Jay-Z attends ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ premiere with Beyoncé amid underage rape allegation
Jay-Z was hit with an underage rape allegation on December 8th but that didn’t stop him from attending the premiere of his wife, Beyoncé and daughter, Blue Ivy’s new film. Hov was in Los Angeles on December 9th alongside Beyoncé and Blue Ivy Carter to celebrate the movie ahead of its arrival in cinemas on December 20th.
In the upcoming film, Beyoncé reprises her role as Nala, while Blue Ivy Carter stars as Kiara, the daughter of Nala and Simba, who is played by Donald Glover. The movie serves as a prequel and sequel to the 2019 remake of the 1994 movie The Lion King.
Director Barry Jenkins discussed pairing the mother and daughter duo in the film, telling Entertainment Weekly, “I was like, ‘Is it worth a shot? Would Blue Ivy want to do it? Would Beyoncé want to act opposite her daughter? Is it too close to home?’ But once we put the question to them, they both responded with enthusiasm.”
The appearance comes following a lawsuit that was refiled on December 8th, accusing Jay-Z of raping a 13-year-old girl with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in 2000. The anonymous accuser claims the alleged assault took place after she was driven to an after-party for the MTV Video Music Awards.
She alleges Carter removed her clothes, held her down and raped her while Combs and an unnamed female celebrity watched. She says Combs also raped her, as Jay-Z and the woman observed.
Jay-Z immediately responded to the suit by denying the alleged assault. “These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!!” he wrote. “Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree? These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case.
“You have made a terrible error in judgement thinking that all ‘celebrities’ are the same. I’m not from your world. I’m a young man who made it out of the project of Brooklyn. We don’t play these types of games. We have very strict codes and honour. We protect children.”
He added, “My only heartbreak is for my family. My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely 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.”