Ray J Used Fake Blood for 'Attention' During His Shocking Valentine's Day Concert, Photographer Alleges
Ray J Used Fake Blood for 'Attention' During His Shocking Valentine's Day Concert, Photographer Alleges
Raven BrunnerWed, February 18, 2026 at 7:00 PM UTC
0
Ray J in Camarillo, Calif. in October 2025
Jennifer Johnson/Shutterstock
A photographer alleged that Ray J used fake blood during his recent concert
The "One Wish" artist made headlines for performing in the special Valentine's Day concert with bleeding eyes and a monitor taped to his chest
"He loves the camera. He loves the attention. Anybody that knows him, it’s all theatrical," photographer Tommy Nard II said of the rapper
Ray J allegedly used fake blood during his recent concert.
A video, obtained by news outlet KTAL 6, shows the rapper seemingly applying a substance to his face at his Feb. 14 performance at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, La.
The "One Wish" artist, 45, made headlines for performing in the Valentine's Day concert with bleeding eyes and a bloody chest monitor.
A photographer working the event, Tommy Nard II, gave the local outlet a video of Ray J laying down in his orange ensemble and applying "fake blood" underneath his eyes.
"He loves the camera. He loves the attention. Anybody that knows him, it’s all theatrical," the photographer said of the rapper.
Ray J performs during ONE Musicfest 2025 in Atlanta on Oct. 25, 2025.
Julia Beverly/Getty
Nard II recalled being confused when he saw Ray J with the fake blood, saying, "I'm behind the scenes, like, 'What are you doing?' "
"I seen 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," the photographer continued.
Reps for Ray J and the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
Advertisement
Ray J’s manager Melinda Santiago previously told 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 rapper, born William Raymond Norwood Jr., shared a video on Facebook ahead of the concert, writing in the caption, "I’m putting my life on the line for this show!!"
Ray J’s performance came shortly after he claimed that doctors said he only had months to live.
The “Everything You Want” singer spoke about his ongoing health issues in an Instagram video in January. "I want to thank everybody for praying for me. I was in a hospital,” he said at the time. “My heart's only beating like 25 percent, but as long as I stay focused and stay on the right path, everything will be all right.”
Ray J at SiriusXM Studios in New York City in February 2020.
Steven Ferdman/Getty
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The R&B singer made additional claims about his health in an Instagram Live the same month that was shared on X. "2027 is definitely a wrap for me,” he said, alleging that doctors told him he will not live long and his heart had turned "black" due to abusing alcohol and drugs.
Ray J was admitted to a hospital in Las Vegas on Jan. 7 due to severe pneumonia and heart pain, TMZ first reported. He was previously hospitalized with pneumonia in 2021.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
