Tina Knowles supports Jay-Z and Beyoncé on red carpet after claiming Instagram ‘like’ on rape allegations was not her
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Tina Knowles has shown her support for Beyonce and Jay-Z after claiming an Instagram “like” on a post about her son-in-law’s recent rape allegations was the result of being hacked.
The star-studded family attended the premiere of Mufasa: The Lion King at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on Monday (December 9). They were joined by Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s eldest daughter Blue Ivy, who voices Simba and Nala’s cub Kiara in the film. Meanwhile, the 32-time Grammy winner voices Nala.
For the occasion, Tina wore a black off-the-shoulder top with matching pants and leather gloves. She completed her look with a gold and black belt and opted for red lipstick.
The “Halo” singer wore a strapless gold and black dress, while Blue Ivy wore a satin, gold ball gown. As for Jay-Z, the rapper donned for a brown tuxedo, paired with a black tie, on the red carpet.
Tina’s red carpet appearance came just hours after she claimed her Instagram account was hacked. On Monday, the 70-year-old businesswoman told fans her Instagram was hacked after it appeared that her account had liked a post about Jay-Z facing rape allegations in a new lawsuit.
“I was Hacked!” she wrote in an iPhone note, which was posted on Instagram. “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!”
In the caption, she added: “Please stop playing with me !!!! ‘No weapon formed against my family shall prosper.’”
A federal lawsuit, which originally only named Sean “Diddy” Combs, was refiled by attorney Tony Buzbee in federal court on Sunday (December 8). It cited an accuser named “Jane Doe,” who alleged she was assaulted at a house party following the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000.
The alleged victim said she was 13 years old when Combs allegedly raped her at an MTV VMA after-party, where Jay-Z (real name Sean Carter) was present. The lawsuit also claimed that an unnamed female celebrity was in the room during the after-party.
Jay-Z has since denied the allegations in the lawsuit, calling them a “blackmail attempt.”
“You have made a terrible error in judgment thinking that all ‘celebrities’ are the same. I’m not from your moral world. I’m a young man who made it out of the project of Brooklyn,” Jay-Z wrote in a statement posted to his entertainment company, Roc Nation.
He continued: “We don’t play these types of games. We have very strict codes and honor. We protect children, you seem to exploit people for personal gain. Only your network of conspiracy theorists, fake physics, will believe the idiotic claims you have levied against me that, if not for the seriousness surrounding harm to kids, would be laughable.”
The rapper also shared that his “only heartbreak” is for his family. In addition to 12-year-old Blue Ivy, Jay-Z and Beyoncé are also parents to seven-year-old twins, Rumi and Sir.
“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 people,” he wrote. “I mourn yet another loss of innocence.”
In September, Combs was arrested on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, with federal prosecutors alleging that Combs and his associates threatened, abused, and coerced women and others around him “to fulfill his sexual desires.”
A lawyer for the hip-hop artist has continued to deny the allegations, calling Combs “an innocent man with nothing to hide.”
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” his attorney, Marc Agnifilo, told The Independent via email in the wake of his arrest.
Since his arrest, Combs has twice been denied bail on the charges, despite offering his Miami mansion as collateral for a $50 million bond. The judges cited what federal prosecutors described as a serious risk that Combs could intimidate witnesses.
