Kelly Rowland is addressing an incident that made headlines at the Cannes Film Festival, where the singer appeared to clash with a red carpet usher during the premiere of “Marcello Mio.”
Speaking to the Associated Press at the amfAR gala a couple days later, Rowland confirmed she was “told to get off” the carpet by the female usher.
“The woman knows what happened. I know what happened. I have a boundary and I stand by those boundaries and that is it,” Rowland stated. “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.”
Video footage showed the usher repeatedly gesturing for Rowland to leave the red carpet at the Palais des Festivals and walk up the stairs into the theater. Multiple ushers then surrounded Rowland as she briefly turned away, appearing to forcefully address one of them amid the tense clash.
The Cannes Film Festival is renowned for its strict red carpet protocols, prohibiting selfies, camera use, and lingering on the carpet as ushers aim to hustle attendees inside the venue. It previously faced backlash for controversially banning female guests not wearing high heels, though the policy has since changed.
While Rowland did not provide full details, her comments imply she felt singled out by the usher’s handling of the situation compared to other attendees.
“I looked like me and they didn’t get scolded or pushed off or told to get off,” the former Destiny’s Child member said, suggesting the incident may have involved racial bias.
As the festival continues pursuing efforts to modernize its image, the high-profile incident with Rowland has cast an unflattering spotlight on the tensions that can arise from its famously stringent red carpet rules and management.
Rowland’s resolute stance highlights her refusal to back down in the face of what she perceived as unfair treatment, regardless of the prestigious setting.
This report has information obtained from The Associated Press