Celebrities have reacted to accusations leveled at Jay-Z, who has vehemently denied allegations that he raped a 13-year-old girl alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs.
In a civil suit filed in a New York federal court on Sunday night, the anonymous plaintiff alleged that she was raped at an afterparty following the MTV Video Music Awards in New York City on September 7, 2000.
The accuser originally filed the suit in October, claiming that she was sexually assaulted by Combs, but refiled it on Sunday to name Jay-Z as the celebrity who allegedly raped her and Combs as “Celebrity B” who purportedly watched.
Lawyers for Jay-Z, whose given name is Shawn Carter, filed a response on Monday, asking the judge to require that the accuser—who is represented by Texas trial attorney Tony Buzbee—identify herself in the complaint or dismiss the case.
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In a statement to Newsweek on Monday, Combs’ legal team said: “This amended complaint and the recent extortion lawsuit against Mr. Buzbee exposes his barrage of lawsuits against Mr. Combs for what they are: shameless publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr. Combs.
“As his legal team has said before, Mr. Combs has full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process. In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone—man or woman, adult or minor.”
Jay-Z argued in his motion to dismiss that he was the target of an “extortionate campaign” designed to pressure him into paying millions, regardless of the truth.
Newsweek has contacted a representative of Jay-Z via email for comment.
As the lawsuit dominates conversation on social media, country music star John Rich took to X to share an NBC headline on the allegations. He opted to forgo a caption, adding an emoji of a finger pointing down to the headline.
Hip-hop star 50 Cent was also among the more prominent names who weighed in on the allegations against Jay-Z.
Taking to Instagram and X, the musician and businessman, whose given name is Curtis Jackson, shared a popular meme from his cameo in classic HBO show Entourage that shows him staring in bewilderment while driving.
“Ok I don’t know what’s going on, but are we gonna still have the Super Bowl… I’m just asking for a friend!” 50 Cent captioned the image, referring to Jay-Z’s company Roc Nation co-producing the hugely popular Super Bowl Halftime Show.
This is not the first time that 50 Cent has weighed in on such matters. As Combs remains behind bars awaiting trial on allegations of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, 50 Cent has trolled him on numerous occasions. Combs has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.
It was reported in September that 50 Cent is producing a docuseries about Combs and the crimes he has been accused of carrying out.
Meanwhile, Jay-Z is making moves to clear his name as quickly as possible. Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Jay-Z, filed a motion on Monday to expedite the case.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Mr. Carter is entirely innocent. This is a shakedown,” Spiro wrote. “He is not mentioned, referenced, or implicated in any way in the criminal investigation of Mr. Combs. He is neither a target nor a person of interest in that investigation.
“We are available at the Court’s earliest convince to provide additional briefing or to appear for a hearing on this matter.”
Jay-Z Denies Rape Allegation
Jay-Z has vehemently denied the rape allegations he is facing, and issued a first-person statement on Sunday, shortly after news of the lawsuit broke.
In a statement released through his Roc Nation social media account and representative Jana Fleishman, Jay-Z called the lawsuit a “blackmail attempt” and criticized lawyer Buzbee directly.
“My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a ‘lawyer’ named Tony Buzbee. What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle,” Jay-Z stated.
“I have no idea how you have come to be such a deplorable human Mr. Buzbee, but I promise you I have seen your kind many times over,” he wrote. “My heart and support goes out to true victims in the world, who have to watch how their life story is dressed in costume for profitability by this ambulance chaser in a cheap suit.”
In response to the statement, Buzbee told Newsweek: “Mr. Carter previously denied being the one who sued me and my firm. He even filed his frivolous case under a pseudonym. What he fails to say in his recent statement is my firm sent his lawyer a demand letter on behalf of an alleged victim and that victim never demanded a penny from him. Instead, she only sought a confidential mediation.”
Buzbee added: “Since I sent the letter on her behalf, Mr. Carter has not only sued me, but he has tried to bully and harass me and this plaintiff. His conduct has had the opposite impact. She is emboldened. I’m very proud of her resolve. As far as the allegations in the complaint filed today, we will let the filing speak for itself and will litigate the facts in court, not in the media.”
Elsewhere in his statement, Jay-Z said of the crime he’s accused of carrying out: “These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! Whomever 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.
“My only heartbreak is for my family. 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. I mourn yet another loss of innocence.”
Jay-Z shares three children with his wife Beyoncé: Blue Ivy, 12, and 7-year-old twins Sir and Rumi.
Specialists from the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) sexual assault hotline are available 24/7 via phone (1 (800) 656-4673) and online chat. Additional support from the group is also accessible via the mobile app.
