The 10 Biggest Beyoncé And Jay Z Rumors: True Or False?

    Are Bey and Jay consciously uncoupling right now? Evaluating the divorce rumors, and the 12 years of gossip that came before them.

    Naomi Zeichner
    by Naomi Zeichner

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1. 2002 — They’re dating.

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    Beyoncé collaborated with a Jay Z protege Amil when she was 18, in 2000, but speculation that she and Jay Z were in a relationship heated up in 2002, when she appeared on his single "03 Bonnie and Clyde." The two collaborated again on Beyoncé's 2003 hit "Crazy in Love," and appeared together in public a bunch, but rarely discussed the relationship. In 2003, Jay Z told Playboy the two were "just friends."

    Was it true?

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    Yes. The two were "just beginning to try to date each other" in 2001, when they appeared together on the cover of Vanity Fair, Jay admitted in 2013. After they got married, Beyoncé placed the beginning of the relationship around late 2000.

    2. 2005 — They’re secretly married.

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    Beyoncé shot down rumors that she and Jay were secretly engaged or married in a November 2005 interview with Vanity Fair. She expressed surprise that both rumors could exist concurrently, saying: "I'm engaged and married at the same time?"

    Was it true?

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    No. Beyoncé and Jay Z were married on April 4, 2008. "There was no rush — no one expected me to run off and get married," Beyoncé told Seventeen after the wedding that year, when she was 26.

    3. 2005 — Beyoncé will fire her father so Jay Z can manage her.

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    "Jay doesn't want to manager her," Tina Knowles told Vanity Fair in 2005, responding to rumors that Beyoncé would soon fire her father as her manager.

    Was it true?

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    Yes and no. Jay never became Beyoncé's manager, but she did fire her father Matthew Knowles in March 2011. At the time, Knowles said the decision was mutual, but legal papers obtained by TMZ that July showed that he believed he was fired as her manager because she thought he was stealing money from her.

    4. 2006 — They’re broken up.

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    On 2006 track "Lost One," Jay narrated the dissolution of a relationship with a younger partner, saying: "I don't think it's meant to be, be / But she loves her work more than she does me / And honestly, at 23 / I would probably love my work than I did she / So, we ain't we / It's me, and her."

    Was it true?

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    Yes. In Jay Z's 2010 book, Decoded, he clarified that the "Lost One" verse was about a period when the couple broke up while Beyoncé met the demands of her career.

    5. September 2006 — Beyoncé tells Rihanna to stay away from Jay Z.

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    Rihanna auditioned for then-Def Jam President Jay Z and then-label head L.A. Reid in 2005. The audition led to a record deal and, eventually, a massively successful May 2007 album called Good Girl Gone Bad, for which she and Jay Z recorded the duet "Umbrella." In May 2006, a since-deleted MediaTakeOut.com report sparked rumors that Rihanna and Jay had been spending private time together, and that Beyoncé has stormed out of a basketball game date with Jay Z as a result. In September 2006, many suspected Beyoncé of slamming Rihanna on B'Day single "Ring the Alarm," with lyrics like: "She's sold half a million, gold / She don't love [you], that shit I know."

    Was it true?

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    Doesn't seem like it. But true or not, at the time, these rumors were seen as beneficial to all involved at the time. And in 2014, people still love this fantasy triangle — Jay and Rihanna rumors keep popping up.

    6. October 2011 — Beyoncé’s baby bump is fake.

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    During an interview on Australian television, Beyoncé's baby bump appeared to "fold in half," sparking rumors that she was wearing a prosthetic bump, and using a surrogate to carry their daughter.

    Was it true?

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    No, but there are still skeptics. In April 2012, Beyoncé told People, "It was a fabric that folded — does fabric not fold? Oh my gosh, so stupid." Months later, in the HBO documentary she co-directed, Life Is But a Dream, there were full shots of Beyoncé's pregnant body, presented in grainy black and white. Of these images, Gawker asked: "If you're going to present an image of your pregnant self to prove the naysayers wrong, why do it in such an obscure way? Why bother? The footage seems to exist to be described as 'beautiful.' Is it just art, or more lies?"

    7. December 27–29, 2011 — Beyoncé is in labor.

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    The Daily Mail said Beyoncé was "moments away from giving birth"; MediaTakeOut claimed she'd rented half of New York hospital St. Lukes Roosevelt's plushy labor and delivery suite.

    Was it true?

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    No. Beyonce gave birth to Blue Ivy Carter at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital about a week later, on Jan. 7.

    8. May 2013 — Beyoncé is pregnant again.

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    On May 6, Beyoncé told Good Morning America that she'd like to expand her family. "I think my daughter needs some company," she said. Days later, "multiple sources" told Page Six that Beyoncé, who was then in the middle of a world tour, was expecting a second child with Jay Z.

    Was it true?

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    Apparently not. Sources told Us Weekly the rumor was "silly," and in the following months, no baby bump appeared, and no child was born.

    9. May 2014 — Solange and Jay Z’s elevator fight was caused by ex-Jay Z flame Rachel Roy.

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    This is the Wendy Williams theory: Designer Rachel Roy once had a fling with Jay Z. Williams posits that Solange saw an exchange between Jay and Roy at the Met Ball that she didn't like, and later fought Jay in defense of her sister.

    Was it true?

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    Will we ever know? Jay Z and Beyoncé released a statement about the incident to the Associated Press on May 15, saying that they had "moved forward as a united family." And that was, seemingly, the end of that.

    10. Summer 2014 — They’re getting divorced.

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    After the elevator fight, Wendy Williams sparked divorce rumors by pointing out that Beyoncé had not been wearing her wedding ring, and was seemingly in the process of removing a "IV" tattoo on her finger. In May, Ok! claimed that the couple had "been on the verge of divorce for the last year." On July 19 and 21, two reports alleged the couple, currently in the middle of a joint stadium tour, were on the verge of separation. "They are splitting up everything (properties, money, child/ren) right now, but will be keeping up appearances until the announcement. They are separating this year, with the divorce to follow in about six months. It will be very clean and very fast," said an item in Blind Gossip. A Page Six source said only "divine intervention" could save the marriage.

    Is it true?