When did Beyoncé, Jay-Z start dating? A relationship timeline, from courtship to marriage
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Jay-Z have been one of the entertainment industry's power couples for over two decades.
In February, Jay-Z was by his wife's side as she made history at the 2025 Grammy Awards and finally won album of the year for "Cowboy Carter."
The big night came after the couple had presented a united front while Jay-Z was being accused of sexually assaulting and drugging a 13-year-old girl with Sean "Diddy" Combs at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party in 2000 — allegations Jay-Z vehemently denied. By February, the woman, identified anonymously as Jane Doe, dropped her lawsuit.
"By standing up in the face of heinous and false allegations, Jay has done what few can – he pushed back, he never settled, he never paid 1 red penny, he triumphed and cleared his name," Jay-Z's attorney said in a statement to Paste BN.
Jay-Z and Beyoncé's relationship and intertwining careers date back over 20 years ago and have sprouted in more ways than one.
Were Beyoncé and Jay-Z dating in 2000?
The assault in the since-dropped lawsuit was alleged to have occurred in September 2000.
Beyonce met Jay-Z in 2000 when she was 18 years old and he was 30, though they wouldn't start dating for a while.
In a 2013 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé said, "We were friends first for a year and a half before we went on any date, on the phone for a year and a half, and that foundation is so important in a relationship. Just to have someone that you just like is so important, and someone that is honest."
2001: Jay-Z and Beyoncé start dating
In November 2001, Jay-Z and Beyoncé appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair's music issue along with other artists. The rapper later told the magazine that, at the time, they "were just beginning to try to date each other." In 2002, reports about their relationship began to heat up as the "Cowboy Carter" creator appeared as his girlfriend in the music video for their collaboration "'03 Bonnie & Clyde."
Jay and Beyoncé began releasing music together in 2002
After the Brooklyn-bred rapper released "'03 Bonnie & Clyde," the following year, Beyoncé dropped her smash hit "Crazy in Love," featuring Jay-Z. They ended up winning a Grammy for best R&B song and best rap/sung collaboration awards at the 2004 awards show.
These popular tunes would become the start of their list of music and business ventures together.
Their other collaborations include her songs "That's How You Like It," "Upgrade U," "Déjà Vu" and "Drunk in Love"; his songs "Hollywood," "Lift Off," "Part II (On the Run)" and "Family Feud"; "The Lion King: The Gift" soundtrack song ""Mood 4 Eva" and Jay-Z's numerous songwriting credits on Beyoncé tracks.
When did Jay-Z and Beyoncé get married?
Jay-Z and Beyoncé married on April 4, 2008. Initially, the pair managed to keep their matrimony under wraps from the public, though they later offered glimpses into their intimate ceremony. In the 2016 video for "All Night," from Beyoncé's album "Lemonade," the singer showed the couple eating their wedding cake alongside more couple and family videos with a young Blue Ivy.
In a 2017 Instagram post, she shared a video for "Die With You" in honor of their ninth anniversary featuring more footage from their wedding, including them walking down the aisle. The track was first released on their seventh anniversary.
Beyoncé, Jay-Z and their kids: Blue Ivy, twins Sir and Rumi
The couple have since welcomed three children together, including 13-year-old Blue Ivy Carter and 7-year-old twins Sir and Rumi Carter.
Jay-Z and Beyonce's music collaborations offer rare glimpse into relationship
In addition to creating music together, Jay and Bey used their music as a form of artistic expression for their personal lives.
They have continued to work together professionally and support each other through the years, from their renowned On The Run Tour, which first kicked off in 2014, to their On The World Tour Part II Tour in 2018.
A public cheating scandal spurred by unearthed elevator security footage of an altercation between Jay-Z and Beyoncé's sister Solange would go on to inspire unguarded and critically acclaimed albums about the breakdown of their marriage — Beyoncé's "Lemonade" and Jay's "4:44" — before the couple came together in a united front for their 2018 joint album, "The Carters."
Jay-Z has also contributed his pen and production to Beyoncé's latest albums, "Renaissance" and "Cowboy Carter."
Beyoncé and Jay-Z top power couple status with Grammy honors
Beyoncé and Jay-Z have been a powerful force both apart and together, as they have often collaborated musically. In November 2024, Beyoncé, already the most-decorated Grammy artist in history, became the most nominated artist of all time with a total of 99 nominations throughout her career. This record beat out Jay-Z, whom she had previously been tied with at 88 nods.
At the beginning of 2024, Jay-Z called out the Recording Academy for snubbing his wife by never awarding her album of the year. A year later, Beyoncé finally took the honor for "Cowboy Carter."
Jay-Z, Beyoncé presented united front amid dropped lawsuit
In December 2024, an anonymous woman alleged in an amended lawsuit that Jay-Z and Combs drugged and raped her at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party in September 2000.
Jay-Z strongly denied the allegations and called the amended lawsuit, filed by Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee, a "blackmail attempt." He asked that the woman accusing him of rape be required to reveal her identity or for her lawsuit against him to be dismissed. In a statement, Jay-Z lamented that he and Beyoncé would need to explain the accusations to their three children.
"My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people," he said.
Amid the controversy, the couple presented a united front and supported their daughter Blue Ivy Carter at the world premiere of "Mufasa: The Lion King" on Dec. 9. The 13-year-old voiced the role of Princess Kiara in the Disney prequel. The family arrived without much fanfare at the "Mufasa" premiere among hundreds of guests and staff roaming the tented red carpet. After appearing at the step and repeat, the Carters disappeared as quickly as they came — without walking the rest of the carpet or speaking to the media.
By February 2025, the anonymous woman's lawsuit against Combs and Jay-Z was dropped. She dismissed it "with prejudice," meaning it can't be refiled.
Follow Caché McClay, the Paste BN Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.
Contributing: Edward Segarra, KiMi Robinson and Brendan Morrow, Paste BN