The Barbadian singer was performing her single 'S&M' on the streets of the Big Apple for Friday's edition of the Today show when a member of the crowd grabbed her and pulled her into specially erected metal barriers.
The 23-year-old was quickly released, unharmed, from the man's grip by her accompanying dancers and escorted to the main stage outside the city's iconic Rockefeller Centre.
Despite the sudden and shocking nature of her attack, the star appeared to recover quickly and later joked about the incident on Twitter.
When asked by a follower what was going through her mind during the on-air clash, Rihanna replied: "sumn like 'THIS muhf**ka better not f**k up my weave'" (sic).
Rihanna went on to perform her hits 'Only Girl (In The World)', 'What's My Name' and 'California King Bed' during the special gig, which launched the NBC programme's 'summer concert series'.
During her Today stint, Rihanna also brushed off criticism of her "overtly-sexualised" duet with Britney Spears at last weekend's Billboard Awards.
