Beyoncé, Jay-Z and their 12-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter made a public appearance at the film’s premiere Mufasa: The Lion King on December 9, a day after the rapper publicly denied the rape allegations against him.
The singer and actress, 43, is reprising her voice role as Nala in the Disney film Mufasa (in theaters Dec. 20), a new prequel to the 2019 photorealistic film The lion king remake. Blue Ivy will join her as the lioness cub Kiara on screen.
The couple and Blue Ivy posed alongside Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, on the carpet at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Monday night.
Jay-Z, 55, is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl 24 years ago in a civil lawsuit filed in October by a woman identified only as Jane Doe. After Sean “Diddy” Combs was first named as a defendant, the lawsuit has since been amended to include Jay-Z (whose real name is Shawn Carter).
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JAY-A at the ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ Premiere in LA on December 9, 2024.
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty
On Sunday, Dec. 8, the rapper vehemently denied the allegations, writing on the X (formerly Twitter) account of his entertainment company Roc Nation that the filing was an “attempt at blackmail,” speaking out against Jane Doe’s attorney, Tony Buzbee.
“What he calculated was the nature of these allegations and that the public attention would make me want to settle. No, sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me expose you for a fraud that you are VERY public about. So no, I won’t give you NOT ONE RED PENNY!!” Jay-Z posted. “These allegations are of such a heinous nature that I am asking you to file criminal charges, not civil charges!! Whoever would commit such a crime against a minor should be jailed, don’t you agree? These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case .”
Beyoncé and her family appeared at the premiere alongside co-stars Aaron Pierre, Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner. Director Barry Jenkins was also on the red carpet.
Taking to Instagram, Beyoncé praised her “beautiful baby girl” alongside the premiere photos later Monday night. “This is your night. You worked hard and did such a beautiful job as Kiara’s voice. Your family couldn’t be prouder. Keep shining,” she wrote.
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Jay-Z and Beyoncé on Mufasa: The Lion King premiere.
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty
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In her lawsuit, the woman claims she was raped by Combs and Jay-Z while an as-yet-unnamed celebrity looked on during a party at a New York City residence after the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. Combs, 55, was recently denied bail for the third time and more remains in federal prison in Brooklyn on sex-trafficking and racketeering charges after his arrest in September. The musician’s trial is scheduled for May 2025.
In his statement to X, Jay-Z made rare comments about his family, including 12-year-old Blue Ivy and twins Rumi and Sir, 7. “My only sadness is for my family,” he wrote. “My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at an 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.”
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From left: Tina Knowles, Jay-Z, Beyoncé and Blue Ivy Carter.
Amy Sussman/WireImage
After the rapper broke his silence on the allegations, his mother-in-law Tina Knowles’ Instagram account “liked” an Instagram post about the news. On December 9, a few hours before Mufasa premiere, Knowles returned to Instagram, writing that her account had been hacked.
“No weapon built against my family will work,” Knowles wrote alongside the post, which read: “I’ve been hacked! As you all know, I don’t play about my family,” she wrote. “So if you see anything uncharacteristic of me. Just know it’s not me!”
Mufasa: The Lion King it’s in theaters on December 20.
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Source: HIS Education