Nicole Curran, the wife of Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob, has been receiving tonnes of death threats on social media over a viral video showing her leaning over a seemingly annoyed Beyoncé to speak with Jay-Z, Daily Mail reported.
“I have been cyber bullied and I think it is very unfair. They were our guests last night. As a hostess, I offered her a drink and then him one as we don’t have floor service at our games. I had to lean in to hear what he wanted. That is it. No story. Just bullying”, she told the UK tabloid.
ESPN senior writer Ramona Shelburne also tweeted that Nicole has disabled her Instagram account to make those threats from the Beyhive – Beyoncé’s fandom – stop.
The whole buzz around the “incident” came after ESPN shared a 13-second clip via Twitter showing Curran, who was sitting between the superstar and Lacob, leaning over Bey to chat with the singer’s husband, rapper Jay-Z, during Game 3 of the NBA Finals Wednesday night.
As the two were talking, the “Lemonade” singer, as many speculated, seemed to be annoyed and gave some epic side-eye in Nicole’s direction – something that has apparently been widely perceived by her rabid fans as a cue for them to act.
Even though Beyoncé is seen smiling and waving to her fans across the court, her beam quickly fades as Curran and Jay-Z continue talking, with the last few seconds of the clip showing her adjusting herself in her seat in a way that she gives Nicole a slight shoulder shove.
The now-infamous interaction has spawned a bunch of memes, including those alluding to the lyrics from her song, “Sorry”, off her visual album Lemonade, which focuses on Jay-Z’s being unfaithful to her: “He only want me when I’m not there/ He better call Becky with the good hair”.
Many social media users have lashed out at the Carters and called on the couple to speak up for Curran:
Some jokingly suggested that Bey’s “Lemonade” Pt. 2 is on its way, and pointed out that she was visibly unhappy with that encounter:
The Carters, who have on numerous occasions been Curran’s and Lacob’s court-side guests prior to Wednesday’s game, are yet to comment on the online backlash.