Kelly Rowland Breaks Silence on Cannes Film Festival Spat: ‘I Have a Boundary’

Kelly Rowland has spoken out about her heated exchange on the red carpet for the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, May 21. The Destiny’s Child alum, 43, spoke about the experience in an interview with The Associated Press, shared on Thursday, May 23. While she didn’t say directly what happened, Kelly did hint at some discrimination against her, while speaking about her thoughts.

When asked about the incident, Kelly explained briefly what had happened from her perspective. “The woman knows what happened. I know what happened, and I have a boundary, and I stand by those boundaries,” she explained to AP. “I stood my ground, and she felt like she had to stand hers, and I stood my ground, and that’s it.”

During the interview, Kelly also alleged that there was some discrimination going on, but she didn’t divulge many other details. She hinted that the woman had “scolded” her while she walked the carpet. “There were other women that attended that carpet who did not quite look like me, and they didn’t get that: scolded or pushed off or told to get off,” she told the outlet.

Kelly received much attention when a video of her having a heated exchange with a staff member at Cannes went viral. The singer sported a beautiful red strapless gown for the premiere of Marcello Mio, but during her time walking the red  carpet, she could be seen getting into it with a staff member. At one point, she pointed her finger in the staff member’s face, and appeared to scold them.

After the incident, an insider shed some insight into what happened in a report from Daily Mail. “The people who are assigned to helping stars walk the red carpet were being aggressive,” they said. “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.”