Kelly Rowland Reacts to Viral Cannes Security Moment: ‘I Have a Boundary’

Kelly Rowland is speaking out about her tense moment with security while walking the red carpet at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

“The woman knows what happened, I know what happened,” Rowland, 43, told AP Entertainment on Thursday, May 23. “I have a boundary and I stand by those boundaries, and that is it.”

Rowland noted there were other women who attended the carpet who “did not quite look like [her].” She added, “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,” Rowland said. “But I stood my ground.”

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The now-viral incident occurred while Rowland was posing for photographers at the premiere of the French-Italian film Marcello Mio on Tuesday, May 21. While being guided up the red carpet’s stairs by security officials, Rowland turned around to seemingly scold one of them.

During the exchange, Rowland pointed her finger at the staff member as she spoke. While the internet attempted to decipher the words being said, it’s unclear what the dialogue was.

The interaction came on the heels of Rowland’s decision to reportedly walk off the set of the Today show earlier this year.

Following her interview with Savannah Guthrie on the NBC morning show, Rowland was slated to fill in for Jenna Bush Hager as a cohost alongside Hoda Kotb during the fourth hour. Instead, Rita Ora made an appearance during the February episode.

Later that month, Rowland was asked whether she’d like to explain the situation — and she declined to do so. “No, because I’m so excited and delighted to be here to talk about the movie and nothing else,” she replied during her appearance on Chicago’s WGN News, referring to her Netflix drama Mea Culpa.

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Reports later swirled that Rowland’s departure from Today was due to her disappointment with the dressing room. Guthrie, 52, later noted that Rowland’s concerns were valid.

“We need a remodel. We need Extreme Makeover: Today Show Dressing Room Edition,” she joked to Entertainment Tonight in February. “We are in a historic studio, 1A. It’s the same studio that has been used for decades. It’s incredible and it’s iconic, but it’s old.”

Guthrie noted that the guests “get the good with the bad” when they enter the dressing rooms, but above all, she hopes they feel a “warm hug.”

“If you want history, sometimes you’re gonna have a few little chips of paint coming off the wall,” Guthrie said. “We try to do our best.”