Bebe Rexha Might Skip the VMAs Because She's Anxious People Will Talk About Her Weight

The MTV VMAs are tonight, and Bebe Rexha is nominated for Best Collaboration for the song “I’m Good (Blue)” with David Guetta. Unfortunately, the singer-songwriter is on the fence about attending the awards due to anxiety about her body and how it will be perceived on the red carpet.

First, some context: 33-year-old Bebe has had a rough year. Despite her third album, Bebe, getting positive reviews, it debuted at a not-so-great #132 on the Billboard 200. In June, a “fan” hurled his phone at her face during a concert. Poor Bebe had to get stitches, and the phone-thrower was charged with assault.

Then there’s the fact that Bebe is a famous woman who happens to have a body. Never an easy feat! Bebe has said she’s “always struggled” with her weight (“a bitch likes to eat”), and, recently, she gained around 30 pounds. She chalks it up to polycystic ovary syndrome, aka PCOS (represeeent!), a hormonal imbalance that can cause weight gain, infertility, ovarian cysts, and a whole bunch of other unpleasant symptoms.

People love to talk about how much Bebe weighs, especially on social media. When you type her name into TikTok’s search bar, the app recommends terms like “fat”, “weight”, “getting fat same”, and “before and after”. Bebe has said she finds this “upsetting”. In July, she posted a screenshot of a long text from Keyan Safyari, her boyfriend of nearly 3 years. Keyan wrote that he’d noticed Bebe had gained weight around her face, adding, “Should I just pretend that it didn’t happen and that it’s okay?” Wooof. The two called it quits soon after.

OK, so back to tonight’s VMAs. Yesterday, Bebe posted a TikTok saying she wasn’t sure if she’d be attending the awards show because she’s “anxious AF”. After the requisite social media disclaimer assuring fans she’s “grateful and blessed” for her career, she reveals she’s been struggling with her confidence:

I wanted to talk about this because I meet a lot of people, and a lot of times they’ll be like, “Oh my god, I love how you’re all about body positivity and confident…”

Lemme tell ya, right now, I’m not feeling so confident. I am so anxious and stressed about going on the red carpet and, I guess, people talking about my weight. Because I’m not really loving myself right now. I’m not really feeling like the bad bitch that I usually am. I guess everybody has these days and nobody ever feels perfect and that’s why I wanted to make this video.

Bebe says she got a cute outfit for the awards show and she really wants to celebrate her and her friends’ nominations, but anxiety is getting the best of her. She adds that many people watching her video can probably relate, and asks them for “any motivational tips or tricks.” She signs off with, “Maybe you’ll see me on the red carpet tomorrow.” Here’s the TikTok:

@beberexha

Anxiety sucks

♬ original sound - BebeRexha

Listen, as someone who gained 30 pounds during the pandemic and then had to pose for photos at her brother’s 2021 wedding, I get it. Well, sorta. The wedding pics weren’t immediately uploaded to the PopCrave Twitter account for millions of strangers to see. And, when they were posted to Facebook, nobody left any comments about my weight (can you imagine?!).

Welp, I guess we’ll see if Bebe shows up to the VMAs tonight. If she does, can we all make a pact to not share our opinions about her body?