New Allegations: Beyonce's Security Team Barred Parents From Seeing Their Babies at Hospital

Posted on January 10, 2012

After stories appeared in the New York Post and the New York Daily News about Beyonce and Jay-Z's security team keeping new parents away from their infants in the neonatal ICU unit at Lenox Hill hospital in New York, the hospital issued a weak statement protesting "inaccurate coverage" in the press. Well, now The New York Times has looked into and what they found is not pretty.

The Times talked to an obstetrician who delivers babies at the hospital who said that about two months ago an observation area was being converted into a luxury suite at no cost to the hospital. The word around the hospital was that the suite was for Beyonce and that she had paid more than one million dollars for it for privacy.

The newspaper talked with a number of parents who said they were denied access to their premature infants in the ICU by Beyonce's private security guards, who wore name tags that said "Special Event" -- which makes the whole thing sound like the security set up backstage at a Jay-Z concert which is designed to keep fans away.

According the witnesses quoted in the newspaper, the area area outside the neonatal unit was "transformed." New partitions were put up, the maternity ward windows were totally covered and all the security cameras were covered up. Private guards with earpieces roamed the corridors looking. When one new mother was denied entry to the unit to see her child, her husband demanded to know why she was being kept out. He was told "Well, they're handling hazardous materials." At the same time a large group of people were being led down the hall that was blocked (presumably right past where these alleged hazardous materials were being handled).

Hazardous materials? On the floor with all the babies in the ICU? That's hardly what we'd call a reassuring cover story for anxious new parents. We'd have dialed up the CDC immediately if they told us there was some kind of hazardous materials leak near the neonatal ICU. Right after we called our attorneys.

Meanwhile, there are rumors and rumblings that the hospital is being investigated by state regulators over the incident.

• SNL Parodies LiMu Emu and Doug From Liberty Mutual



• Sting Trailer Gives Giant Spider Scares



• Bob Marley: One Love Tops Valentine's Day Box Office



• Millie Bobby Brown Stars in Damsel Trailer



• Avatar: The Way of Water Top Box Office for Fourth Consecutive Weekend