Rita Ora has opened up about the “crazy” public reaction after being accused of being the alleged other woman in Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s marriage.
On his 2016 album LemonadeBeyoncé appeared to hint at an affair between her husband and another woman, who is only referred to as “Becky with great hair.”
“He only wants me when I’m not around / He better call Becky with the nice hair,” she sings on “Sorry.”
Fans rushed to find out who the woman was, with many suggesting it could be Ora, who was previously signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation album.
She denied the claims at the time, but speculation only increased when Ora shared a selfie wearing a lemon-appliqued bra and a necklace that appeared to have a “J” on it.
During the final episode of the Louis Theroux interview series Interviews with Louis Théroux…the presenter asked Ora about the incident.
“When Beyoncé got her album, there was a mystery woman called who supposedly Jay-Z cheated with,” Theroux explained, with Ora laughing.
“Then at some point in 2016, with Lemonade in the air, you posted a picture of yourself with lemons on your bra and a ‘J’ around your neck,” he continued.
“Oh my god, that was literally a coincidence,” Ora replied. “I didn’t even think about it, I swear. And it wasn’t a J, it was an R. They turned it around and it looked like a J.”
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(BBC/Mindhouse)
“It was in no way designed to intrigue or-” Theroux asked, with Ora interjecting, “No, there was nothing… No, it was my own design with a penny company.” -clothes called Tezenis that I worked with.
“That’s what I mean, man. A pinch of salt. You have to take things with a grain of salt. And that’s what’s crazy. I had to wait until a good friend came to me, Katy Perry, giving me a hilarious badge that said “not Becky”.
Ora and Perry were pictured wearing the badges at the 2016 Met Gala.
Interviews with Louis Théroux… is on BBC iPlayer now.
