Ethan Hawke jokes about viral Rihanna photos as he apologises to son for swapping courtside seats

Ethan Hawke has finally addressed those hilarious photos of him and his son sitting courtside at a basketball game next to Rihanna, simultaneously praising the singer for her show-stopping Super Bowl halftime show.

The 52-year-old actor shared the throwback photos to his Instagram on Monday – one day after Rihanna took the stage at this year’s Super Bowl halftime show – to address the viral photos taken in 2015 at an NBA game.

For those who are unaware, the photos in question show Hawke sitting courtside at a basketball game next to his then-13-year-old son, Levon Roan Thurman-Hawke, who just so happens to be sitting in between his father and Rihanna.

A second photo clearly shows that Hawke asked his son to swap seats so he could chat to the “Diamonds” singer, looking very suave and relaxed in his seat as he does so. His son appears to be embarrassed as he puts his hand to his head in one of the photos.

Since 2015, the viral courtside photos have long been celebrated on the internet, and were even reposted by Hawke’s daughter, Stranger Things star Maya Hawke, on Father’s Day last year.

Now, the Before Sunrise actor has weighed in on the viral photos and apologised to his son for stealing his moment with the “Umbrella” singer.

“After Rihanna’s brilliant half time performance, I’m hoping my son can find it in his heart to forgive a Dad for taking his moment,” he captioned an Instagram post of the three photos.

The post even caught the attention of Gwyneth Paltrow, who starred alongside Hawke in the 1998 film Great Expectations. She commented: “Could you sit up straight, for god’s sake? You’re sitting next to Rihanna!”

Actor Alyssa Milano echoed Paltrow’s sentiment, writing: “Not sure I would have gone with this posture whilst sitting next to a goddess.”

One fan said, “Top 10 iconic moments of all time,” while another replied: “you were so real for this”

Even his son Levon chimed in when he commented, “Iconic content”.

Prior to the now meme-worthy photos taken at a basketball game all those years ago, Ethan Hawke was married to Kill Bill star Uma Thurman from 1998 to 2005. The former couple share two children: Maya Hawke, 24, and son Levon Roan Thurman-Hawke, 21.

The Dead Poets Society actor went on to have two more children – daughters Clementine Jane Hawke, 15, and Indiana Hawke, 12 – with his current wife Ryan Hawke, whom he married in 2008.

Meanwhile, Rihanna revealed on Sunday that she is pregnant with her second child, nearly nine months after welcoming a baby boy with rapper boyfriend A$AP Rocky.

On 12 February, the 32-year-old singer sparked speculation that she is pregnant again when she took to the stage at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, to perform a medley of hits during the Super Bowl 2023 halftime show.

During the 13-minute concert, she wore an all-red jumpsuit and appeared to be sporting a baby bump – which led many fans to believe Rihanna is expecting baby number two. After the performance, a representative for Rihanna confirmed to multiple news outlets that the Fenty Beauty founder is pregnant for a second time.