Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almanzar, is the girlfriend of New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
Diggs joined the team in the 2025 offseason. He topped 1,000 receiving yards this season with the Patriots — but his biggest catch came in 2024, when he started dating the female cult rapper.
While she is known for cheering loudly at Patriots games, her fame far surpasses that of her NFL partner.
Here’s what you need to know about Stefon Diggs’ girlfriend.
1. Cardi B and Stefon Diggs Likely Started Dating in October 2024
The first reports about a romantic relationship between Cardi B and Stefon Diggs emerged in October 2024. The singer had only filed for divorce from her then-husband Offset in July 2024. In September of the same year, she gave birth to their third child together.
The couple made their relationship public on May 12, 2025, during an NBA playoff game between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
After the couple went public, Cardi B shared a photo dump showing their relationship on June 1.
She captioned the slideshow, “Chapter five… Hello, chapter six.”
2. Her Nickname Cardi B is Short for Bacardi
GettyCardi B and her sister Hennessy in 2019.
The stage name “Cardi B” doesn’t come from her birth name, Belcalis Marlenis Almanzar. Cardi B garnered her nickname due to the fact that her parents named her sister Hennessy, like the brandy. She explained in an interview with Jimmy Fallon that her title is actually short for Bacardi.
3. Cardi B Went From Stripper to Cult Rapper
Cardi B is the daughter of a Dominican taxi driver and a cashier from Trinidad. She grew up in the Bronx in New York City. Her big dream was to become a teacher, but the money wasn’t enough. So at 19, she danced on the pole at the hip-hop strip club “Lust”. She told her parents she was babysitting — “for some really rich white people.” Today, she is a cult rapper. Through music, she was able to express her creative side.
Invasion of Privacy (2018), her first studio album, debuted at the top of the Billboard 200. It achieved the highest streaming week ever for a female rap album and has since become the best-selling and most certified female rap album of the 21st century.
The album was ranked by Rolling Stone as the best debut by a female rapper, and it also earned Cardi B the distinction of being the first solo female artist to win the Grammy for Best Rap Album.
She also holds the record for the most number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 by a female rapper, with five chart-toppers.
In a German interview with Red Bull, when asked whether people can still learn something from her experiences, Cardi B revealed that for her, shattered dreams are not a catastrophe. Quite the opposite. They give you the chance to realign your life.
4. She Gave Birth to Their First Child Together in November 2025
In November 2025, just a little more than a year after she started dating Diggs, she gave birth to her first child with the wide receiver. She only confirmed her pregnancy two months before the birth in an interview on CBS Mornings that aired on Sept. 17, 2025.
The Grammy-winning artist shares three children – Kulture, Wave and Blossom — with her ex-husband Offset. As for Diggs, he is already father to daughters Nova and Charliee.
5. Cardi B is an Instagram Star
Cardi B is not only an award-winning rapper, she is also a star on Instagram. With 164 million followers, she is well ahead of the NFL star, who by comparison has just 2.5 million followers.
Cardi B, Stefon Diggs’ Girlfriend: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know