NEW YORK — The rapper Jay-Z says a rape allegation made against him is part of an extortion attempt.

A woman who previously sued Sean “Diddy” Combs, alleging she was raped at an awards show after-party in 2000 when she was 13, amended the lawsuit Sunday to include a new allegation that Jay-Z was also at the party and participated in the sexual assault.

The 24-time Grammy award winning rapper, producer and music mogul called the allegations “idiotic” and “heinous in nature" in a statement released by Roc Nation, one of his companies.

His lawyer also argued Monday that his accuser, who is only identified as Jane Doe, should have to reveal her identity, or have her lawsuit dismissed outright.

Attorney Alex Spiro said in a filing in Manhattan federal court that the woman hasn’t provided any specific evidence to justify her anonymity and that her “vague assertions of potential harm fall far short of the stringent requirements” under law.

He also noted the court has already ruled that some of the other sexual misconduct lawsuits brought by the woman's attorney against Combs do not meet the criteria to proceed anonymously.

“Mr. Carter deserves to know the identity of the person who is effectively accusing him — in sensationalized, publicity-hunting fashion — of criminal conduct, demanding massive financial compensation, and tarnishing a reputation earned over decades,” Spiro wrote. “He has never been accused of, let alone engaged in, any sexual misconduct.”

Jay-Z, in his statement released earlier on social media, also revealed that he had anonymously sued the woman’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee, alleging he was trying to blackmail the rapper by threatening to make the rape allegation public if he didn’t agree to a legal settlement.

He said Buzbee sent a letter to his lawyer appearing to seek a settlement, but the letter had the “opposite effect" on him.

“It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion,” Jay-Z’s statement read. “So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!”

The litigation is part of a wave of sexual assault lawsuits levied against Combs as the hip-hop mogul remains in custody in New York awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

The unnamed woman says she was hanging around Radio City Music Hall during the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards and managed to talk a limousine driver into bringing her to a celebrity-studded party at a private residence after the event.

She said that while she was in the limousine, she was asked to sign a nondisclosure document. Once at the party, the lawsuit said, she took a drink that made her feel “woozy and lightheaded” and went into a bedroom to lie down.

She said that Combs and Jay-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, then barged into the room along with another unnamed celebrity and raped her. The woman said she eventually escaped the room, fled the house and called for a ride from a nearby gas station.

Buzbee, a personal injury lawyer in Houston, said the notion that he was trying to blackmail Jay-Z is “stupid and laughable,” and that his letter simply sought confidential mediation in the litigation.

“What he fails to say in his recent statement is that my firm sent his lawyer a basic demand letter on behalf of an alleged victim and that victim never demanded a penny from him,” he said in an emailed statement. “Since I sent the letter on her behalf, Mr. Carter has not only sued me, but he has tried to bully and harass me and this plaintiff. His conduct has had the opposite impact. She is emboldened. I’m very proud of her resolve.”

Buzbee announced at a news conference in October that he represents some 120 people— both men and women — with allegations of sexual misconduct against Combs.

His firm, which has set up a 1-800 number for accusers, began filing a wave of suits against the hip-hop mogul a few weeks later.

Jay-Z, in his statement, challenged Buzbee to seek criminal charges and said his “heart and support goes out to true victims in the world.”

He also lamented that he and wife Beyoncé will likely have to address the claims with their three children and “explain the cruelty and greed of people.”

“I mourn yet another loss of innocence,” Jay-Z wrote.

Combs' lawyers, in a statement, also dismissed Buzbee’s lawsuits as “shameless publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr. Combs.”

Combs was denied bail a third time last month. He’s pleaded not guilty to charges he coerced and abused women for years and faces trial in May.

Jay-Z and Combs are part of a generation of hip-hop titans who rose to prominence in the 2000s, emerging as wide-ranging entrepreneurs and two of the world’s wealthiest rappers. Earlier this year, Forbes estimated Jay-Z’s net worth to be $2.5 billion.

The artists have collaborated over the years, with Jay-Z being featured on Combs' debut album, “No Way Out” and Combs appearing on Jay-Z’s sophomore album, “In My Lifetime, Vol. 1.”

While the pair has been frequently photographed together at events, they've also been competitors. Diddy launched his Bad Boy Records around the same time Jay-Z launched his Roc-A-Fella record label.

———

Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris Jackson engaged to bandmate

Paris Jackson, the only daughter of late King of Pop Michael Jackson, is engaged to her bandmate Justin Long.

The 26-year-old “Hit Your Knees” singer shared the news early Friday as part of her Instagram tribute for Long’s birthday.

Long, unlike the “Dodgeball” star of the same name, is primarily known for music, which he both performs and produces.

Jackson described their relationship, which began in 2022, as “an indescribable whirlwind” and said she “couldn’t dream of anyone more perfect for me to do it all with.

“Thank you for letting me be yours. I love you,” she concluded the carousel of sweet pictures and videos from their romance, which included a photo of Long down on one knee.

Jackson dedicated her Instagram story to dozens of memories from their time together, and shared more photos from the proposal, ending with a close-up of Long putting a diamond on her ring finger.

Jackson and her siblings, brothers Prince, 27, and Bigi, 22, are in the spotlight far less than their famous father, who died in 2009 at age 50.

That hasn’t stopped the Jacksons from encountering some of the pitfalls of fame. In September 2023, Paris sought a restraining order against a man she said was stalking her and had gone so far as to scale her fence.

In 2018, Jackson opened up to Rolling Stone about having attempted suicide multiple times while trying to cope with her father’s sudden death.

The following year, sources shared that cyberbullying, much of which pointed to the sexual abuse allegations against Michael Jackson, had turned his daughter “a hard shell with a soft center.”

Bill Belichick makes red carpet debut with 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson

NEW YORK — Bill Belichick and his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, took their romance to the red carpet Thursday at the American Museum of Natural History Gala in New York City.

The former New England Patriots coach, 72, sported a crisp tuxedo while the one-time Miss Maine hopeful donned an off-the-shoulder black gown with shimmering silver trim.

The event, for which individual tickets cost anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000, was also attended by the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Colin Jost and Alec Baldwin.

The pricey date night marked the pair’s first major red carpet appearance, after which they were seen getting cozy while waiting in line for pretzels and hot chocolate, according to People.

The appearance comes just over a month after Belichick and the ex-cheerleader went Instagram official, with Hudson sharing Halloween snaps of herself dressed as a mermaid while her beau posed as a fisherman.

While Hudson and Belichick have reportedly been together since 2022, their relationship wasn’t confirmed until last June. Sources close to the situation told TMZ the duo hit it off after meeting on a flight in 2021 flight and got together shortly after Belichick called it quits with longtime partner Linda Holliday.

Belichick is the father of three adult children, all of whom are older than Hudson, who’s 48 years his junior.

Hudson herself has a history of dating older men, including 64-year-old businessman Joshua Zuckerman.

Zuckerman, who says he’s still “a good friend” of Hudson’s, defended her relationship with Belichick in June, calling his ex “wise beyond her years.”

Charli XCX ‘in a lot of pain’ from nerve damage sustained on tour

NEW YORK — Charli XCX is opening up about the toll that touring has taken on her body.

The chart-topping singer-songwriter revealed this week she suffered nerve damage while performing her latest co-headlining Sweat Tour with Troye Sivan.

“I find the stage — especially these days — to be a very angry place for me,” the 32-year-old shared in an interview with Variety. “I’ve done a lot of physical damage to my body from performing, and I’m often in a lot of pain when I perform. Physically, I have nerve damage in my neck from things I’ve done on the stage.”

“For me to give a performance that I feel is good enough, I have to really physically throw myself around,” she continued, but added the pain she endures in the process is “kind of this hell hole.”

The Grammy nominee admits she rarely gets enough rest, particularly in the wake of her sixth studio album, “Brat,” becoming one of the biggest hits of the summer.

Despite the physical strain of touring, which the British singer says she also finds “really hard emotionally,” Charli’s not pressing pause on live performing.

On the heels of scoring seven nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards, she announced a handful of new tour dates coming next spring.

Her Brat 2025 Arena Tour will kick off April 22 in Austin, Texas, before concluding at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on May 4.

From combined wire services