Christmas Day 2024 was filled with gifts, football, and Beyoncé, with millions tuning in to watch the singer’s highly-anticipated NFL halftime show performance on Netflix. Some minds, including one PR crisis manager, have theories about the much-talked about performance, however, and what it could mean for both Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s image.
In a reel posted to Instagram, self-described “comms expert” Jamie Mangrum shared her thoughts on the pop culture event, claiming that Queen Bey’s staff is trying to “over saturate the media” because they “don’t believe people read the news.” Explaining that she has a career in crisis media, she echoed advice she would often tell her staff: “Don’t only follow social media to find out the impact of news.”
Mangrum then went on to detail the latest developments in Jay-Z’s legal battle. As we reported, Jay-Z was named in an amended sexual assault case against Sean “Diddy” Combs earlier this month, and shortly after Bey’s performance, the rapper was hit with a bit of a setback. While Jay and his lawyer Alex Spiro had requested for his accuser, currently anonymous, to reveal herself, Judge Analisa Torres sided with Jane Doe. In the new ruling, the judge ruled that the accuser can remain anonymous for now.
The ruling reads, “the weight of the factors tips in favor of allowing Plaintiff to remain anonymous, at least for this stage of the litigation.” The judge also referred to the rapper and his attorney as “combative” and that Spiro has a “chronic inability to follow the rules.”
In her reel, Mangrum breaks all of this down for her followers, saying that the judge is “basically telling him, ‘Calm down. We’ll get to it when we get to it.’” She then makes the connection that Jay-Z “probably anticipated” that this news would be coming out the day after Christmas.
Mangrum also points to other aspects of the Carters’ very public life, including recent property purchases and “division of assets.” Her final prediction? That the “Cowboy Carter” singer will navigate spaces in 2025 that “Jay-Z” cannot.
Of course, this is all speculation, as many people in the comments of the viral video are extremely quick to point out. While some seem to agree with her sentiments, many called her video “reaching.” One user wrote, “You just said a whole lot of nothing while wearing glasses.” In a comment with over a thousand likes, one person with a background in “corporate/crisis comms” disagreed with her take altogether, pointing out that Beyoncé’s halftime performance was booked well before this legal situation even began and asking her to stop spreading “hate and misinformation.”
Still, with 2.2 million views and counting on the reel, people are definitely trying to connect some dots when it comes to the Carters and their upcoming year in the public eye.
So, what do you think about the performance? Is it giving a massive live music event as Beyoncé campaigns her latest album, or is this all a distraction from some of her husband’s current legal battles?