Kelly Rowland accuses Cannes safety guard of racism after bust-up
Kelly Rowland has broken her silence on the incident in Cannes in which she appeared to scold a security guard while walking the red carpet on Tuesday.
The singer, 43, claimed there were other women who did not look like her that were treated differently and insisted she was just standing her ground.
‘The woman knows what happened. I know what happened,’ she said. ‘And, I have a boundary. And I stand by those boundaries and that is it.’
‘There were other women who attended that carpet, who did not quite look like me, and they didn’t get scolded or pushed off or told to get off.’
Kelly was attending the premiere of the French film Marcello Mio, in a red flowing gown, when she appeared to engage in a verbal dispute with a member of security.
Kelly Rowland has broken her silence on the incident in Cannes in which she appeared to scold a security guard while walking the red carpet on Tuesday
The female security guard held up her arm to guide her into the venue and Kelly appeared furious.
Kelly held up her finger to admonish the woman in front of the crowd in attendance.
The security guard appeared to frantically respond to Kelly, who even turned back to continue her tirade as she made her way up the rest of the steps.
A lip-reading expert revealed what Kelly really said during the heated interaction with the French woman.
Jacqui Press told MailOnline that after the security guard appeared to step on her dress, she apologised and Kelly said: ‘It’s OK.’
However, the security guard then said something else, causing Kelly’s change in mood, as she responded: ‘Don’t talk to me like that.’
As the security guard continued to usher her up the stairs, Kelly turned around and repeated the phrase several times.
The singer had been attending the premiere of the French film Marcello Mio, and looked stunning in a red flowing gown
Kelly, 43, claimed there were other women who did not look like her that were treated differently and insisted she was just standing her ground
Victoria’s Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio was also on the red carpet for Marcello Mio
A male security guard then came down to ask what was being said as the lady was using her hands to move Kelly along.
Kelly finally turned around on the top step and added: ‘You still don’t talk to me like that!’
It was claimed that the tiff came about because staff members were ‘being aggressive’ and Kelly had ‘had it’ with them.
‘The people who are assigned to helping stars walk the red carpet were being aggressive and Kelly was trying to ignore it,’ an insider told DailyMail.com.
‘By the time she 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,’ they added.
The source also revealed: ‘She doesn’t care if she comes across like a diva if she knows that she is advocating for herself. She isn’t fake and wanted to set a clear boundary.’
It comes just weeks after Kelly walked out of an appearance on the Today show in February, though the reason for this has been disputed.
A member of security appeared to hold up her arm to guide Kelly into the venue, sparking the red carpet dispute
Kelly appeared furious during the exchange with a member of the security at the festival
It had been claimed that Kelly skipped out on co-hosting the rest of the Today show alongside anchor Hoda Kotb because she was dissatisfied with her dressing room, forcing Rita Ora to step in at the last minute.
However sources have since claimed that Kelly had actually walked off the show due to ‘disrespect’ shown to her by Hoda’s co-host Savannah Guthrie who ‘aggressively’ questioned her about Beyoncé – rather than ask the singer about what she was there to promote – her new film Mea Culpa.
The dressing room excuse was also even seemingly confirmed by Hoda herself, when she offered Rowland to share her dressing next time she comes on the show.
However, it appears Hoda’s comments stirred the pot even further, as an insider told The Wrap that Kelly left after she ‘felt disrespected’ after Guthrie asked her a series of questions about her friend and former bandmate Beyoncé.
A lip-reading expert revealed what Kelly really said during the heated interaction with the French woman
It was claimed that the tiff came about because staff members were ‘being aggressive’ and Kelly had ‘had it’ with them
‘Kelly was offended that Savannah repeatedly and aggressively asked her about Beyoncé,’ the insider told the outlet.
‘Kelly was upset about Savannah’s aggressive questioning about Beyoncé. She and her team were not happy and felt disrespected.’
A source told TMZ soon after, however, that Kelly was not aggressively asked about Beyonce, and adamantly denied The Wrap’s claims.
The Wrap insider said that the dressing room accommodations had nothing to do with Rowland’s exit.
‘The story was spun that Kelly didn’t like her dressing room, but she has been on the Today show numerous times, she and her team know the dressing room set up,’ the insider said.
‘That would not come as a surprise at all.’
