Beyoncé's mother, Tina Knowles, issued a statement Monday night claiming her Instagram account was hacked after it appeared to "like" a post detailing explosive rape allegations against her son-in-law, Jay-Z. The allegations, which also implicate music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, have reignited public debate about the accountability of high-profile figures.
"I was hacked!" Knowles wrote in a message shared with her followers. "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!" She ended the statement with a biblical reference: "No weapon formed against my family shall prosper."
The controversy began when Knowles' account "liked" an Instagram post from ABC 7 Chicago reporting on the lawsuit filed against Jay-Z and Diddy. The post referenced allegations made by a woman identified as Jane Doe, who claims she was raped by the two men at an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty in 2000 when she was 13 years old.
Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Corey Carter, vehemently denied the accusations in a statement shared on Roc Nation's official X (formerly Twitter) account. "These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! 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," the rapper stated.
The lawsuit, which initially named Diddy as the sole defendant in October, was amended on Sunday to include Jay-Z. According to the plaintiff, she was invited to the afterparty by a limousine driver who claimed to work for Diddy. The accuser alleges she was drugged, raped by Jay-Z while Diddy and an unidentified female celebrity watched, and then raped again by Diddy.
In his statement, Jay-Z criticized what he called an orchestrated attempt to extort him. "You have made a terrible error in judgment thinking that all 'celebrities' are the same," he wrote. "I'm not from your world. I'm a young man who made it out of the projects of Brooklyn. We don't play these types of games."
Diddy, who is already facing unrelated charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, dismissed the lawsuit through his legal team as "shameless publicity stunts designed to extract payments from celebrities." He remains in custody, having been denied bail by a judge while awaiting trial.
Knowles' apparent connection to the controversy fueled speculation, though her immediate denial of involvement attempted to dispel the rumors. "Please stop playing with me!" she added in her Instagram post.
Jay-Z expressed anguish over the impact the allegations have had on his 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 young people," he said.
The lawsuit continues to spark heated reactions online, as advocates demand transparency and justice for alleged victims of abuse, while skeptics question the timing and motives behind the accusations.
