Jay-Z was left “heartbroken” over the sexual misconduct lawsuit filed against him by an anonymous accuser at the end of 2024.
The “Empire State of Mind” rapper finally opened up about the shocking sexual assault allegations during a cover interview with GQ published Tuesday.
“It was hard. Really hard. I was heartbroken,” Jay-Z, 56, began. “I’m glad we got right to that so we could just get that out the way.”
He continued, “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 25-time Grammy winner, who has been married to Beyoncé for 17 years, went on to share how he felt “uncontrollable anger” when his accuser filed the civil lawsuit against him in December 2024.
“That whole [lawsuit thing], that s–t took a lot out of me,” he told the outlet. “I was angry. I haven’t been that angry in a long time, uncontrollable anger.”
Jay-Z 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.”
After emphasizing that he took the allegations against him “really hard,” Jay-Z once again denied the accusations and insisted they were “not true.”
“I knew that we were going to walk through that because, first of all, it’s not true,” he said. “And the truth, at the end of the day, still reigns supreme.”
An anonymous woman filed an amended civil lawsuit against the “99 Problems” rapper, born Shawn Carter, in New York federal court in December 2024.
She alleged that, at the age of 13, she was raped by both Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs while an unnamed female celebrity watched following the MTV Video Music Awards in September 2000.
Jay-Z described the lawsuit as a “blackmail attempt” and the allegations as “heinous in nature” in a statement to Page Six at the time.
Although the “Hard Knock Life” rapper filed a motion requesting that his accuser be named or the suit be dismissed, the judge ruled that she could proceed with the lawsuit and remain anonymous while doing so.
However, Jay-Z’s anonymous accuser voluntarily and with prejudice withdrew her lawsuit in February 2025, meaning she couldn’t refile it, after inconsistencies in her story emerged.
“Today is a victory,” he said after the lawsuit was dropped. “The frivolous, fictitious, and appalling allegations have been dismissed. This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere.”
He 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.”
One month later, in March 2025, Jay-Z sued his former rape accuser and her lawyer, Tony Buzbee, in Alabama for allegedly conspiring to falsely accuse him of sexual assault and causing him to lose $20 million.
Diddy, meanwhile, is currently incarcerated in New Jersey as he serves a four-year sentence for transportation to engage in prostitution.
Elsewhere during his GQ interview, the “Blueprint” artist opened up about fatherhood.
He and Beyoncé share three kids: daughter Blue Ivy, 14, and 8-year-old twins Rumi and Sir.
“It gives everything meaning, everything,” he said of being a dad. “I’ll go cross-country, do what I have to do, and I’m back on the plane that night. I love taking them to school. I love picking them up. Everything means so much more.”
Jay-Z also addressed the ongoing beef between fellow hip-hop icons Kendrick Lamar and Drake.
“Now, people that like Kendrick hate Drake, no matter what he makes. It’s like an attack on his character,” he shared. “I don’t know if I love that. I don’t know if it’s helpful to our growth where the fallout lands, especially on social media.”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
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