Jay-Z is breaking his silence on the now-dismissed sexual assault lawsuit filed against him in 2024.
In an interview with GQ, the 56-year-old rapper reflected on the lawsuit, filed by a woman who accused Jay-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, and Sean “Diddy” Combs of drugging and raping her at a party hosted by Combs following the MTV Music Awards in 2000.
Carter and Combs both denied the allegations and the case was dropped in February 2025 after the woman’s lawyers announced the voluntary dismissal did not include any reasons or explanation for the withdrawal. The lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed with prejudice, which means the plaintiff cannot refile the same complaint in court.
“It was hard. Really hard. I was heartbroken,” the Empire State of Mind rapper said while speaking with GQ.
“I was really heartbroken by everything that occurred.”
He said that he never considered taking a settlement with such serious claims against him.
Carter said that the lawsuit “took a lot out” of him and described a feeling of “uncontrollable anger” over the allegations against him.
Get breaking National news
Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won’t miss a trending story.
“We’re in a space now where it’s almost like consequence is not thought about enough. Because everything is so instant, you know what I’m saying?” he said.
“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. It used to be like that. You had to be super sure before you put those kinds of things on a person. Especially a person like me.”
The Young Forever rapper said he was confident that the case would be resolved.
“I took that really hard. I knew that we were going to walk through that because, first of all, it’s not true. And the truth, at the end of the day, still reigns supreme,” he said, adding, “We played enough defense. 2026 is all offence.”
Carter said that the lawsuit helped me “see how people felt about me, especially people that were close to me.”
“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,” he continued. “And in the darkest moment for me, I got to see those sorts of things.”
The father of three also spoke about the fact that the lawsuit was filed one day before he and his wife joined their daughter Blue Ivy at the Los Angeles premiere of Mufasa: The Lion King.
He said that he had considered skipping the event because it was Blue Ivy’s “moment” but decided to attend because his family is a “tight unit.”
Jay-Z, from left, Beyoncé and Blue Ivy Carter arrive at the premiere of ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
After the lawsuit was dismissed, Carter filed a defamation lawsuit against lawyers Tony Buzbee, David Fortney and the anonymous woman, who accused him of sexual assault.
The rapper’s lawsuit, filed in Alabama, states that the initial allegations against him were “false and malicious claims” and were “strategically and tactically calculated and timed to inflict maximum pain and suffering on Mr. Carter.”
His legal team accuses Jane Doe and her lawyers of extortion and being “soullessly motivated by greed.”
His lawsuit, viewed by the New York Times, claims that Doe “voluntarily admitted directly to” his representatives that no assault occurred, and accuses Buzbee of coercing her into pursuing the allegations “to obtain a payday.”
Global News has not independently verified the reporting by the New York Times.
In the filing, Carter’s legal team notes that he “does not wish to expose his malicious and wrongful accuser’s identity in his complaint and seeks to maintain her anonymity as ‘Doe.’”
Carter’s suit also accuses Doe and her lawyers of malicious prosecution, abuse of process and civil conspiracy.
In a statement to Variety last March, Buzbee responded to Carter’s defamation lawsuit, saying, “This Alabama filing asserts the same claims as another case. Jay Z’s team pieced together and filed in Los Angeles. Like the case in LA, this new case in Alabama also has no legal merit.”
The defamation lawsuit is ongoing as of March 2026.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
