Los Angeles, California – Jay-Z expressed his heartbreak over his since-dismissed 2024 sexual assault lawsuit and revealed why he refused to settle.
During his recent GQ profile, the 56-year-old rap mogul dished on the emotional turmoil he experienced after an anonymous woman accused him and Sean “Diddy” Combs of rape.
“Settling ain’t in my DNA,” Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, began.
He continued, “First of all, I had to tell my wife, Beyoncé. Let’s back up. I know the weight that this is going to bring on our family. I can’t do it. I would die.”
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The So Ambitious emcee noted, “If I settled make that thing go away. And for me, it would’ve been cheaper? Yes. Cheaper, quicker, move on with your life. I knew what was coming. I wasn’t naïve.”
The Jane Doe initially only named Diddy, who is currently serving four years in prison for prostitution-related charges, in the suit in October 2024, but she later amended it that December to include Jay-Z.
The unnamed woman alleged that the rappers “drugged her” and “took turns” assaulting her at an afterparty for the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards when she was 13.
The accuser voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit in February 2025, but Carter shared that the incident “took a lot out” of him.
The Grammy-winning rapper explained, “I was angry. I haven’t been that angry in a long time. You don’t put that on someone, that’s a thing that you better be super sure.”
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He also credited the Cowboy Carter artist and their three kids for being pillars of support during the “crucial time.”
Jay-Z added, “People can say that they’ll always be there for you, but it’s very rare that you’re going to have to exercise it. And in the darkest moment for me, I got to see those sorts of things.”
