Diddy and Jay Z Beyonce Timeline Explained

Diddy & Jay-Z/Beyonce Timeline Explained

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re chronicling the history between Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and the music industry’s definitive power couple, Beyoncé Knowles and Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter.

Part One: B, PD, & JZ

Diddy established himself as a music mogul in the 90s when he left Uptown Records to found Bad Boy Records, signing fellow artists like Mase, Faith Evans, and The Notorious B.I.G. The rapper Jaz-O made a demo tape with The Lox, which was passed on to Mary J. Blige and later Diddy. Jaz-O also took on a protege in Jay-Z, whose stage name paid tribute to his mentor. With Jaz-O’s help, Jay-Z found success with his first studio album, “Reasonable Doubt,” which featured The Notorious B.I.G. on the track “Brooklyn’s Finest.” Less than a year after its release, Biggie was murdered. This death heavily influenced Jay-Z while recording his sophomore album, “In My Lifetime, Vol. 1,” which Diddy contributed to.

While Diddy and Jay-Z were already friends, this album marked one of their first major collaborations. The other was Diddy’s “No Way Out” album, which included Jay-Z on the track “Young G’s.” Diddy rounded out 1997 with what he described as “the biggest hip-hop show ever,” featuring acts from Jay-Z and Usher. According to Usher, he once considered forming a group with Diddy, Jay-Z, and Pharrell Williams. Although this never came to fruition, Diddy and Jay-Z remained close-knit. In Diddy’s eyes, Jay-Z filled the shoes that Biggie and Tupac Shakur left behind. Jay-Z naturally drew comparisons to Diddy, both being New York-born hip-hop artists named Shawn/Sean. Both were also equal parts businessmen with Jay-Z co-founding Roc-A-Fella Records. Neither was a stranger to controversy either.

In December 1999, Jay-Z and Diddy became embroiled in separate scandals - both taking place at Times Square nightclubs. Jay-Z was accused of stabbing record producer Lance “Un” Rivera at the Kit Kat Club. Jay-Z supposedly believed Rivera was responsible for bootlegging “Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter.” Rivera claimed years later that Jay-Z took the fall for somebody else. In any case, Jay-Z ultimately pleaded guilty and received three years probation. Weeks after the Kit Kat Club stabbing, Diddy and protege Shyne allegedly took part in a shooting at Club New York. Both were arrested along with Jennifer Lopez, Diddy’s then-girlfriend. Lopez received no charges while Diddy walked away with a not guilty verdict, although Shyne served almost a decade.

The shooting trial marked the downfall of Diddy and JLo’s relationship. Jay-Z, meanwhile, had started a relationship with Destiny’s Child’s breakout member, Beyoncé. Jay-Z and Beyoncé were friends for roughly a year before they officially started dating in the early 2000s. Diddy knew Beyoncé when she was a single lady, recalling one of his parties when Michael Jackson dropped by uninvited. Jackson whispered into Diddy’s ear, “Where’s Beyoncé?” According to Diddy, Jackson eventually found Beyoncé and danced with her. Beyoncé’s solo career took off in 2003 with her album “Dangerously in Love.” The chart-topping lead single “Crazy in Love” certified Beyoncé and Jay-Z as a power couple. Beyoncé also collaborated with Diddy on the song “Summertime,” which found success despite being left out of the album.

Part Two: Bey & The Besties

Over the next two decades, Beyoncé and Jay-Z were practically joined at the hip with Diddy not far away. Following Hurricane Katrina, Diddy and Jay-Z pledged $1 million to the American Red Cross. Beyoncé was similarly inspired to co-found the Survivor Foundation with fellow Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland. In 2009, Diddy produced the biopic “Notorious,” centering on the life of Biggie Smalls. Jay-Z and Beyoncé showed their support, attending the film’s premiere. The two had tied the knot a year earlier, welcoming their first-born child Blue Ivy Carter in 2012. Diddy congratulated the couple on social media, hoping to see “many more.”

The following year, Beyoncé and Jay-Z arrived at Diddy’s VMAs afterparty. Reports claim that a brawl broke out between Diddy and J. Cole, who supposedly “said inappropriate things” about his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. One guest relayed to New York Daily News, “It was mayhem. Beyoncé was yelling to stop and Jay-Z was separating people and getting people away from Bey.” Diddy denied this happened, posting online, “We had a great party.” In any case, the story didn’t deter Beyoncé and Jay-Z from attending Diddy’s New Year’s bash months later.

In 2014, rumors started spreading that Beyoncé and Jay-Z had hit a rough patch with the latter cheating. Beyoncé tackled her husband’s infidelity head-on in her 2016 album “Lemonade.” The couple also addressed their struggles in the 2018 song “Family Feud.” Discussing the couple, Diddy said that “Family Feud” didn’t surprise him, although “Lemonade” caught him off guard. Nevertheless, Diddy was glad that Jay-Z and Beyoncé had overcome this hurdle. The same can’t be said about Diddy and Cassie Ventura, whose nearly decade-long relationship ended in 2018.

Diddy’s friendship with Jay-Z and Beyoncé was still going strong, however. When Diddy turned 50 in 2019, Beyoncé wished him a happy birthday on Instagram and showed up at his party with Jay-Z. In a video recorded at the party, Beyoncé danced alongside Kelly Rowland and Saweetie. In the same video, Jay-Z was seemingly seen snatching a phone away from another guest filming them. Jay-Z and Diddy remained friends despite being in constant competition for the world’s wealthiest hip-hop artist. Diddy held the title in 2012, although Jay-Z dethroned him in 2018 and 2022. By that point, Diddy and Jay-Z were both billionaires while Beyoncé reigned in a class of her own. One of these three would soon fall from the top.

Part Three: Reasonable Doubt?

In 2022, Jay-Z and Diddy were both present at DJ Khaled’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. It was one of their last public appearances together before Casey Ventura accused Diddy of sexual assault in 2023. Ventura’s lawsuit - while settled - ignited a storm of legal action from other accusers, leading to Diddy’s arrest in 2024. The accusations have invited troubling questions about Diddy and those within his inner circle. Jay-Z and Beyoncé are among the most prominent names on that list. Despite knowing Diddy for decades and attending many of his parties, there’s reason to believe that neither Jay-Z nor Beyoncé knew the extent of his alleged crimes. That hasn’t stopped people like 50 Cent from sharing a throwback video of Diddy seemingly patting Jay-Z’s butt.

Amid Diddy’s downfall, it was rumored that Beyoncé lost 4 million Instagram followers, although this was proven to be false. More concerning was Jaguar Wright’s interview with Piers Morgan where the singer described Diddy and Jay-Z as “monsters.” She also claimed Jay-Z and Beyoncé had numerous victims. Jay-Z’s lawyers pursued a “legal ultimatum” against Morgan, who apologized for airing the interview. Furthermore, Morgan stated that Wright’s accusations about the couple “were totally false and have no basis in fact.” Jason Lee alleged in his podcast that Jay-Z had people call him, asking to help put out the fire. While Jay-Z and Beyoncé have been seen at Diddy’s parties, Lee noted there’s no evidence that the couple participated in or knew about the alleged “freak-off” parties.

Like several other celebs close to Diddy, Jay-Z and Beyoncé have stayed silent since the scandal broke. We can expect them to stay quiet unless they’re called to testify at Diddy’s trial, which seems unlikely. Online conspiracy theorists have interpreted their silence as guilt, although that’s hardly an airtight argument. Assuming the rumors about Jay-Z and Beyoncé are completely false, it’s understandable why they would want to distance themselves from Diddy, especially in a climate where social media tends to cry, “guilt by association.” That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t talk about their association with Diddy. This case remains a puzzle with many pieces still missing. Whether or not Jay-Z and Beyoncé are among those missing pieces, they have reasonable doubt on their side for now. The evidence against Diddy may be another story.

What do you make of Diddy’s dynamic with Jay-Z and Beyoncé? Let us know in the comments.