Beyoncé Predicted the Downfall of Her Marriage

It is yet another bright and sunny day on which Beyoncé and Jay Z haven't gotten a divorce. If the rumors are to be believed, then these days are numbered. Beyoncé might be using Instagram to convince us that there is absolutely no trouble in paradise, but no one is buying what she's selling. Not this time. As everyone scrambles for details and looks to any source that might be able to confirm exactly when and where and how the divorce is happening, we're also trying to find some kind of explanation. The popular theory is that Jay Z cheated on Beyoncé, as wildly unbelievable as that might seem, but Cosmopolitan dug through their archives to provide an alternate explanation. In a 2006 interview with Cosmo, Beyoncé claimed privacy was the key to her successful marriage to Jay Z and now, eight years later, the lack of it could very well be the reason for its failure.

"I don't try to hide [the relationship with Jay Z]. There's nothing to hide," said Beyoncé. "People see us, but we just don't talk about it, and I think that's absolutely helped us. People give us space and respect us. The minute you start talking about it, that's all people want to talk about. And then the really big rumors start happening."

Back in 2006, the most we knew about Jay Z and Beyoncé's relationship was anything and everything we could derive from their song lyrics, their joint performances, and any paparazzi shots of them together. The future Mr. and Mrs. Carter weren't even married yet and, in this interview at least, Beyoncé was in no particular rush to have Jay Z put a ring on it. Beyoncé released B'Day, which featured Jay Z on lead single "Déjà Vu", and two months later Jay Z released Kingdom Come as a comeback album that became Jay Z's ninth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200.

Since then, we've seen Beyoncé and Jay Z morph into a completely different couple for the sheer fact that they made one major change. They let the public in. Arguably beginning with Blue Ivy's birth in January 2012, Beyoncé began opening more and more of her life to her fans. The first pictures of Blue Ivy Carter were not a paparazzi shot or the contents of a magazine spread. Instead, Beyoncé and Jay Z shocked the world by posting them on Tumblr with the message, "We welcome you to share in our joy. Thank you for respecting our privacy during this beautiful time in our lives. The Carter family."

This out-of-character moment was followed by an HBO documentary called Life is But a Dream that featured never-before-seen footage of the intimate details of her life that Beyoncé had kept very, very private up until that point — and it could have been the true beginning of the end if this theory holds true. Before Life is But a Dream, Beyoncé's life was kept under such strict lock and key that she bought out the entire floor of a hospital and had heavy security detail present to protect her during Blue Ivy's birth. Later that same year, Beyoncé joined Instagram for the first time.

2013 brought us the surprise visual album Beyoncé and a Beyoncé and Jay Z that were accessible in ways they had never been before. Between being featured together on the songs or in the music videos, co-headlining the On the Run Tour together, standing united in the face of the leaked Elevatorgate video, and appearing together in so many affectionate Instagram photos that they're practically worth a post of their own, Beyoncé and Jay Z went from the couple that no one knew anything real about to the couple that everyone was talking about. Exactly like Beyoncé said in 2006.

While it's still unclear whether or not Jay Z has truly been unfaithful, and the signs are there that this is a significant reason why their marriage might be in danger, the fact of the matter is that Beyoncé and Jay Z's relationship has not benefited from the public scrutiny they've been facing. Having her relationship out in the open for people to judge and criticize — or, worse, perhaps finding out about her husband's unfaithfulness from the media before she found out from him — might have been the final dagger in the chance for reconciliation.

At the very least, their fans seem to be convinced that their PDA is entirely to put on a show for all the eyes that are watching them and that they are less harmonious behind closed doors, which just means that even that much publicity is taking its toll on them. Whatever the more complex reasons are behind their possible future divorce, Beyoncé and Jay Z's marriage took a serious dive from not keeping it private.

Image: Getty Images; helloblueivycarter/Tumblr, beyonce/Instagram