Jay-Z and Beyoncé make surprise appearance at ‘Mufasa’ premiere amidst rape lawsuit allegations
Jay-Z and Beyoncé made a surprise appearance together at the Mufasa premiere in Los Angeles last night (December 9) amid the rapper being accused of rape in a new lawsuit.
The couple’s 12-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, voices lion Kiara in the forthcoming Disney film. Bey plays Nala alongside Donald Glover’s Simba, with the pair reprising their roles from 2019’s The Lion King.
As Billboard reports, Blue Ivy posed on the red carpet yesterday alongside her parents. Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, was also in attendance.
Following the event, the ‘Cowboy Carter’ star took to Instagram to share a message of support with her daughter. Captioning a pair of photographs of Blue Ivy, the singer gave a shout-out to her “gorgeous baby girl”.
“This is your night,” Beyoncé continued. “You worked hard and you did such a beautiful job as the voice of Kiara. Your family could not be prouder. Keep shining.” You can see the post below.
Beyoncé is known for avoiding most red carpets. She regularly puts on her own photoshoots at events like the Grammys or the premiere of her Renaissance concert film.
Neither Blue Ivy, Jay-Z nor Beyoncé had been previously announced to the press as attending the Mufasa film premiere, it has been reported. Their participation came as even more of a surprise, given the allegations that have been levelled against Jay this week.
The rapper has been accused in a lawsuit of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 with Diddy, who has faced a litany of allegations in recent months.
In a statement issued via Roc Nation, the artist (real name Shawn Carter) called the allegations “heinous in nature” and dismissed them as a “blackmail attempt”. He has implored lawyer Tony Buzbee to file the lawsuit as a “criminal complaint, not a civil one”.
“Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree?” Carter wrote. “These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case.”
He continued: “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. Children should not have to endure such at their young age. It is unfair to have to try to understand inexplicable degrees of malice meant to destroy families and human spirit.”
The rapper has since filed a court letter seeking the dismissal of the lawsuit while maintaining his innocence.
Carter’s lawyer Alex Spiro wrote in a court letter: “Mr. Carter deserves to know the identity of the person who is effectively accusing him – in sensationalised, publicity-hunting fashion – of criminal conduct, demanding massive financial compensation, and tarnishing a reputation earned over decades.”
In October, it was reported that Buzbee was working with around 120 people to potentially file lawsuits against Diddy – real name Sean Combs – with 25 of them minors at the time of the alleged abuse.
A lawsuit was filed by Buzbee later that month, claiming Combs – as well as another, unnamed male celebrity – raped a 13-year-old girl at a VMAs after-party in 2000. So far, Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges, with his lawyers also dismissing the accusations as “clear attempts to garner publicity”.
They added: “Mr Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone – adult or minor, man or woman.”
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Tom Skinner
NME
