Cardi B swats at dating rumors after Maduka Okoye drama
Cardi B appeared to address chatter around Maduka Okoye after his baby mama, Jelicia Westhoff, aired cheating allegations online.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
Cardi B appears to be fed up with the rumor mill firing up every time she is seen with a man.
In audio obtained by The Neighborhood Talk, the rapper complained about the way speculation follows her dating life, saying, “Y'all see what happens as soon as I sneeze on somebody?” She did not name Maduka Okoye in the clip, but TMZ reported the comments came as attention has turned to her recent outings with the Nigerian soccer player.
Okoye, a goalkeeper, has been seen with Cardi more than once in recent weeks. TMZ previously published video of the pair in Venice, where they were spotted together in Italy. The site also reported earlier this month that Okoye helped Cardi B at Paris Fashion Week.
The chatter got louder after images of Cardi and Okoye together made the rounds online. According to TMZ, Jelicia Westhoff, identified as Okoye’s baby mama, criticized him on social media after the photos surfaced.
Westhoff accused Okoye of cheating on her with both men and women, according to TMZ. The allegations have not been proven, and TMZ did not report a response from Okoye to Westhoff’s claims.
Cardi’s audio suggested she sees the latest wave of gossip as part of a long-running pattern. She said she has been dealing with “lies and bullshit” about people she dates since she was 20 years old.
She also framed the drama as something that comes with dating someone who has a past relationship. In the audio, Cardi said that if her man has an ex, “this is going to happen.”
The rapper added a joke at the end of the clip, saying she might “rage bait” people next by going out with her cousin.
The remarks did not include a direct denial or confirmation of a romance with Okoye. They did, however, land squarely in the middle of the online noise around the soccer player, Westhoff’s posts, and Cardi’s recent public sightings with him.
For now, the only clear thing Cardi has said is that she is tired of strangers turning every appearance with someone into a fresh dating saga.
This story draws on original reporting from TMZ.