Beyoncé’s Dad Abruptly Ends Interview Over Tina Knowles Mention

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Maybe don’t say Tina Knowles’ name. 

Mathew Knowles unexpectedly ended an interview and left when the interviewer mentioned his ex-wife and her involvement with Destiny’s Child, the group that launched the careers of Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams.

During a conversation on PIX 11, anchor Kendis Gibson mentioned the efforts of both Tina and Mathew Knowles in developing their daughters’ musical group. Solange Knowles then questioned, in a clip published by Page Six, what specific work her mother had contributed.

Kendis recalled how Tina was responsible for the group’s hairstyles and outfits when they first started out.

Mathew, who had been married to Tina for over 30 years before they separated in 2011, agreed with Kendis that Tina had helped with the group’s look and public image. However, he then stood up and ended the conversation.

Kendis laughed before asking and extending his hand, “Sorry, did I say something wrong?”

“No, no, no,” Mathew said as he shook the reporter’s hand. “We’re good.”

TopMob News has reached out to a rep for Mathew as well as PIX 11 for comment.

Mathew, while discussing a Destiny’s Child tribute concert, told Page Six that the interview unexpectedly focused on Tina Knowles-Lawson instead of the show itself.

The 74-year-old said he concluded the interview politely, shook the man’s hand, and then took a picture.

Tina has openly discussed the difficulties in her relationship with Mathew. It first ended in 2009 when she learned he had a child with someone else. They tried to get back together, but ultimately separated for good in 2011.

Tina described her complicated relationship with Mathew in her 2025 memoir, Matriarch, explaining that their strong connection at times—they were “so good half the time,” as she put it—made it hard to end things.

She explained that he would repeatedly misbehave or be unfaithful, and she would finally tell him she couldn’t take it anymore. He would then plead for her forgiveness, crying and vowing to change. Though he would improve for a while, she wrote that the cycle would always repeat. She admitted she told herself this kind of behavior was just something married couples went through.

Tina acknowledged that Mathew was a great father, but admitted he struggled with things that made it difficult to be a good husband at the time.

Even long after her final split with Mathew, Tina said she held no grudges.

Tina explained on the April 2025 episode of the Gayle King in the House podcast that she and her co-parent have a positive relationship because they successfully raised their children. She added, “We really did some great things.”

The 72-year-old acknowledged the relationship happened a long time ago, but emphasized that despite some difficult and upsetting experiences with Matthew, she always knew he loved both her and their children.

For more revelations from Tina’s Matriarch memoir, read on.

In her 2025 book, Matriarch, Tina Knowles revealed she was initially concerned when Solange became pregnant at 17, feeling her daughter was too young to be a mother. While ultimately supportive of Solange’s decision to have the baby, Tina advised against marriage at that time. She even spoke with the baby’s father, Daniel Smith, hoping he would encourage Solange to wait as well.

Tina wrote that Daniel called them back, sobbing. Solange, extremely upset, reportedly yelled obscenities at him, including insults directed at her mother and Tina’s niece, Angie Beyincé, accusing them of conspiring against her. After the outburst, Solange ended the call and didn’t contact them for two days. Tina and her family were terrified, and even though Solange was known for dramatic exits, Tina was furious.

Solange had a son, Julez Smith, and married Daniel in 2004, surrounded by her family. However, they later divorced in 2007.

Interestingly, Beyoncé’s last name came about because Tina Knowles and her siblings each had slightly different spellings of their family name. Tina’s official birth certificate actually spelled it “Celestine Ann Beyoncé.”

I was so moved reading Tina’s memoir, Matriarch, when she described this moment. She remembered wanting to learn how to write her name, and her brother, Larry, was incredibly patient. She wrote about how he sat with her while she did her homework, letting her borrow his pencil and spelling out each letter. It was really touching, and it showed how supportive he was. She even recalled a sweet moment where he had to pause for a second when they got to her last name – it just highlighted how much effort she was putting in and how proud he was of her.

She explained that when she and her siblings were growing up, their parents’ last name was spelled in different ways. Some variations included Beyince and Boyance, while hers was spelled Beyoncé.

Tina asked her mother, Agnéz, to fix the spelling error on her birth certificate. Her mother responded by saying she should be grateful to even have a birth certificate, pointing out that Black people weren’t always issued them. Agnéz also added that Tina’s name was lovely.

Tina eventually came to love her name, so much so that she later named her oldest daughter Beyoncé. She explained that the spelling didn’t matter to her; the name represented family history and a cherished legacy she was proud to pass on. She felt she was continuing a meaningful tradition.

Before Beyoncé and Jay-Z had their daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, in 2012, Beyoncé experienced several miscarriages. This led to hurtful rumors – spread by people she described as awful – claiming her pregnancy wasn’t real, which deeply upset her mother, Tina.

Tina wrote that the situation was incredibly frustrating. She felt strongly enough to want to publicly confront those involved and explain what Beyoncé, Jay, and their family had endured. However, Beyoncé didn’t allow her to speak about it publicly, and it was a very difficult time for everyone.

In hindsight, she thinks Beyoncé was right not to dignify any of the bogus stories with a response.

Tina explained that the ongoing rumors are deeply upsetting as a mother, leaving her feeling powerless to shield her children. While she’s willing to address other issues, she feels helpless against the spread of rumors because she can’t control them.

Looking back on my marriage to Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé and Solange’s dad, there were definitely amazing times – we had a really special connection. But honestly, even with that incredible bond, his unpredictable behavior would often surface and create challenges. It was a beautiful, yet complicated, relationship.

She explained that he would repeatedly misbehave, and she’d finally reach her limit. He would then plead for forgiveness, crying and vowing to change. And he usually did improve, but, as Tina wrote, the cycle would inevitably repeat. She justified it to herself as something couples often go through.

Tina doubted her ability to support herself, as she hadn’t worked since having children, and worried about her future if she ended the relationship, asking herself, “What would I do?”

By 1986, when Solange was born, Tina realized her marriage was falling apart quickly. She wrote that despite being pregnant, she couldn’t find a way to make things work because Mathew’s affairs were so obvious and public. She knew she couldn’t stay married to him.

She described Mathew as a wonderful father, but acknowledged he had personal struggles that prevented him from being a good husband at the time.

Okay, so everyone was buzzing about whether those intense lyrics on Lemonade were about Beyoncé’s dad, Mathew, and honestly, I’ve been losing sleep over it too! When asked directly, he just said he’s just as curious as we are! Can you believe it? He’s playing it so cool, but I NEED to know if there’s truth to the rumors! It’s killing me!

He admitted in an April 2016 interview with Mark Thompson on SiriusXM’s Make It Plain that he wasn’t sure who Beyoncé was referencing in her work. He did say he was a proud father and felt Beyoncé really showcased her creativity with the HBO special.

When asked about the opening of her piece, “Intuition,” which included the lines, “You remind me of my father, a magician. Able to exist in two places at once. In the tradition of men in my blood, you come home at 3 a.m. and lie to me,” Mathew stated he didn’t have any particular response.

“I know the response you want to get,” he told Mark. “You’re not going to get that response.”

In 2009, Tina ended her 29-year marriage after discovering her husband had a child with another woman.

She explained that this separation felt different from previous times she’d left him, as she had no control over the situation. In her memoir, Matriarch, she detailed the fallout after Mathew was served with paternity papers on October 2, 2009—a day Beyoncé was being recognized as Billboard’s Woman of the Year. She wrote that she maintained a strict routine and relied on work to cope with the emotional aftermath, a pattern she’d continued for years.

Despite her initial reluctance, Mathew persisted in his pursuit, and she eventually fell in love with him all over again, as she described it.

Which is how she ended up in a situationship with her own spouse.

Tina explained she kept her reconciliation with her husband secret from their daughters, Beyoncé and Solange, because she feared they’d be upset if they discovered they were back together.

Tina was surprised on Mother’s Day in 2010 when her children arrived, hoping to give her a pleasant surprise. Her oldest daughter, Bey, quietly understood what was happening, while Solange reacted strongly, immediately wanting to defend her mother.

Tina wrote that each of her children expressed their love for their father uniquely. She especially noticed how deeply her youngest daughter felt her father’s struggles, almost as if she absorbed his pain.

Mathew’s divorce was completed in 2011. He has two children – a son and a daughter – born in 2010 to different mothers. He married Gena Knowles in 2013.

Tina went on to marry Richard Lawson in 2015 but filed for divorce in 2023.

Unlike with her first husband, however, Tina’s second marriage didn’t end over some big betrayal.

She and Richard had been friends for a long time before they started a ten-year relationship. As she shared in her book, Matriarch, they both had good qualities, but they didn’t complement each other well. She eventually realized, later in life, that she deserved more happiness and wanted a partner who was genuinely excited to see her.

Tina wrote that she made the decision to divorce Richard “totally without malice.”

In 2024, Tina was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and had a lumpectomy. Showing incredible support, Beyoncé, Solange, Angie, and Kelly Rowland visited her in the hospital. Beyoncé went above and beyond, taking Tina home and staying closely involved with her mother’s medical care.

Tina explained that Beyoncé invited her to stay at her home to help her recover, saying it was the same kind of care she or her own mother would have provided.

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2026-03-03 22:48