Jameel is exorbitantly wealthy himself. The Saudi businessman is a Toyota heir — his family owns Abdul Latif Jameel, the largest distribution company for Toyota in several Middle Eastern countries.
Source: Forbes, Harper's Bazaar
The company was founded in 1945 by Jameel's grandfather, the late Abdul Latif Jameel, and named after him. Jameel currently serves as the Deputy President & Vice Chairman, Saudi Arabia for his family's business.
He heads the company's domestic operations in Saudi Arabia. He handles automotive, land and real estate, and machinery operations.
He also serves as the president of Community Jameel Saudi Arabia, a charity that his family's company runs.
Per the Community Jameel website, the organization "operates a wide range of initiatives which promote and contribute towards positive societal change and economic sustainability" and "coordinate[s] programs focusing on the social, cultural, educational, and economic development of individuals and communities in the Middle East region and beyond."
Source: Community Jameel
The Jameel family ranked fourth on Forbes Middle East's 2017 list of The Arab World's Richest Families, which put their collective net worth at $2.2 billion.
Subsequent rankings the following two years left off all Saudis, with Forbes Middle East explaining in their 2018 list that they "chose to leave off all 10 Saudis given reports of asset seizures after some 200 people, including some billionaires, were detained."
Source: Forbes Middle East
The Jameel family also owned a soccer league. The Saudi Pro League was previously known as Dawry Jameel from 2013 to 2019, when it was sponsored by the company.
Source: Community Jameel
Prior to his current roles in his family businesses, Jameel worked for Toyota Motor Corporation in the company's Japan offices.
Source: Family Business Council-Gulf
In fact, Jameel spent a number of years in Japan. He received a Bachelor of Arts in International Economics from Sophia University in Tokyo before attending the London Business School for his MBA.
Source: Family Business Council-Gulf
Jameel was previously married to Lina Lazaar, a Tunisian art expert. The two wed in 2012 before divorcing in 2017.
Source: The Sun
Prior to his romance with Rihanna, Jameel was also linked to supermodel Naomi Campbell.
Source: Harper's Bazaar
In one of their first sighted outings, Rihanna and Jameel celebrated Halloween together in Boston in 2017. Witnesses told Us Weekly that the singer was dressed as Kylo Ren from "Star Wars" and Jameel was in a penguin costume.
"Rihanna and Hassan were canoodling all night. She ordered extra pasta to take home because she said she often gets hungry around 2 a.m.," a source said.
Source: Us Weekly
They also attended a Los Angeles Lakers game together in February 2019 for her 31st birthday — one of the rare public outings where they were actually caught on camera together.
Source: W Magazine
The couple took a trip to the Amalfi Coast together in June 2019, where the two were photographed cuddling with a group that appeared to include other members of the Jameel family.
Source: ELLE
Shortly before that trip, Rihanna revealed in a May 2019 New York Times interview that she'd moved to London ("where she is closer to the team working on Fenty, which is designed in Paris and manufactured in Italy") earlier in the year — though many speculate the move was so she could be closer to Jameel, who reportedly lives there.
Source: The New York Times, Metro
While Rihanna and her boyfriend have been keeping a very low profile over the past two years, the two have been spotted out together several times in recent weeks. In August 2019, the pair went out for a "lovely dinner evening" (per what an onlooker told People) with Rihanna's mom and brother in Santa Monica, California. A few days later, paparazzi got photos of the two looking "cuddly" during dinner at Wally's in Beverly Hills.
In a conversation with her "Ocean's 8" co-star Sarah Paulson for Interview Magazine, Rihanna refused to confirm who she was dating ("Google it"), but did say "of course" she was in love.
When Paulson asked if she was going to get married, Rihanna paused, then said, "Only god knows that, girl. We plan and god laughs, right?"
She also explained how she prioritized their blossoming relationship amid her busy career: "I got into a new relationship, and it matters to me. It was like, 'I need to make time for this.' Just like I nurture my businesses, I need to nurture this as well. I'll shut things down for two days, three days at a time. On my calendar we now have the infamous 'P,' which means personal days. This is a new thing."
Source: Interview Magazine
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