Kelly Rowland speaks out after viral Cannes Film Festival incident: “I stood my ground”

Kelly Rowland has spoken out about an incident that happened at the 77th Cannes Film Festival which was captured in a viral clip.

On Tuesday (May 21), the former Destiny’s Child singer was seen arguing with a member of security on the red carpet for the premiere of Marcello Mio, which is in competition at the festival.

Two days later (May 23), Rowland addressed the incident when asked by the Associated Press on the red carpet of Cannes’ amfAR gala event. “The woman knows what happened. I know what happened,” she said. “I have a boundary. And I stand by those boundaries. And that is it.”

She paused before continuing: “And 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. I stood my ground and she felt like she had to stand hers. But I stood my ground. And that was it.”

The clip of the incident showed the Cannes security staff gesture to Rowland to move along up the stairs as she posed for photos. Her ascent up the stairs was quickly shadowed by more security members, who held their hands out in an attempt to guide her passage upwards.

However, one of them moved closer to Rowland in an attempt to block her view of the spectators, with more following suit.

Page Six spoke to a lip-reading expert, whose analysis claims Rowland had told the usher “Don’t talk to me like that. Don’t talk to me like that. You’re not my mother. I told you not to talk to me like that.”

As reported by Variety, the festival is known for its strict red carpet policies. Its security guards and ushers often hurry guests into the theatre, barring them from lingering on the red carpet. However, it remains to be seen if the conduct of the security staff on Tuesday is seen as routine.