Beyoncé And Jay-Z Have A Bigger Age Gap Than You Might've Known

Beyoncé and Jay-Z, like so many of their celebrity peers, share a large age gap, and it may be bigger than you thought. Their love story started in the early aughts. Beyoncé was still fronting Destiny's Child, not having yet departed the popular girl group to embark on her international domination. Meanwhile, Jay-Z was enjoying the fruits of his successful rap career, having started his Grammy Award collection a couple of years earlier. And though it would take years before they confirmed their romance with the media, they were already collaborating romantically behind the scenes. But just how old were they?

Well, according to Beyoncé, they first crossed paths when she was 18 years old, but things were strictly platonic at first. "I was 18 when we first met, 19 when we first started dating," Beyonce shared with Seventeen in 2008 when discussing why marriage wasn't necessarily a priority earlier in her career, according to NBC Washington. "There was no rush — no one expected me to run off and get married. I really don't believe that you will love the same thing when you're 20 as you do at 30," she continued. Well, if Beyoncé was 19 when her relationship with Jay-Z started, this means that the "Run This Town" rapper was roughly 31 years old. This means Jay-Z is about 12 years older than Beyoncé.

Although age gap romances among musicians are popular in Hollywood, they often inspire scrutiny from the public. But things obviously worked out for Beyoncé and Jay-Z. During an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé touted the benefits of being with her other half. "I would not be the woman I am if I did not go home to that man," shared the songstress in 2009. As for how he'd contributed to her life? "On so many levels," she explained. "We were friends first for a year and a half before we went on any date. On the phone for a year and a half, and that foundation is so important in a relationship," she continued, adding, "and just to have someone that you like ... and someone that is honest."

Speaking of being a couple that actually likes each other, Bey and Jay employed some pretty interesting methods to stay in touch while courting before social media. While discussing the "world of access" her children, Blue, Rumi, and Sir, live in, she shared an adorable tidbit about her and Jay-Z's communication rituals in the early '00s. "My husband and I? We used calling cards and Skype when we were falling in love," she shared with GQ. Hammering in the notion that this happened a long time ago, Beyoncé also revealed that funds were tight for her at the time. "I couldn't afford the international hotel bills, so I literally would get international calling cards to call him." And yet, love prevailed! Jay also confirmed the skyping thing during an interview with Jonathan Ross.