Ray J is being accused of using fake blood to cause a stir at his latest live show.
The “One Wish” singer prompted concern over Valentine’s Day weekend after attendees of his intimate Feb. 14 concert in Shreveport, La., noticed blood dripping from his eyes and heart monitor during his performance.
Now, days later, footage obtained by KTAL 6 seems to show the musician applying a substance to his face before stepping out on stage. In the same report, a photographer who was working at the event told the local outlet that the “fake blood” was all part of Ray J’s plan.
“He loves the camera. He loves the attention,” said the photographer, identified as Tommy Nard II. “Anybody that knows him, it’s all theatrical.”
Nard added that while watching Ray J prepare for the show backstage, he was confused by the musician’s decision to apply the fake blood.
“I’m behind the scenes like, ‘What are you doing?'” he recalled. “So I literally [saw] him literally put on the fake blood and go out there with the crowd — which is very shocking that he would do something like that.”
Ray J attends the Recording Academy Honors presented by The Black Music Collective during the 68th Grammys in Los Angeles on Jan. 29, 2026
Johnny Nunez/Getty
In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, Ray J’s manager Melinda Santiago did not directly deny the “fake blood” allegations but wrote, “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. It’s absurd that a local videographer (not our team) would want to clout chase for 5 min of fame off of Ray J name and play about Ray being sick is sick in itself.”
She continued, “My job is to protect my artists backstage from opportunistic people. If we can’t do that, then I’ll be cutting off all backstage access moving forward. Videographer or not!!! That s— is dead.”
Ahead of Ray J’s Saturday performance, the singer and reality star wrote on Facebook, “I’m putting my life on the line for this show!!”
Afterwards, footage from the concert made the rounds online, including a clip in which Ray J takes off his sunglasses on stage to reveal blood pooled beneath both of his eyes. Another clip shows him taking off the top of his orange jumpsuit to reveal blood smeared on a medical device resembling a heart monitor.
Ray J speaks on the BETX Main Stage: Where Black Music Lives at the 2024 BET Experience Fan Fest in Los Angeles in June 2024
Bennett Raglin/Getty
In a backstage video, Ray J responded to claims that he looked “sick” by saying he was “feeling better.”
“Hey y’all, we’re perfectly fine. Nobody’s sick,” he reiterated with a smile. “Look at me. I’m fine, y’all.”
Three days after the performance, the singer’s manager said in a statement to PEOPLE, “We all know that Ray J has been under the weather, but all my artists that work with me gotta do their job whether they are bleeding or not.”
The shocking live show came just a month after the artist made headlines when he announced that he has only one year left to live. After being hospitalized for a severe case of pneumonia on Jan. 6, Ray J said his doctors prescribed him eight different medications in an effort to prolong his life amid his ongoing heart issues. He told fans that his years-long struggle with drugs and alcohol has had a long-term effect on his health, claiming that the right side of his heart has turned black.
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In a Jan. 25 Instagram post, Ray J told his followers that he had “almost died,” adding, “My heart’s only beating, like, 25 percent, but as long as I stay focused and stay on the right path, everything will be alright.”
In a separate livestream, he said his medical team had recently informed him that he has only a few months left to live, with him declaring that “2027 is definitely a wrap for me.”
When a friend denied his claim in the clip, Ray J replied, “That’s what the doctor said!”
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly