“Yes they asked her and yes, she declined,” a source with knowledge of the situation told PEOPLE, adding that the decision was likely made in support of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, known for kickstarting the #TakeAKnee movement.
After the news first broke on Thursday, Amy Schumer quickly stepped in to applaud the Fenty Beauty mogul, 30, and suggest that it would be “cool” if Maroon 5, who are expected to perform at the 2019 Super Bowl, followed Rihanna’s lead.
“Wouldn’t it be so cool if @adamlevine and @maroon5 stepped down too? What do you guys think?” Schumer wrote on Instagram, alongside a headline covering the story.
Replying, comedian Kathy Griffin wrote “That is feminine power my friends, that is feminine power! Good for her!”
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The next day, Schumer posted a longer meditation on why more people aren’t publicly supporting Kaepernick.
“Friday thought. I wonder why more white players aren’t kneeling. Once you witness the truly deep inequality and endless racism people of color face in our country, not to mention the policy brutality and murders. Why not kneel next to your brothers? Otherwise how are you not complicit?” she wrote.
“I think it would be cool if @maroon5 backed out of [the] super bowl like @badgalriri Did,” she continued, adding that she had already “told my reps I wouldn’t do a Super Bowl commercial this year.”
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Continuing, she wrote: “I know it must sound like a privilege ass sacrifice but it’s all i got. Hitting the nfl with the advertisers is the only way to really hurt them. I know opposing the nfl is like opposing the nra. Very tough, but don’t you want to be proud of how you’re living? Stand up for your brothers and sisters of color.”
“And the hottest thing a guy can do is get down on one knee. Not to propose but to reject the treatment of his teammates by this country,” she continued, before addressing a often misunderstood conception around the movement. “Anyone who says its disrespectful to our military please read up on the fact that a lot of veterans are proud of what @kaepernick7 is doing and fully support him.”
Rihanna also received support from The Good Place’s Jameela Jamil as well as Anika Noni Rose, who voiced Tiana in 2008’s The Princess and the Frog.
“What a powerhouse. Rihanna’s grown into such an important voice for women, for people of colour and for body positivity,” Jamil wrote. “Turning down a $2M dollar cheque and all that publicity and the records and clothes and make up she would have sold off the back of it…is God-Level Boss.”
“I’ve loved @rihanna for some time. I love her even more today. #Superbowl #NFL,” Rose wrote, quickly posting another Tweet of a woman carrying a crown.
This article originally appeared on our sister site, PEOPLE.
