A woman who accused Jay-Z of raping her when she was 13 years old has formally withdrawn her allegation, saying that she has never met the rap superstar.
The unnamed woman had originally made the allegation in a lawsuit filed in 2024, claiming that Jay-Z, real name Shawn Carter, had drugged and raped her with Sean Combs, known as P Diddy. The incident was alleged to have happened at a party after an MTV awards ceremony in 2000.
Jay-Z denied the allegations, describing them as a blackmail attempt, and Combs also denied them. Jay-Z’s lawyer maintained the events relied on an “impossible timeline”. The woman dropped the lawsuit in 2025, and Jay-Z filed a counter suit.
As that lawsuit progresses, the woman has now said her claims were false. “Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter never raped me. I have never met or spoken to Mr Carter. Mr Carter never engaged in any inappropriate conduct toward me whatsoever,” she said in a declaration obtained by Rolling Stone.
Thanks for your response. I do believe that an innocent person in jail due to extrajudicial punishment is to be avoided, so I am not saying we should believe everyone all the time.
My point is more in the sense that I do get it when victims are pointing out people doing bad things to them. I don’t want people being “canceled”, lose their job, go to prison or whatever for unsubstantied claims. But considering that people are already really quick to blame people who accuse others of wrongdoings, I just think it might further silence victims to go all “when there is no ironclad proof, we should make accusers pay” or something. Not saying you implied that.