Jay-Z says he and Beyonce were not staging a protest when they stayed seated during the US national anthem at the 2020 Super Bowl.
He says the couple were in “artist mode” when they didn’t stand while Demi Lovato sang The Star Spangled Banner.
It lead to speculation they were sending a message of support to former NFL player Colin Kaepernick who first kneeled during the anthem in 2016.
He was protesting racial injustice and has been without a team since 2017.
In a video, obtained by TMZ, Jay-Z and Beyonce can be seen sat down while others around them are stood during Demi’s performance.
But during a Columbia University lecture on Tuesday 4 February – two days after the Super Bowl – the rapper insisted it “just happened”.
In 2018 Demi Lovato was hospitalised after a suspected drug overdose.
“We were talking about how beautiful she looks and how she sounds and what she’s gone through in her life for her to be on the stage and we’re so proud of her,” he said.
