Ray J’s Bloody Valentine Performance Sparks Debate

It’s becoming impossible to believe Ray J. 

The singer has a history of trolling the public, whether it was with unbreakable glasses or that one time he wanted America to believe he was going to beat up rapper Fabolous.

But when the “One Wish” singer claimed that he was suffering from a life-threatening illness, it was hard for people to fully believe him. 

And that controversy continues after a recent Valentine’s Day performance at Louisiana’s Shreveport Municipal Auditorium appeared to show Ray J wearing a heart monitor strapped to his chest and blood dripping from his eye from underneath his sunglasses. 

After fans began claiming that the blood appeared to be fake, Ray J’s team pushed back against those claims that it was all real.  

“We all know that Ray J has been under the weather,” manager Melinda Santiago told People Tuesday. “But all my artists that work with me gotta do their job whether they are bleeding or not.”

But Santiago’s claims don’t align with those of photographer Tommy Nard II, who said the blood that dripped from Ray J’s eyes was “all theatrical.” 

“He loves the attention,” Nard II told local NBC affiliate KTAL 6. “I [saw] him literally put on the fake blood and things like that, and go out there with the crowd, which is very shocking that he’d do something like that.”

Santiago issued a statement to People on Wednesday, doubling down on her initial claim that it was all real: “The bottom line is Ray J has been in and out of the hospital dealing with health and heart issues. That is a fact. Another fact is that the meds that Ray is on have some side effects.”

Santiago went on to add that Nard II’s remarks were an attempt “to clout chase for five min of fame.”

HuffPost notes that just last week, Brandy’s brother shared on social media that he almost died after suffering from pneumonia that forced him to be hospitalized. 

Ray J added that his history of drug and alcohol abuse had taken a toll on his health and noted that his doctor told him, “2027 is definitely a wrap for me.”

In an interview with “The Breakfast Club” on Thursday, Ray J claimed that Nard II was merely trying to make light of the difficult situation, but didn’t clear up whether the blood was, in fact, fake. 

See social media’s debate below: