‘The Disrespect… Kelly Was NOT Having It’: Fans Race to Kelly Rowland’s Defense as Insider Explains Why Singer Scolded a ‘French Karen’ at Cannes Film Festival
Kelly Rowland has been a beloved celebrity and media darling since bursting onto the charts in the 1990s. However, in 2024, the Destiny’s Child singer has faced a wave of press portraying her as a demanding diva obsessed with maintaining her star status.
A recent incident on the red carpet of the “Marcello Mio” premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, May 21, did little to counter this narrative.
Wearing a floor-length flowing red gown, the newly blond Rowland was ascending the stairs to the screening venue as handlers busied themselves around her. Cameras at the event on the French Riviera captured her radiant smile as she kept stopping to wave at the throng of paparazzi and fans. The scene then deteriorated into her wagging her finger and frowning at a white woman in a black suit, who seemingly was one of the security guards ushering the celebrities up the stairs and into the venue.
Kelly Rowland attends the French-Italian comedy “Marcello Mio” red carpet at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 21, 2024 in Cannes, France. (Photo: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)
Pictures posted by Page Six make the singer look like an “angry Black woman,” but fans who posted the full video say there is context to her read and a reason why her perfectly manicured finger was pointed in the woman’s face.
The guard holds up her arm up behind the Grammy Award winner, almost seeming to brush her back. In the video, it appears the security guard might have stepped on Rowland’s dress. The singer turns back, says something to security with a smile on her face, and then words are exchanged as the security guard continues to motion the star forward. Within seconds, the Houston native, who did not want to be touched, went off on her.
An Insider tells Page Six that the reason Kelly became snappy was because “The people who are assigned to helping stars walk the red carpet were being aggressive and Kelly was trying to ignore it.”
The insider went on to say, “By the time [Rowland] got to the last woman, she had had it because she scolded Kelly and told her to move when she was trying to wave to fans and help the paparazzi get their shot.”
Eagle-eyed fans attempted to read the singer’s lips, where, to some, it appeared she was saying, “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!”
“That security guard had no idea who she was rushing off the red carpet. The disrespect… Kelly was NOT having it,” one person tweeted. Someone else said, “They better not try to pin the ‘Angry Black Woman’ title on Ms. Kelly girl WE WILL NOT STAND FOR IT!”
Another posted with a GIF, “I wish people stop playing with Kelly! She is not that shy, timid teen that you trashy people use to walk all over anymore! She’s a mother! If she can’t stand up for herself, how can she protect her kids? I’m with Kelly!! Proud of you, Kween.”
An X user tweeted, “Omg French Karen had Kelly Rowland all the way f—ked up at Cannes.”
I wish people stop playing with Kelly! She is not that shy timid teen that you trashy people use to walk all over anymore! She’s a mother! If she can’t stand up for herself how can she protect her kids? I’m with Kelly!! Proud of you Kween pic.twitter.com/7szWxLyAmw
— FanofKellyRowland (@themessystone) May 21, 2024
Shortly after the exchange, another person comes over and tells the guard to leave the “Dilemma” artist alone, but by that time, Kelendria Trene had already come all the way out.
Even actress Jackée Harry knew Kelly was not to be messed with. She posted a photo of the singer’s now-viral finger wag with the caption, “If I send this to you, you are not my momma so don’t talk to me like that.”
Her true fans understood what they saw as the game being played in the media and came to her defense.
One wrote, “I have no idea what happened, but I don’t like the way Kelly Rowland is being portrayed as ‘popping off’ and ‘furiously scolding’ a security guard. With zero details, they are painting Kelly as the aggressor and bringing up the dressing room issue with Hoda Kotb.”
The incident at the Cannes Film Festival marks another chapter in the increasingly contentious public narrative surrounding Rowland.
Just three months ago, the “Say My Name” singer abruptly left the “Today” show set, citing her dressing room as “not up to par.” Her rushed departure made gossip sites quickly, noting that at the last minute, the star left Hoda Kotb scrambling for a replacement co-host for that hour.
Rowland insists that her leaving had nothing to do with the host and expressed her love for Kotb despite leaving the show, but that didn’t stop certain people from calling her a diva.