‘RHODubаі’ stаr Cһаnel Ayаn exрlаіns һow а DM to Rіһаnnа саused drаmа wіtһ ex-BFF Lesа Mіlаn

Chanel Ayan is shedding more light on her feud with Lesa Milan — and how Rihanna unknowingly caused drama for the former “Real Housewives of Dubai” besties.

“The reality is Rihanna follows me [on Instagram], I do have a relationship with Rihanna,” Ayan tells Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast in an exclusive interview, explaining why Milan asked her to reach out to the pop superstar on behalf of the latter’s Mina Roe maternity line.

“Lesa asked me, ‘Do you mind if you reach out [for] Mina Roe for me?’” the model continues, noting that Rihanna was pregnant at the time.

Like a good pal, Ayan says she sent a DM via Instagram, asking the “Work” singer if she was interested in rocking styles from Milan’s celebrity-loved brand — already worn by the likes of Beyoncé and Khloé Kardashian.

Chanel Ayan
“Real Housewives of Dubai” star Chanel Ayan stopped by Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast, where she unpacked her feud with ex-BFF Lesa Milan.
Rihanna
She explains how Rihanna, pictured here at a Dior fashion show in January 2024, unknowingly caused tension in the ladies’ dynamic.

The only issue, Ayan points out, is that she previously reached out to Rihanna for business advice about her Ayan Beauty cosmetics collection — and had yet to receive a response.

“Everyone was like, ‘Ayan, you cannot ask her so much. You just met her,’” she says, recalling reactions from other pals and loved ones to her kind gesture for Milan.

“I did send the DM. I did show [Milan] that I sent the DM because she kept asking, ‘Did she read it? Did she read it? Did she read it?’” Ayan elaborates. “And then my friends were like, ‘Ayan, you cannot. You just asked her about Ayan Beauty.’”

So, the Bravolebrity unsent the message before the Fenty Beauty founder read it.

Lesa Milan and Chanel Ayan
Ayan, seen here with Milan at BravoCon in 2022, says it all started when the latter asked her to DM Rihanna — her social media friend and a noted “Housewives” fan — on behalf of her Mina Roe maternity line.
Chanel Ayan
Ayan tells “Virtual Reali-Tea” she sent the message — but then second-guessed herself.

“I already asked her to help me with something. She had not even replied to me about Ayan Beauty yet,” Ayan emphasizes, though Rihanna eventually offered a response to her queries about the industry. “She did after.”

Ayan remembers Milan being upset over the rescinded Mina Roe message, but it isn’t the sole reason that their once-tight bond unraveled. (Milan told Page Six Style in April that she eventually delivered Mina Roe to Rihanna on her own.)

Both parties have teased that an incident — which Ayan describes to “Virtual Reali-Tea” as “very deep” — takes place during the upcoming “RHODubai” finale, ultimately ending the friendship.

Still, she is hopeful for a reconciliation with Milan. “She’s like family to me. You don’t throw your family away,” Ayan states. “You just don’t.”

Chanel Ayan
When Ayan sent the message for Milan, she had already asked Rihanna for advice about launching her Ayan Beauty brand.
Lesa Milan and Chanel Ayan
Loved ones told Ayan, seen here again with Milan at BravoCon 2022, that sending another message — without yet receiving a reply from the singer about Ayan Beauty — was inappropriate, so she unsent it.

Until then, she is relishing in the rapport she’s built with Rihanna — an enthusiastic “Real Housewives” fan — since joining the juggernaut franchise in 2022’s inaugural season of “RHODubai.”

“I’m obsessed with Rihanna, obsessed! She comes a bit from the lifestyle I come from and then she’s this successful, beautiful mogul,” the Kenya native says, raving over the Barbadian beauty. “A lot of things I love about myself, I feel like I love [about] her, too. She’s a goddess.”

The mom of one — who shares a teenage son named Taj with husband Chris Pillott — reveals that she was once hired by Rihanna to model for Fenty Beauty when the entertainer brought the brand to Dubai years ago.

Lesa Milan and Chanel Ayan
While the Rihanna situation didn’t help the women — pictured here during better days at BravoCon 2022 — it wasn’t the final straw for their now-deconstructed bond.
Chanel Ayan
Despite the discord, Ayan tells “Virtual Reali-Tea” that she is hopeful for a reconciliation with Milan.
Rihanna
In the meantime, the model is looking forward to further developing her relationship with the Fenty Beauty founder — seen here enjoying a summer day in Paris this June.

“When Rihanna came to Dubai for the first time to open Fenty Beauty, I was her model. So I met her and the first thing I said to her — and I have a video of it — I was like, ‘Girl, my son loves you, my son is 11 years old, wants to marry you, you’re so beautiful, you’re so stunning,’” she recounts.

“So when she followed me [after ‘RHODubai’ premiered], I was just like, ‘Babes, we’ve met.’ She was like, ‘What?’ I sent her the video of me and Taj, me telling her about my son and she goes, ‘Oh my God, you really love your son.’ And I said, ‘Yes, he’s the love of my life.’”

“The Real Housewives of Dubai” — which taped its Season 2 reunion this week — airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.

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