Cannes 2024: Kelly Rowland explains her disagreement with security guard
Following a series of disappointments at the Cannes Film Festival over the past week, including Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, which received an underwhelming reception, singer and actor Kelly Rowland was involved in a controversial incident with a security guard on May 21st.
Earlier this week, footage began to circulate on social media that depicted an enraged Rowland seemingly rebuking a security guard on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet. The former Destiny’s Child singer wore a bright red dress with a blonde bob and a giant eagle necklace, ensuring all eyes tuned into the drama.
The musician was walking the red carpet on her way to the Marcello Mio premiere when the bitter exchange began. Unfortunately, audio capture of the disagreement is scarce, leading to conjecture among social media pundits.
In a conversation with the Associated Press at the amfAR Cannes Gala in France on May 23rd, Rowland shed a little more light on the altercation while opting to spare a few details. “The woman knows what happened. I know what happened,” she boldly asserted. “I have a boundary, and I stand by those boundaries, and that is it.”
Continuing, the singer seemed to suggest that the security staff treated the guests unequally. “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,” she added.
The incident, which occurred on the Palais des Festivals staircase, also involved some of Rowland’s fellow guests. Unphased, the guard continued to marshall the guests down the carpet. “I stood my ground, and she felt like she had to stand hers, but I stood my ground,” Rowland added.
While Rowland is best known for her music career, in which she found success with Destiny’s Child and as a solo artist, she is now established as a movie star. Earlier this year, she starred in Tyler Perry’s Mea Culpa. Available on Netflix, the film follows the story of a criminal defence lawyer who takes on the case of an artist accused of murdering his former partner.
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