In Hollywood, relationships come, and relationships go. All too often, couples simply don’t stand the test of time — or the increased scrutiny and added temptation that comes with fame. Then there is Beyoncé and Jay-Z. On April 4, music’s reigning queen and king celebrated 15 years of marriage. And a cursory glance at this past decade proves they’re in it for the long haul.
Have the past 20 years been perfect? No. Actually, far from it. But that’s precisely what makes Bey and Jay such an incredible couple. In addition to the good stuff — showing up for each other, taking the stage together and more — they’ve weathered a few harrowing storms in their relationship and come out on the other side. Remember that infamous Met Gala debacle involving Bey’s sister Solange? How about the couple’s candid confessions in recent years regarding Jay’s alleged infidelity? They’ve survived it all!
Beyoncé and Jay-Z are far from perfect (and c’mon, no couple is), but they are real. And honest. And, it goes without saying, a beautiful couple raising beautiful children together in an industry that doesn’t exactly nurture family over fame.
So, in celebration of this incredible duo and another year together, let’s take a look at some of their biggest moments — both good and bad — since their love started.
A version of this article was published on April 2020.
2000-2002: Speculation
Since their first collaboration, people were convinced there was something between Jay-Z and Beyonce. Back in 2000, Beyoncé told Seventeen that she met Jay-Z when she was 18. Jay-Z later told Vanity Fair magazine in 2002 that they “were just beginning to try to date each other.” He said, “Well, you know, you’ve got to try first. You got to dazzle… wine and dine…She’s a charming Southern girl, you know, she’s not impressed… But I would have definitely had to be this cool.”
2002-2003: Unconfirmed but Turning up the Heat
Throughout the romance rumors, the two collaborated on a bunch of projects together from 2002 to 2003, such as on Jay-Z’s track “’03 Bonnie & Clyde” and Beyoncé’s song “Crazy in Love.”
Aug 2004: Red Carpet Debut
Beyoncé and Jay-Z not only confirmed all of the dating rumors, but made their red carpet debut at the MTV VMAs in August 2004.
2007: Secretly Engaged!
Back in 2007, the two ended up being secretly engaged in Paris (and Beyonce had a $5 million sparkler, per James Allen!)
April 2008: Intimate Wedding
On April 4, 2008, Beyoncé and Jay-Z got married in a secret ceremony. “It was a very emotional wedding — lots of crying — and really very spiritual,” a source told PEOPLE at the time of the soirée, held at the rapper’s 13,500-sq.-ft. Manhattan penthouse and decorated with 70,000 dendrobium orchids flown in from Thailand.
October 2008: Matching Tattoos
To commemorate their wedding (and the dates of their birthday!), Beyoncé and Jay-Z got matching tattoos of the Roman numeral IV on their ring fingers on Oct 2008.
August 2011: Expecting Baby #1
And baby makes three! At the MTV VMAs in 2011, Beyoncé broke the big baby news. After cradling what appeared to be a baby bump on the red carpet, she confirmed she was expecting during her “Love on Top” performance, saying, “I want you to stand up on your feet. I want you to feel the love that’s growing inside me.”
January 2012: Blue Ivy Is Here!
Their first child Blue Ivy Carter was born on Jan 7, 2012, in New York City. While people don’t know why they chose the name, many believe “Ivy” represents the number four, something significant to them
Bey got vulnerable in her 2013 HBO documentary Life Is But a Dream. “About two years ago, I was pregnant for the first time. And I heard the heartbeat, which was the most beautiful music in my life,” she shared in the doc, adding, “[Early in the pregnancy], I flew back to New York to get my check up — and no heartbeat. Literally the week before I went to the doctor, everything was fine, but there was no heartbeat.”
2012-2014: Collaborations Gallore
From 2012 to 2014, these two were everywhere! Not only was Magna Carta Holy Grail released, but so was their hit duet track “Part II (On the Run).” Then in 2013, Beyoncé’s self-titled album was released and “Drunk in Love” instantly hit our playlists. And who could forget when they had that sexy performance of “Drunk in Love” at the Grammys?!
2014: Cheating Rumors
Oh my. This was a doozy. During the 2014 MET Gala, an elevator surveillance camera caught footage of what appeared to be Beyoncé’s sister Solange attacking Jay-Z. Rumor has it the incident centered on Jay’s alleged affair, but the three haven’t spoken about it other than to say it was a family matter that they’ve all moved past.
May 2015: Showing a United Front
Let’s try this again, shall we? At the 2015 Costume Institute Gala one year after the elevator incident, Bey and Jay put on a united front.
February 2017: Expecting Baby #2 & #3!
Only Beyoncé could pull this off! The singer revealed she was pregnant with the couple’s twins by sharing a glorious photo of herself posing in a veil in front of a wreath of flowers on Instagram. She captioned the photo, “We would like to share our love and happiness. We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes. – The Carters.”
June 2017: Officially Twin Parents
Beyoncé and Jay-Z welcomed their twins on June 13, 2017, named Rumi and Sir.
November 2017: Confirmed Cheating Rumors
On November 29, Jay-Z confirmed the cheating rumors to The New York Times Style Magazine. “You know, most people walk away, and like divorce rate is like 50 percent or something ’cause most people can’t see themselves,” he said. “The hardest thing is seeing pain on someone’s face that you caused, and then have to deal with yourself. So, you know, most people don’t want to do that. You don’t want to look inside yourself. And so you walk away.”
2018-2021: Collaboration Royalty Are Back!
Following their wildly successful first On the Run tour, Beyoncé and Jay-Z hit the road together again beginning in June 2018 called On the Run II. This time, it took them across the UK, Europe and the US. And, yep, they shared a ton of sweet (and sexy) moments onstage. Later that year, the couple once again gave fans a huge but pleasant shock when they dropped their long-awaited joint album, Everything Is Love.
They also collaborated with DJ Khaled on the song “Top Off!”
June 2018: Vow Renewal
Beyonce and Jay-Z revealed in a video interlude to fans on their On the Run II tour that they had a gorgeous, intimate vow renewal ceremony to commemorate their 10th wedding anniversary. (It was also shown that Beyoncé wore the $15,000 Thelma Gown by Galia Lahav, per Insider!)
September 2021: Tiffany & Co Ad
The pair then teamed up with Tiffany & Co. for the ABOUT LOVE campaign, and gave fans some amazing snapshots along the way!
Feb 2023: Grammys Appearance
Beyonce officially has the most Grammy nominations (88!), so she and Jay-Z arrived at the 2023 Grammys in style to celebrate!
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