Jay-Z and Beyoncé walked the red carpet at the “Mufasa: The Lion King” premiere in Los Angeles on Monday night to support their daughter, Blue Ivy Carter.
The 12-year-old voices Kiara, the daughter of Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé), in the prequel to the 2019 photorealistic remake of Disney’s “The Lion King.” Glover and Beyoncé also reprise their voice roles from the remake.
Jay-Z’s surprise red carpet appearance comes one day after he was accused in a civil lawsuit of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 along with Sean “Diddy” Combs. The lawsuit, which was first filed in October and originally listed Combs as the defendant, was refiled Sunday to name Jay-Z (whose real name is Shawn Carter) as well.
Jay-Z responded to the lawsuit on Sunday in a statement in which he called the claims “idiotic” and part of a “blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a ‘lawyer’ named Tony Buzbee.”
Popular on Variety
He added, “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. Children should not have to endure such at their young age. It is unfair to have to try to understand inexplicable degrees of malice meant to destroy families and human spirit.”
Before the “Mufasa” L.A. premiere screening, Beyoncé and Blue Ivy Carter stood on stage alongside their castmates while director Barry Jenkins delivered the opening remarks.