Cardi B and Maduka Okoye fuel chatter with Venice dinner
TMZ video shows Cardi B and Nigerian goalkeeper Maduka Okoye dining together with friends at a canal-side restaurant in Venice.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
Cardi B and Nigerian soccer player Maduka Okoye have given fans another little breadcrumb trail, this time over dinner in Venice.
Video obtained by TMZ shows the rapper and the goalkeeper dining with a group at Gio’s, the restaurant at the St. Regis in Venice. According to TMZ, the table had a view over a canal, and Cardi arrived in a low-cut turquoise dress.
Okoye and Cardi were placed next to each other at the meal, TMZ reported. In the footage, he is seen smiling while Cardi talks with people at the table and shows off her long nails.
The outing was not a two-person dinner. TMZ reported that several other men were also with them, keeping the evening in group-hang territory rather than a clear date night.
No PDA, but plenty of attention
TMZ said there was no public display of affection between Cardi and Okoye during the dinner. Still, the outlet reported that the two looked at ease while sharing the evening with friends.
A person who spoke to TMZ said they noticed the group from above while watching fireworks from the hotel. That person told the outlet that Cardi, Okoye and the rest of the group had just received their food and appeared to be having a good time.
The Venice sighting adds fuel to talk that began earlier this month in Paris. TMZ previously reported that Cardi and Okoye sat beside each other at a Paris Fashion Week event.
At that fashion event, according to TMZ, Okoye helped Cardi get into her seat. The small assist was enough to set off fan speculation online about whether the rapper might have a new boyfriend.
Paris first, now Venice
TMZ has not reported any confirmation that Cardi and Okoye are dating. The outlet said there is still no word that they are anything more than friends.
What is confirmed, according to TMZ, is that the pair have now been seen together in two high-profile European settings in the same month: a fashion event in Paris and a dinner with friends in Venice.
Okoye is identified by TMZ as a Nigerian soccer star and goalkeeper. Cardi B, one of hip-hop’s most watched personalities, has long had fans following her public outings as closely as her music and fashion moments.
For now, the Venice dinner remains exactly what TMZ reported: Cardi B and Maduka Okoye seated together at a restaurant with a group, with no PDA seen and no confirmed romance announced.
This story draws on original reporting from TMZ.