Billboard requires a JavaScript enabled browser to get the full experience

Hospital Downplays Beyonce Birth Controversy

by Erin Carlson, THR  |   January 10, 2012 7:45 EST
Beyonce
Getty Images

Artists in this Article

Jay-Z

Related Articles

Beyonce Gives Birth To a Baby Girl

Beyonce Knowles and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, two of America's biggest musical artists, have welcomed their first child together.

Celebrities Congratulate Beyonce & Jay-Z on Their Baby's Birth

Family and close friends took to Twitter to congratulate Beyoncé and Jay-Z on the birth of their daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. Here's our round-up of celebrities' congratulatory tweets, including Bey's sister, Solange, and the couple's good friend, Gwyneth Paltrow.

'We Are In Heaven,' Say Beyonce & Jay-Z of Daughter, Blue Ivy

Beyonce and Jay-Z release a statement thanking their fans for the love and support for their first baby, Blue Ivy.

It's only been a few days since Beyonce and Jay-Z welcomed little Blue Ivy Carter into the world, but the rumor mill on the baby's birth keeps on spinning.

 

Frank Danza, a spokesman for Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, wants to clarify a few of those rumors: namely, that the hip hop power couple shelled out $1.3 million to book a whole floor in the maternity ward, and inconvenienced other patients with an overzealous team of Beyonce-protecting bodyguards.

 

'We Are In Heaven,' Say Beyonce & Jay-Z of Daughter, Blue Ivy

 

"Lenox Hill Hospital and its staff were delighted to welcome the Carter family for the birth of their firstborn on Saturday evening, but we are troubled by the misinformation being circulated in some news media reports," Danza said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Monday afternoon. "The suggestion that the couple paid $1.3 million to rent an entire maternity floor is simply not true. The family is housed in an executive suite at the hospital and is being billed the standard rate for those accommodations.  Our executive suites are available for any patient, including the food service and amenities provided to the Carter family."

 

Danza also addressed reports that the brood's bodyguards inconvenienced other patients -- preventing one man from seeing his newborn twins, per a New York Daily News story in which the father, Neil Coulon, claimed he'd been banned from the sixth-floor neonatal intensive care unit by the couple's private security.

 

"The family does have its own security detail on site. However, the hospital has been and continues to be in control of managing all security at the facility," Danza said, clarifying the report. "We have made every effort to ensure minimal disruption to other families experiencing the births of their own children over the past three days. No security plan that we or the Carter's security team put in place would have prevented or delayed families from gaining access to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and to date, no families have complained to the hospital about being denied access to the NICU."

Up for Discussion

Connect with

More Features

All features

All of Billboard.com's Great Lists

Billboard chart app

Billboard archives

Thanks For Joining Billboard

Log in to create your profile, speak your mind and connect with listeners like you.

Why Join ?

Don't just hear it. Live it. Go deeper than a casual listen: Voice your feelings, build a profile around your favorite music, connect with people who share your passions and discover new ones. Sign up for free.

Complete Your Registration at Billboard.com!

Haven't Joined Yet ?

For the full Billboard experience, you need to be a member. Sign up. It's free.

Join Billboard

Forgot your password?

Enter the e-mail address you used to sign up and we will email you the password .

Email Sent !

Your password has been sent to the email address you provided. Please sign in below :

Log In

Forget your password ?

Action Successful

We'd love to hear your feedback on the new Billboard.com!

Whether it's a feature request or a bug

We want to hear from you. Please use this form to anonymously give us your input.