Kelly Rowland Claims She Was “Pushed” And “Told To Get Off” The Cannes Red Carpet By Ushers: “I Stood My Ground”

Kelly Rowland has addressed the dispute she had with an usher on the Cannes red carpet earlier this week. The singer claims the ushers had treated her differently than the other women walking the red carpet and were rushing her off.

The Mea Culpa star directly addressed the situation after the altercation was caught on video, photographed, and shared online.

“The woman knows what happened, I know what happened,” Rowland told the Associated Press. “I have a boundary and I stand by those boundaries, and that is it.”

She continued, “There were other women that attended that carpet who did not quite look like me, and they didn’t get that scolding, 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 video shows Rowland walking the red carpet and posing for photographers as ushers swirled around her and beckoned for her to continue walking up the stairs. They appear to motion for her to continue moving multiple times, during which some words are exchanged.

While it’s unclear to understand what is being said in the video, an expert lip reader weighed in on the dispute while speaking to The Daily Mail. Jacqui Press claimed the interaction began when the security guard accidentally stepped on Rowland’s dress and apologized, to which Rowland can be seen turning to her and saying, “It’s okay.”

O vídeo completo da Kelly Rowland tretando em Cannes. Pelo visto os seguranças tavam apressando ela, mas assim, de uma forma bem incisiva né, até grosseira.

E a mulher encostou nela, e se tem uma coisa q frita americano é vc encostar neles sem motivo! pic.twitter.com/IR0AvxoDYE

— Samir Duarte (@eusousamir) May 22, 2024

But then the security guard said something else, which prompted Rowland to allegedly reply, “Don’t talk to me like that,” which Press speculates she then repeated several times as she reached the top of the stairs.

The Cannes Film Festival is known for having strict rules for the red carpet.

A source told The Daily Mail that Rowland felt like the ushers were being “aggressive” with her.

“She scolded Kelly and told her to move when she was trying to wave to fans and help the paparazzi get their shot,” the source told The Daily Mail.

They added, “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.”

Rowland later walked the carpet again at the amfAR Gala at Cannes.