Summer Walker’s 2025 VMA date has some social media users cheering for a  ‘sugar baby era’

Summer Walker shocked fans with her bold look and an even bolder VMA date, making fans wonder if it’s romance or a recession indicator.

At the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, the “Over It” singer ditched her usual type and said “f**” it…literally, when she popped out with a date no one had on their 2025 bingo cards.

Draped in a Pamela Anderson-inspired look with a towering blue feather headpiece, Walker turned heads on her own. But what really had folks gagged was the man at her side: an older white gentleman in an all-white suit with blue accents. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @summerwalker

Feeding each other cotton candy and sharing cheek kisses as they posed on the carpet, Walker had fans doing a double-take, asking, “Who is that man?”

As fans processed their confusion about Walker’s new boo, other fans applauded the R&B singer for what seems to be her pivot into being a sugar baby.  

“You know what, HELLLLLLLLL YEAAAAAAA!” one user commented on Instagram. 

Another jokingly added, “New single called sugar daddy lol,” which wouldn’t be too far off considering the songstress released a single called “Spend It” earlier this year. 

Walker’s comments section turned into a sugar-daddy celebration zone—a reaction that says a lot about our collective recession brain. Instead of the usual biracial dating discourse that typically sets Black Twitter ablaze, folks applauded the songstress, saying “she’s dating the right way,” especially in this season where financial insecurity seems to be touching everyone. 

“I KNOW THATS RIGHT ….. I smell yachts, pension and Tylenol fast release,” one fan shared. 

“That’s the old man from BAPS 👀 😂 let me find one,” another joked. 

Even viral dating coach and content creator Leticia Padua, a.k.a SheraSeven, who encourages women to live soft lives, offered her stamp of approval by commenting on Walker’s post with her infamous tagline “Sprinkle Sprinkle.” 

But, of course, social media detectives got to work. Some believe Walker’s date was actor James Neal (@jweatherlyneal), which immediately set off speculation that the whole thing was just a publicity stunt.

Publicity or not, Walker gave us a moment. And if the internet’s reaction is any indication, we’re all “over it” when it comes to financial insecurity in this economy.