LOVE HURTS
From dishonesty and cheating to rape claims: inside Beyoncé and Jay-Z relationship scandals and why they won’t walk away
Beyoncé and Jay-Z have been intensely private about their marriage since his global cheating scandal in 2017
THEY were once the most admired couple in the world.
But ever since Beyoncé released Lemonade (her sixth studio album) in 2016 which suggested Jay-Z had been unfaithful, cracks in their marriage began to show.
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And now the music mogul, 55, is facing allegations of raping a 13-year-old girl alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs at a party in 2000.
Jay-Z has been named in an anonymous lawsuit alleging he took turns in the attack with fellow rapper Combs, who is currently facing charges of sex trafficking by force and transportation for purposes of prostitution.
The victim claims she was handed a drink that made her feel “woozy” after arriving at an MTV VMAs after-party in New York on September 7, 2000.
She then recalls lying down in a bedroom and claims Combs and Jay-Z, real name Shawn Carter, raped her. An unnamed female celebrity was also said to have been in the room.
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The lawsuit, filed against Combs in October, was resubmitted on Sunday to also list Beyoncé's husband Jay-Z as a defendant.
The claims cast doubt on Beyonce's planned Christmas Day comeback and huge 2025 tour.
She is due to perform at the NFL's festive clash between her hometown Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens.
A source said: "Even though the claim has nothing to do with her, Beyoncé has been dragged into the speculation."
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It’s not the first time she has had to weather a public storm due to allegations against her husband, though.
In fact, their relationship has been embroiled in controversy since the very beginning.
Jay-Z and Beyoncé put on united front as they attend premiere with daughter Blue Ivy after rapper is accused of raping 13yo girl in shock Diddy lawsuit
AGE GAP QUESTIONS
Jay-Z is 12 years older than Beyoncé - and the couple have given varied reports on exactly how old she was when they first met.
Jay-Z said in a 2007 interview that he met Beyoncé “10 years ago”, which would’ve made her aged 16 at the time and him aged 28.
But in an interview with Seventeen magazine in 2008, she claimed that she was 18-years-old when they met and started dating a year later.
On The Carters 2018 track 713, Jay-Z raps about meeting Beyoncé by the pool in Cancún, Mexico, when she was performing with Destiny's Child at the MTV Spring Break Festival in 2000.
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She would have been 18 at the time, and him 30.
The lyrics go: “Me, I played my room, let the fools have they say/ Fate had me sittin' next to you on the plane/ And I knew straight away, uh.
"The next time we would speak was like two years away/ You had a man, you shut it down until you two had a break/ I bet that dude rued the day/ You kept me up on the phone while you were away.”
The musical couple hard-launched their relationship in 2003 song Crazy in Love, which appeared on Beyoncé’s debut solo studio album, Dangerously in Love.
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They then went red carpet official at the VMAs in 2004.
On April 4, 2008, they tied the knot in a secret ceremony in front of a mere 40 guests, when Beyoncé was aged 26 and Jay-Z was aged 38.
They welcomed their first child, Blue Ivy Carter, on January 7, 2012.
On now-defunct social network Tumblr a month after the birth, Beyoncé thanked fans for “respecting our privacy during this beautiful time in our lives”.
ELEVATOR-GATE
Beyoncé's younger sister Solange Knowles, 38, was captured thumping Jay-Z in a lift following the 2014 Met Gala.
The three had attended a rooftop after party at the popular New York City hotel, The Standard, in May of that year.
But leaked footage inside their lift ride down the building showed Solange punching and kicking Jay-Z with Jackie Chan inspired thumps during a furious row.
A security guard is then seen restraining her and appears to attempt to stop the lift.
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At the time, a statement was released by the family saying: "Jay and Solange each assume their share of responsibility for what has occurred.
"They both acknowledge their role in this private matter that has played out in the public. They both have apologized to each other and we have moved forward as a united family."
Over a decade after the row - which was dubbed ‘elevator gate’ - fans still speculate on what provoked Solange.
The most long-standing theory is that she was addressing the rapper’s infidelity, which Beyoncé herself even seemingly confirmed on her 2016 album Lemonade, with songs like Hold Up and Sorry.
LEMONADE CONFESSIONS
Beyoncé dropped the full album in April 2016 without any promo or press, and in it confirmed that Jay-Z had cheated on her during their relationship.
The singer-songwriter talks about “tasting the dishonesty”, smelling another woman’s perfume on her husband and outright asking: “Are you cheating on me?”
Her reference to “Becky with the good hair”, Jay-Z’s alleged mistress, has become a pop culture phenomenon and is still referenced by betrayed women today.
After the release of the album, Beyoncé made several solo public appearances, including at the Met Gala and the VMAs.
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The following year, Jay-Z confirmed his infidelity - but he also discussed what kept the couple from calling time on their marriage.
He told The New York Times’ T Magazine in 2017: “You know, most people walk away. The hardest thing is seeing pain on someone's face that you caused, and then have to deal with yourself. So, you know, most people don't want to do that. You don't want to look inside yourself. And so you walk away.
“We were using our art almost like a therapy session. And we started making music together. And then the music she was making at that time was further along. So, her album came out as opposed to the joint album that we were working on."
On February 1 2017, the couple shared that they were expecting twins, with Rumi and Sir being born in mid-June of that year.
RAPE ACCUSATIONS
Beyoncé and Jay-Z have been intensely private about their marriage since the cheating scandal in 2017.
But when Combs was charged with sex trafficking and racketeering in September, internet sleuths theorised that it was only a matter of time until Jay-Z was linked to it due to the pair’s well-documented friendship.
The disgraced rapper was charged with racketeering, 'sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion' and 'transportation to engage in prostitution'.
Now, billionaire Jay-Z has been named in the scandal after an unnamed woman accused him of raping her alongside Combs when she was 13.
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INSIDE DIDDY'S DOWNFALL
By The U.S. Sun's Senior Reporter Forrest McFarland, who has been reporting on Diddy's legal battles for years
BEFORE Sean "Diddy" Combs' arrest on Monday night, it had been highly speculated that the rap star would find himself in custody after he was repeatedly hit with disturbing accusations - and had two of his mansions raided by the feds.
His mounting legal troubles finally came to a head on September 17, when he was charged with three federal counts, including sex trafficking, for allegedly forcing victims to take part in drug-fueled sex parties he called "Freak Offs."
Hours before his arrest, The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed the feds investigating Combs were secretly liaising with Tupac Shakur murder prosecutors on gangland activities.
The development also came after Combs was named 77 times in documents submitted by prosecutors in the Tupac murder case.
Aside from the Tupac probe, Combs was already facing a slew of lawsuits, including one he settled with his ex, Cassie Ventura, after she accused him of rape and abuse.
Disturbing hotel surveillance video from 2016 showed Combs chasing Cassie down and then punching, kicking, and beating her in a hallway.
Two months earlier, in March 2024, two of Combs' mansions were raided by federal investigators, who seized three AR-15s, drugs, and 1,000 bottles of lube which were part of his "Freak Off" supplies.
In addition to his federal criminal charges, Combs also faces a handful of lawsuits with allegations of sexual assault, harassment, and sex trafficking dating back to the early 1990s.
Music producer Rodney 'Lil Rod' Jones filed one suit in February 2024, claiming Combs forced him to hire sex workers and participate in sex acts while he worked on his latest album.
Combs has denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the federal sex trafficking charges against him, but his battle is far from over.
He faces life in prison if he's convicted on all counts.
The accuser claimed in a lawsuit that she had been asking limousine drivers for help getting into the MTV Video Music Awards in New York or an after-party in September 2000.
One driver allegedly told her that he worked for Combs and that she “fit what Diddy was looking for”.
The lawsuit states that the driver drove her for 20 minutes to a white house, where she was asked to sign a document she believed was a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
After being offered a drink that made her feel “woozy, light-headed and [like] she needed to lie down”, the woman says she went into an empty bedroom to rest.
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Shortly afterwards, she claims both rappers entered the room with an unnamed female star, and that Combs “aggressively approached [her] with a crazed look in his eyes, grabbed her and said, ‘You are ready to party!’”
At that point, Jay-Z allegedly started undressing her before pinning her down on the bed and raping her first
She says that fought back and when Combs backed away in surprise, she was able to escape.
The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, says the plaintiff still suffers from depression and PTSD as a result of what happened.
JAY-Z BITES BACK
Jay-Z has denied the accusations and even accused the plaintiff of blackmail.
Last night, he asked for his accuser's request for anonymity to be denied or the case dismissed.
His legal team claimed lawyer Tony Buzbee, who represents some alleged victims of Combs, had waged an "extortionate plot".
In a statement yesterday, on X (formerly Twitter), Jay-Z said: "My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a 'lawyer'.
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"What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle. No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion.
"These allegations are so heinous that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one! Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree?"
The rapper even brought his family - including his three children Blue Ivy, 12, and seven-year-olds Rumi and Sir - into the controversy.
He continued: "My only heartbreak is for my family.
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"My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will see the Press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people.
“I mourn yet another loss of innocence. Children should not have to endure such at their young age."
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