Conan O'Brien's rap battle-related Oscars joke about Kendrick Lamar and Drake was not the Academy Awards' only hip-hop crossover this year, as Jay-Z and Beyonce held an afterparty for the stars. Timothée Chalamet, Keke Palmer, Queen Bey's mother Tina Knowles, Taraji P. Henson, and more Hollywood and entertainment industry elites pulled up to the couple's Sunday night (March 2) bash at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. Per TMZ, even Chappell Roan showed up, although it's unclear whether this was before or after her performance at Elton John's AIDS foundation party that night. Nevertheless, you can see pictures of more celebrities arriving at the party by clicking on the "Via" link below.
Furthermore, this is among Beyoncé and Jay-Z's first public outings since the dismissal of Hov's sexual assault lawsuit. It also named Diddy as a codefendant, accusing both men of sexually assaulting a teenage girl at a party, and came from an anonymous accuser. Attorney Tony Buzbee and his client retracted the filing earlier this month, and Roc Nation made it clear that they did not pay anything to settle. This is now a thing of the past, but Jay still has a lot on his mind concerning it despite the lavish Oscars celebrations.
Jay-Z Versus Tony Buzbee
For example, Jay-Z sued Tony Buzbee for extortion and defamation, and Judge Mark H. Epstein recently ruled that it will go to trial. At least, for defamation, as the judge hinted that the court will most likely dismiss the extortion claims. Epstein did, however, indicate the merit behind the defamation claims – not a ruling or condemnation, but rather an acknowledgement that there's enough evidence to go to trial. This is due to the possible interpretation of Buzbee's social media activity, which includes calling the Brooklyn rapper's accuser a "sexual assault survivor" and liking a post pointing to Jay as the then-unnamed defendant in the lawsuit.
Jay-Z had previously expressed how this lawsuit impacted him, Beyoncé, and their family. Sure, they can continue to host Oscars parties and live as large as they have, but this situation will likely stick around for a while. The distraction is at least something to help move past it.
