Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles has claimed her Instagram account was hacked after she appeared to “like” a social media post about rape allegations made against her son-in-law Jay-Z.
The 70-year-old fashion designer’s verified account engaged with an ABC 7 Chicago Instagram post detailing serious allegations against the rapper.
Hours later, Knowles took to Instagram to deny any involvement with the post.
The incident occurred after Jay-Z was named as a defendant in an amended civil lawsuit filed on Sunday, which accuses him and Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl at an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty in 2000.
Both artists have strongly denied the allegations.
The Instagram post in question, shared by ABC 7 Chicago, featured a photo of Jay-Z and Combs with the headline: “Breaking News: Jay-Z, Diddy Named in Lawsuit Alleging Rape of Girl, 13.”
Tina Knowles is Jay-Z’s mother-in-law
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The post detailed allegations from an amended civil lawsuit filed on December 8, which named Jay-Z as a defendant alongside Combs.
The lawsuit claims that a woman identified only as Jane Doe, was assaulted at a party following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City.
According to the legal documents, the woman alleges she was drugged and assaulted whilst an unnamed female celebrity watched.
The post was initially “liked” by Knowles’ verified account before the interaction was later removed.
Jay-Z vehemently denied the allegations in a statement posted to Roc Nation’s X account, dismissing them as a “blackmail attempt.”
“These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!” he wrote.
The 55-year-old rapper expressed particular concern about the impact on his family with Beyoncé.
“My only heartbreak is for my family,” he stated. “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.”
He added that he mourned “yet another loss of innocence” for his children.
Knowles addressed the controversy on Monday by sharing a screenshot of a note on Instagram that read: “I was hacked! As you all know I do not play about my family. So if you see something uncharacteristic of me. Just know that it is not me!”
Jay-Z and Beyonce attended a Lion King premiere with their daughter on Monday
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She captioned the post with a biblical reference, writing: “Please stop playing with me!!!! ‘No weapon formed against my family shall prosper.'”
Meanwhile, Jay-Z and Beyoncé put on a united front on Monday night, appearing together with their 12-year-old daughter Blue Ivy at the premiere of Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King in Los Angeles.
The family arrived quietly among hundreds of guests and staff at the tented red carpet event. Their appearance was brief, with the Carters departing shortly after taking photos without walking the rest of the carpet or speaking to the media.
The couple, who married in 2008, share three children: Blue Ivy and twins Rumi and Sir, aged seven.