Beyoncé and JAY-Z welcomed three children together after tying the knot in 2008

PHOTO: KEVIN WINTER/MTV1415/GETTY

Beyoncé and JAY-Z are one of Hollywood’s most notoriously private couples, but they’re even more hush-hush regarding their three children.

The couple, who tied the knot in 2008 after dating since 2000, welcomed their first child, daughter Blue Ivy, in January 2012. In 2017, they were joined by twins Rumi and Sir.

In a rare appearance on an episode of Kevin Hart’s Hart to Heart series on Peacock, JAY-Z spoke candidly about how much he tries to prioritize taking time away from music to be with his three kids: “Time is all you have. That’s the only thing we control. It’s how you spend your time. You’re reckless with your time before, you’re just all over the place and then you have to … What are you leaving your house for?”

He continued, “Every second that you spend, you’re spending away from the development of these people that you brought here, that you love more than anything in the world. So what are you going to spend that time on? So that changed a lot. That changed practically everything for me.”

Similarly, Beyoncé has also spoken about how “challenging” it can be to strike a balance between motherhood and her career.

Beyoncé (R) and JAY-Z with their kids.

“I think the most stressful thing for me is balancing work and life,” the musician shared with Elle in 2019. “Making sure I am present for my kids — dropping Blue off at school, taking Rumi and Sir to their activities, making time for date nights with my husband, and being home in time to have dinner with my family — all while running a company can be challenging.”

In November 2022, Beyoncé shared a rare family photo from a Halloween photoshoot where she, all three kids and JAY-Z dressed up as characters from Disney’s The Proud Family.

“Family every single day and night,” she captioned the image on Instagram.

From the arrival of their first child to the internet-breaking announcement of the twins, keep scrolling for a breakdown of Beyoncé and JAY-Z’s three children.

 

Blue Ivy, 12

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The first-time parents welcomed their daughter Blue Ivy in New York City on Jan. 7, 2012. They formally introduced her to the world with a series of photos the following month.

The former Destiny’s Child member first revealed her pregnancy on August 28, 2011, at the MTV VMAs in Los Angeles while cradling a bump on the red carpet. During her “Love on Top” performance, she told the audience, “I want you to stand up on your feet. I want you to feel the love that’s growing inside me.”

Blue has already started following in the footsteps of her musical parents. When she was only two days old, her vocals were featured on her father’s song “Glory,” which earned her the title of a Guinness World Record holder for being the youngest person to have a song appear on a Billboard chart.

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In 2020, she was featured in her mother’s song “Brown Skin Girl.” Blue brought home a BET Her Award, NAACP Image Award and a Grammy Award for best music video for her feature. She is the second youngest individually credited winner of a Grammy Award.

Aside from her musical accomplishments, Blue has helped induct her dad into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, provided narration for a book and even assists with taking care of her younger siblings.

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Blue is also taking notes on self-care from her busy mom. The “Formation” singer told Harper’s Bazaar that Blue is already adopting her go-to rituals, saying, “One of my most satisfying moments as a mom is when I found Blue one day soaking in the bath with her eyes closed, using blends I created and taking time for herself to decompress and be at peace I have so much to share … and there’s more to come soon!”

In October 2022, Blue joined her parents at the 2022 Wearable Art Gala in L.A. During the event, Blue bid over $80,000 on a pair of Lorraine Schwartz diamond earrings, which her grandmother and host of the event, Tina Knowles, was wearing that night. In a video, Blue was seen waving her paddle while wearing a blue dress. She was eventually outbid by the founder of Mielle Organics, Monique Rodriguez, and her husband Melvin, who bid $105,000 on the earrings.

After a four-year hiatus, Beyoncé returned to the stage for an epic performance in Dubai in January 2023. Blue made a special appearance during the hour-long set to sing a duet of “Brown Skin Girl.” The mother-daughter duo were impeccably dressed for the performance — Blue in a red, sparkling ensemble and Beyoncé in a canary yellow corset-style gown.

Blue made another public appearance at the 2023 Super Bowl with her dad a few weeks later. The father-daughter duo were seen arriving in all-black outfits with graphic T-shirts and sunglasses. JAY-Z also served as the ultimate Instagram dad at the event, taking photos of Blue in the Eagles’ end zone ahead of the game.

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In May 2023, Blue Ivy stepped out for the opening night of her mom’s Renaissance World Tour, which kicked off in Stockholm, Sweden. She was seen in an oversized black t-shirt, standing with her father. Later that month, Blue Ivy took the stage with her mom in Paris. She performed the dance choreography for two songs — “My Power” and “Black Parade.”

“My beautiful first born 🙏🏾 I’m so proud and thankful to be your mama. You bring us so much joy, my sweet angel,” Beyonce wrote on Instagram following the show.

 

Rumi and Sir, 6

Following an “extremely difficult” pregnancy, Beyoncé gave birth to daughter Rumi and son Sir in L.A. on June 13, 2017. Exactly one month after their birth, the couple made their first public appearance together since becoming parents to three on July 13. That same day, Beyoncé also revealed the names and the first photo of the twins.

“Rumi is our favorite poet, so it was for our daughter,” JAY-Z explained in August 2017. “Sir was like, man, come out the gate. He carries himself like that. He just came out, like, Sir.”

IVY PARK/TWITTER

Beyoncé first announced she was expecting twins in a record-breaking Instagram post on Feb. 1, 2017. “We would like to share our love and happiness. We have been blessed two times over,” she captioned a photo of herself holding her growing baby bump. “We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes. – The Carters.”

Rumi and Sir have not yet forayed into the music world like their big sister (though Blue did give them a shoutout on their parents’ track “Boss”), but they’ve still made their share of select appearances. The twins have been featured in behind-the-scenes video footage from their mom’s photo shoots, and even appeared in an ad for Beyoncé’s IVY PARK x adidas clothing line for kids.

The singer shared that the inspiration for the children’s line stemmed from wanting to match with her three kids.

“On our family vacations, we love to coordinate our outfits. My kids are usually on set with me for shoots, and we’d find ourselves putting them in extra-extra-smalls so we could match. So it is a natural progression for IVY PARK to introduce a selection of key silhouettes in children’s sizing,” she told Harper’s Bazaar.

According to their grandma Tina, all three of Beyoncé and JAY-Z’s children are already developing a strong sense of style, and even contributed to their mom’s design line.

“Well, they are little fashionistas, and they have definite determination about what they like and what they don’t like. When Beyoncé’s doing the first samples, they get them, and some things they love, and some things you can tell are not their favorite,” she told PEOPLE.

Tina also shared that on a recent trip to Disneyland, 5-year-old Rumi defended her outfit choice when her older sister offered her opinion on it.

“We recently went to Disneyland, and she put on her Mickey Mouse shorts. Then she wanted to put on a sparkly printed top, which had the same colors. It actually looked really cute,” she explained. “But her sister came in and Blue was like, ‘My mom would be mad because she’s doing too much.’ And Rumi said, ‘This is my style.’ She’s 5. I was impressed.”