The 16th birthday party for Solange Knowles’ son, Julez, was thrown at none other than Beyoncé and JAY-Z’s mansion! Sources close to Bey reveal why she assumed the role of party hostess for her nephew’s special day.
Beyoncé made her nephew Julez’s Sweet 16 extra sweet by hosting it at her own mansion! The 39-year-old superstar lives in a $88 million estate in Bel Air with husband JAY-Z, and together they decided that the 30,000-foot compound would be the perfect venue to host the party for the son of Beyoncé’s sister, singer Solange Knowles, 34. “Beyonce and Jay wanted to do something special for Julez’s 16th birthday because of everything going on with the pandemic, so they invited the entire family over to their Bel Air home to celebrate the milestone occasion,” a source close to Beyoncé EXCLUSIVELY tells HollywoodLife.
There was a reason why Beyoncé in particular decided to take on the role of party hostess. The “Formation” singer and JAY-Z “knew [Julez] couldn’t be with his friends” due to the pandemic, “but Beyonce loves Julez with all her heart and it was important to her for their family to be together,” our source explains. In addition to Solange, our source reveals that Julez’s father Daniel Smith, his grandma Tina Knowles, and “all the kids” had “an amazing time.” Julez’s cousin — Beyoncé and JAY-Z’s daughter Rumi Carter, 3 — made a cameo in the video above that Julez’s dad took at the family gathering.
The family celebration “actually ended up being better than something over the top with a ton of people because it gave them an opportunity to spend quality family time together, just hang out, relax, and not stress over the details or try to impress anyone with putting on an elaborate event. It was a great time for everybody,” our source adds. There was certainly room for many more guests, though, if the situation called for it. Beyoncé and JAY-Z’s mansion — which they reportedly purchased in August of 2017 — is comprised of six buildings, eight bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, a theater and a gigantic pool, of course, according to our sister publication Variety.
This wasn’t an out-of-the-blue favor from Beyoncé, though. “Beyonce has always gone all out for her nephew, since he was born she’d do anything for him,” another source close to Beyoncé EXCLUSIVELY tells HollywoodLife. The insider adds, “He’s her pride and joy as much as her own kids [Rumi, Blue Ivy and Sir Carter] are and she loves to spoil him.” Bey is not done spoiling her nephew, either! “When [the pandemic] is all over and it’s safe to do so she plans to throw him the birthday party of his dreams,” our source reveals.
Julez (whose full name is Daniel Julez J. Smith Jr.) has been in Beyoncé’s life for a long time. His mom, Solange, was only 17 years old when she married Julez’s dad, and they welcomed Julez in 2004. The parents split in 2007, and Solange is still embracing the “Single Ladies” life, after splitting from her second husband, Alan Ferguson, in Nov. 2019.