Kelly Rowland shares her side of clash with security on Cannes red carpet: ‘I stood my ground’

3 Min Read
77th Cannes Film Festival – ‘Marcello Mio’ Premiere
Photo by Alberto Terenghi/IPA/INSTARimages

Despite recent tabloid reports depicting Kelly Rowland as a diva following two public incidents, the former Destiny’s Child star appears simply adept at maintaining her personal boundaries, particularly when disrespected.

On Tuesday night (May. 21, 2024), during the premiere of Marcello Mio at the Cannes Film Festival, Rowland found herself in the spotlight after a confrontation with an usher on the red carpet.

The staff member was seen touching Rowland as she hurried up the stairs of the Palais des Festivals. In a video interview shared on AP’s Instagram on Thursday, Rowland explained that the usher had slighted her during the interaction, stating, “The woman knows what happened, I know what happened. I have a boundary, and I stand by those boundaries, and that is it.”

“I stood my ground, and she felt like she had to stand hers,” Rowland added.

The singer also suggested that the incident could have been racially motivated, noting, “Other women that attended that carpet who did not quite look like me … didn’t get scolded or pushed off or told to get off.”

According to the Hollywood Reporter, red-carpet security at Cannes operates under a strict schedule, and it’s “not uncommon” for festival ushers to expedite attendees into theaters to ensure prompt start times. However, this is the second instance this year where Rowland has asserted that her boundaries were overstepped. In February, she walked off the set of the Today show due to what was reported as “aggressive questioning” by host Savannah Guthrie.

77th Cannes Film Festival – ‘Marcello Mio’ Premiere
Kelly Rowland at the premiere of the movie ‘Marcello Mio’ during the 77th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France. When: 21 May 2024. Photo Credit: Alberto Terenghi/IPA/INSTARimages

Defending Rowland’s character, her representative Yvette Noel-Schure told ET, “After 28 years of knowing her, Kelly Rowland remains one of the kindest, most amiable humans I have ever met and have had the blessing to represent.”

Perhaps it’s time the public views Rowland’s actions not as diva behavior but as a firm stance on personal respect and integrity.


  • Andrew Garfield and Monica Barbaro were the cutest couple at Wimbledon. [Celebitchy]
  • Rachel Brosnahan bet it all on black in London [Go Fug Yourself]
  • Suicide Is Painless: A review of Riot Act starring David Mills. [Boy Culture]
  • Maggie Q is more than a worthy successor to Harry Bosch in Amazon Prime’s Ballard. [Pajiba]
  • Matteo Berrettini wasted no time taking off his whites. [Kenneth in the 212]