Beyonce Drops Jay-Z Surname After Underage Rape Scandal

Beyoncé has dropped the last name of her husband Jay-Z (Sean Carter), who was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl. Fans of the star have noticed that in a recent Forbes rating she is listed by her maiden name - the Internet believes that the singer wants to distance herself from the scandal surrounding the rapper.

Earlier, the publication placed the artist in 35th place in the list of the 100 most influential women in the world. In the rating, the star is listed as Beyoncé Knowles, although officially she is Beyoncé Knowles-Carter - for example, this is how Forbes called her back in September, covering the launch of her whiskey brand.

After that, rumors appeared online that she was young to change her name: commentators believe that Beyoncé is trying to protect her personal brand from the reputational damage caused by the scandal with her husband. Some of them talked about a "soft name change to relaunch" the Beyoncé brand. "Let's hear you all say "Wow!", "No, don't forget Carter!", "Everyone welcome Ms. Knowles," people write.

The lawsuit against Jay Z, 55, alleges that the producer and his friend, rapper P. Diddy (Sean Combs), who is now under arrest, raped a child at a house party in 2000 while another celebrity looked on. Carter has vehemently denied the "sickening" allegations and accused attorney Tony Buzbee of attempting to blackmail him. Following the revelations, the producer, his wife, and their eldest daughter made a surprise appearance on the red carpet in what the press believed was a "united front" against the allegations.

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