Tina Knowles sparked confusion after her Instagram account “liked” a post announcing the bombshell lawsuit accusing Jay-Z of child rape.
The 70-year-old matriarch — mother of Beyoncé and mother-in-law to Jay-Z — quickly addressed the situation on Monday, December 9, claiming her account had been hacked.
“As you all know I do not play about my family,” Knowles posted on Instagram. “So if you see something uncharacteristic of me. Just know that it is not me!” She doubled down in her caption, adding, “Please stop playing with me !!!! ‘No weapon formed against my family shall prosper.’”
The controversy unfolded after multiple reports confirmed that her official Instagram account interacted with an ABC 7 Chicago News post detailing the lawsuit against Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Filed by attorney Tony Buzbee on December 8, the suit alleges the music moguls raped a 13-year-old girl at a 2000 MTV VMAs afterparty.
Jay-Z has vehemently denied the allegations, calling them a “blackmail attempt” in a statement shared with Page Six. “These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!” he wrote. His primary concern, he noted, is the impact on his wife, Beyoncé, and their three children.
Buzbee, meanwhile, dismissed Jay-Z’s “blackmail” claims, asserting that his client “never demanded a penny” and only sought “confidential mediation.”