Jay-Z and Beyoncé join Blue Ivy on the red carpet of ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ premiere
Jay-Z joined Beyoncé and Tina Knowles as they celebrated Blue Ivy’s upcoming cinematic debut in “Mufasa: The Lion King.”
This week is a big week for the Carter-Knowles family. Last night, Beyoncé and Jay-Z took a backseat from the spotlight as they watched their little girl Blue Ivy, walk the red carpet at the “Mufasa: The Lion King” premiere. The 12-year-old shined as she took center stage in a gold ballgown, celebrating her Hollywood debut as a voice actress. In the upcoming Lion King prequel, Blue joins Beyoncé as she reprises her voiceover role as Nala to play the lioness’ cub, Kiara.
“My gorgeous baby girl,” Beyoncé wrote on Instagram. “This is your night. You worked hard and you did such a beautiful job as the voice of Kiara. Your family could not be prouder. Keep shining.”
“If I told my younger self I was in a movie, I’d never believe myself,” Blue Ivy said in a behind-the-scenes interview about the film.
Joined by both her parents and her grandmother Tina Knowles, all eyes were on the Carter-Knowles family as they walked the red carpet. In addition to the rarity of seeing the entire family pose together on the red carpet, social media was particularly interested as the premiere came a day after Jay-Z faced sexual assault allegations.
On Dec. 8, the rapper vehemently denied claims of his involvement in a 13-year-old being sexually assaulted. As previously reported by theGrio, the victim, known as Jane Doe, initially filed a lawsuit in October against Sean “Diddy” Combs, claiming she was sexually assaulted after the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. However, on Sunday, the civil lawsuit was refiled to include Jay-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter. In light of the allegations, the Roc Nation mogul released a statement on social media, claiming that the filing was “a blackmail attempt” by Tony Buzbee, Jane Doe’s attorney– the same prosecutor who has filed multiple anonymous lawsuits against Combs.
“These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!!” Jay-Z responded in an online statement shortly after the allegations went public. “[Whoever] 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 statement continued. “My only heartbreak is for my family. My wife and I 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 people.”
Expressing his concern for “yet another loss of innocence” for his children, Jay-Z explained that his “heart and support goes out to true victims of the world, who have to watch how their life story is dressed in costume for profitability.” In addition to his statement, the Brooklyn rapper’s legal team submitted a request for Jane Doe to reveal her identity or have the case dismissed.
“Mr. Carter should not have to defend himself in the brightest of spotlights against an accuser who hides in complete darkness while leveling allegations that describe the purported acts occurring in the plain sight of witnesses who could refute the plaintiff’s claims if only her identity was revealed,” the filing stated, per CNN.
Just as the family showed up to support Blue Ivy’s red carpet moment, Tina Knowles made her unwavering support for her family, including her son-in-law, very clear. After the news of the legal filings hit the social media streets, Mama Knowles’ verified Instagram account reportedly “liked” an Instagram post from ABC 7 Chicago highlighting the allegations against Jay-Z on Monday. Shortly afterward, Knowles released a statement on Instagram claiming that her account was hacked.
“As you all know, I do not play about my family. So if you see something uncharacteristic of me just know that is not me!” she wrote in the post, adding the caption, “Please stop playing with me !!!! ‘No weapon formed against my family shall prosper.’”
In a video posted on ABC’s Good Morning America, Beyoncé can be seen tearing up and doting over her daughter.
“I’m proud of you,” Beyoncé says while holding Blue Ivy close. “I’m just so proud of you. I’m proud that she’s gonna represent so many young, brown girls around the world. Nobody’s prouder than Mommy!”
“Mufasa: The Lion King,” is set to premiere in theaters on December 20, 2024.
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