Days after being photographed at the Cannes Festival pointing her finger at a white usher, singer Kelly Rowland has addressed the incident, asserting that her boundaries were not respected. And mama Tina Knowles has something to say about it too.
Sporting a new blond bob, the Destiny’s Child star spoke about the encounter, which garnered international headlines depicting her as unprofessional and rude. Rowland may have faced discrimination, alluding that the French usher rushed her off the red carpet because of her race before a movie screening.
In an interview clip, making its rounds on social media, the “Motivation” chart-topper told Associated Press on May 23, “The woman knows what happened. I know what happened and I have a boundary and I stand by those boundaries.”
For the Billboard staple, who recently made a transition into film as an actor and producer, “that is it.”
She added, “There were other women that attended that carpet who did not quite look like me and they didn’t get scolded or pushed off or told to get off, and I stood my ground and she felt like she had to stand hers.”
Got my baby holding back her tears.
— 💎 (@kelendria_stan) May 23, 2024
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Even Beyoncé’s mom Tina Knowles offered Rowland support in two separate posts on Instagram. In one clip, the singer can be seen taking a photo with Diana Ross’ son, Evan Ross and former Disney star Joe Jonas.
“And just like that, she @kellyrowland graces another carpet with her amazing glorious beauty, class and grace!!!!” Mama Tina wrote in a caption on the third day of the Cannes Film Festival. “Sipping Champagne and living her best life This just goes to show that one silly monkey, don’t stop no-show!!! on to bigger and and better things.”
In another post, Mama Knowles bragged on Rowland’s stunning physique. “What kind of perfection is this Kelly?????you got the world shook !!!!!!!! You are killin em right now,” she continued. “Don’t get no better than this !!! The face, the skin , the lips, and that body and These abs.”
Yvette Noel Schure, Rowland’s publicist, also chimed in to seemingly confirm what took place by sharing an image of her client waving to fans as the female security officer put her arm up to block Rowland. She paired it next to an image of Heidi Klum, who also donned a red dress, as she openly waved to the crowd with no interruption from any security officer.
“No comment,” she posted in her Instagram Story. “That is the statement.”
Fans were quick to stand with Rowland, replying to a tweet of her statement that was captioned, “Got my baby holding back her tears.”
Others posted means to show they were down for their girl.
— Lisa_Lisa🤞🏽 (@FuxYoFeels) May 23, 2024
An X user explained the tears, writing, “Because that struggle between standing up for yourself and not being seeing as the stereotypical ‘Angry Black Woman’ is painful!!”
The person was followed up by others, who tweeted, “VERY. It’s such a fine line none of us should even have to straddle & it’s irritating because we get baited 24/7” and “baited in Congress meetings and all!”
Thanks to a bystander capturing the incident and posting it on social media, fans were able to see the sequence of events.
The clip shows Rowland waving at fans as she ascended the stairs to the screening venue. Handlers are buzzing around her as she smiles at the other attendees.
The usher seems to get aggressive and hurries her up the steps, by seemingly brushing her back to gently force her up the stairs.
At first, the Houston native is calm. But Big Texas came out as the woman continued to force and within a split moment, Rowland turned to the usher with her finger extended and gave her a piece of her mind.
“Don’t talk to me like that! Don’t talk to me like that! You’re not my mother; do not talk to me like that!” fans, who read her lips, believe the star said.
According to Variety, the Cannes Festival is notorious for its strict red carpet policies.
In fact, there was even a time when women were reportedly banned from the Cannes red carpet for not wearing heels. However, following significant backlash during the 2015 edition, the festival has since revised this controversial policy.
The publication also stated that a spokesperson for the festival declined giving a statement about the exchange.
