Rhianna Benson
Speaking out on the case for the first time, Jay-Z this week claimed a sexual misconduct lawsuit filed against him in 2024 left him 'heartbroken'.
The allegations, which also referenced jailed music producer Sean 'Diddy' Combs, were made in an amended civil lawsuit to a New York federal court in December of that year.
In it, an anonymous female accused 56-year-old Jay-Z (real name Shawn Corey Carter) of sexual assault, claiming he and Diddy had both raped her following the MTV Video Music Awards in September 2000.
The woman, who claimed she was just 13 at the time, added that an unnamed female celebrity had witnessed the attack.
Advert
Carter has consistently denied all accusations made against him - including this week, when he broke his silence on the case.
Appearing on the cover of the latest issue of GQ, Carter described the period after the allegations first came to light as 'hard'.
"Really hard. I was heartbroken," he continued. "I’m glad we got right to that so we could just get that out the way.
"Like I was really heartbroken by everything that occurred. We’re in a space now where it’s almost like consequence is not thought about enough. Because everything is so instant, you know what I’m saying?"
The 'Empire State of Mind' star - who is married to, and shares three children with, Beyoncé - went on to recall the 'uncontrollable anger' he felt when legal documentation first came his way.
"That whole [lawsuit thing], that s**t took a lot out of me," Carter went on. "I was angry. I haven’t been that angry in a long time, uncontrollable anger."
He added: "You don’t put that on someone—that’s a thing that you better be super sure. It used to be like that.
"You had to be super sure before you put those kind of things on a person. Especially a person like me."
Reiterating his innocence once again, the father-of-three claimed: "I knew that we were going to walk through that because, first of all, it’s not true, and the truth, at the end of the day, still reigns supreme."
Carter previously slammed the lawsuit as a 'blackmail attempt', as well as 'heinous in nature', in a statement given to Page Six back in 2024.
At the time, he filed a motion demanding that the accuser be named, or the case thrown out. Responding to his plea, a judge ruled that Carter's accuser remain anonymous.
In February of last year, the accuser voluntarily and with prejudice withdrew her allegations following an emergence of holes in her recollection.
The musician declared in a statement at the time: "Today is a victory. The frivolous, fictitious, and appalling allegations have been dismissed. This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere."
Carter continued: "The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims. I would not wish this experience on anyone.
"The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed."
The following month, he sued his accuser and her lawyer, Tony Buzbee, for allegedly conspiring to falsely accuse him of sexual assault and costing him $20 million.
Diddy, 56, meanwhile, remains behind bars in a low-security federal prison in New Jersey, serving a four-year sentence for transportation to engage in prostitution.