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Singer Kelly Rowland accuses Cannes security guard of racism after viral confrontation: ‘I stood my ground’

May 24, 2024 | | Print Article

Singer Kelly Rowland got into a viral confrontation on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival with a female security guard and claimed it had to do with racism.

Rowland is caught on video appearing to scold the security guard Tuesday at the event. She charged that other women who did not look like her were not treated like she was and asserted she was standing her ground over the incident.

“The woman knows what happened. I know what happened,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “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. I stood my ground, and she felt like she had to stand hers. But I stood my ground,” the 43-year-old singer claimed.

(Video Credit: Entertainment Tonight)

“The incident occurred on the Palais des Festivals staircase, where Rowland and the security guard got into an exchange. Multiple people accompanying the ‘Dilemma’ singer seemed to interfere, but the guard continued moving them along the carpet,” People reported.

Rowland got in the security guard’s face and did not back down.

“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. The female security guard held up her arm to guide her into the venue and Kelly appeared furious,” the Daily Mail reported.

“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,” the media outlet added.

Jacqui Press, a lip-reading expert, told the Daily Mail that after the security guard appeared to step on Rowland’s dress, she apologized to the former Destiny’s Child member and Rowland told her, “It’s okay.”

After that, the guard said something else that incensed Rowland, who told her, “Don’t talk to me like that.”

The guard then continued to usher the singer up the stairs with Rowland turning on her and telling her the same thing several times. Following that spectacle, a male security guard came up to them and asked what was going on as the female guard continued to use her hands to herd Rowland up the stairs.

When they reached the top of the steps, the singer turned on the guard and said, “You still don’t talk to me like that!”

The confrontation was rumored to have occurred because the guard was being aggressive.

“The people who are assigned to helping stars walk the red carpet were being aggressive and Kelly was trying to ignore it,” a source reportedly told the Daily Mail. “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.”

“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,” the source claimed.

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