About that Beyoncé moment: Nicole Curran explains as singer's publicist asks fans not to 'spew hate in her name'
Nicole Curran, the woman who leaned in front of Beyoncé to talk to Jay-Z while sitting courtside at a Golden State Warriors game Wednesday during the NBA Finals, has been blitzed with hate on social media ever since. The wife of Warriors owner Joe Lacob has even deleted her Instagram account after being accused of disrespecting Beyoncé.
After a clip of the moment went viral, Curran explained to ESPN that she was simply asking Jay-Z if he wanted a lime in the vodka soda that he’d requested. It was loud, so she had to lean forward to hear him.
“There was no hostility," said Curran, who’s hosted the couple several times in the past. “I was trying to be a good hostess.”
Photographer Jose Carlos Fajardo shared photos of Curran bringing drinks back to the area where the couple sat.
Nicole Curran brings drinks to Beyonce and Jay-Z during the 2nd qt of Game 3 of the #NBAFinals2019 at @OracleArena in #Oakland, Calif., on June 5, 2019. @Beyonce @warriors @Raptors #dubnation #WarriorsGround #beyonce #JayZ #NicoleCurran @BayAreaSportsHQ pic.twitter.com/mSBtpSKzHs
— Jose Carlos Fajardo (@jcfphotog) June 7, 2019
Nicole Curran brings drinks to Beyonce and Jay-Z during the 2nd qt of Game 3 of the #NBAFinals2019 at @OracleArena in #Oakland, Calif., on June 5, 2019. @Beyonce @warriors @Raptors #dubnation #WarriorsGround #beyonce #JayZ #NicoleCurran @BayAreaSportsHQ pic.twitter.com/6gflursvVl
— Jose Carlos Fajardo (@jcfphotog) June 7, 2019
What set some fans off is video from the game that shows the “Formation” singer giving Curran what appears to be a nudge.
As a result, Curran’s social media accounts were quickly bombarded with bee emojis, the sign of the Beyhive, the name used for Beyoncé’s fans.
Jay-Z and Beyoncé are courtside for Game 3 😎 pic.twitter.com/6mmJuN8Odn
— ESPN (@espn) June 6, 2019
“I’ve never experienced cyber bullying like this,” Curran told the network’s Ramona Shelburne. “I can’t believe our players go through this. That kids go through this.”
Before leaving Instagram, Curran wrote a post, which she deleted while her account was still online, that was more specific about the kind of hate she was receiving. “All of this is being taken out of context,” she wrote. “I am a happily married woman. Telling me to kill myself???? Somehow I don’t think she would support this.”
Beyoncé’s publicist Yvette Noel-Schure appeared to agree with that last statement in a message she shared on Instagram on Friday. Her photo was a beautiful shot of Beyoncé and Jay-Z on their “On the Run II Tour” last year.
“I am looking back today at the start of The OTRII tour, one year ago. It was a place of joy, unimaginable entertainment from two of the best performers in the world, and a place of love,” Noel-Schure wrote. “Every single day on that tour I saw love. Which is why I also want to speak here to the beautiful BeyHiVE. I know your love runs deep but that love has to be given to every human. It will bring no joy to the person you love so much if you spew hate in her name.”
She ended the post with, “We love you,” and three bee emojis.
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