Despite appearing arm-in-arm with her husband the day after the shocking allegations, one detail on social media suggests that the R&B star Beyoncé might be preparing to distance herself from Jay-Z.
Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, has been accused of r**ing a woman in 2000 when she was just 13 years old.
The woman initially filed a lawsuit in October, alleging that Sean Combs (known as rapper P. Diddy) r***d her along with another prominent man while a famous woman watched. She has since updated the lawsuit to name the second alleged attacker as Jay-Z.
The alleged incident reportedly occurred at a party in New York City following the MTV VMA awards. In response to the accusations, Jay-Z has attacked the victim’s lawyer.
Beyoncé’s Behavior Following the Allegations Against Jay-Z
The public quickly turned its attention to Beyoncé after news of the lawsuit broke. Beyoncé, married to Jay-Z since 2008, has three children with him—Blue Ivy, Rumi, and Sir—and the couple has been together for over 20 years.
Days after the allegations, Forbes named Beyoncé one of the most powerful women of 2024, referring to her as Beyoncé Knowles. This caught attention since Beyoncé has gone by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter since her marriage, often referring to herself as “Mrs. Carter.” Social media users speculated that this could be a sign of an impending separation:
“She’s preparing the public for a name change,” “She’s subtly signaling that she won’t be Carter for much longer,” and “This must be a PR move,” were some of the comments. Others bluntly suggested, “Goodbye, Jay, she stayed with you for too long.”
However, it’s worth noting that Forbes has previously used only Beyoncé’s maiden name in similar features. Additionally, Beyoncé has shown public support for Jay-Z since the allegations surfaced.
The day after the shocking news broke, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, their daughter Blue Ivy, and Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles attended the Mufasa: The Lion King movie premiere. The family posed together on the red carpet, spending ample time with photographers. Beyoncé smiled throughout the event and embraced her husband, making it clear she was standing by him.