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At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland made headlines not just for her stunning outfits but also for an incident that took place on the red carpet. Rowland, who dazzled in outfits such as an Anamika Khanna red gown and a Gaurav Gupta two-piece neon green ensemble, found herself in a verbal dispute with a security staff member while making her way up the famous stairs at the Palais des Festivals.
The drama unfolded as Rowland was attending the premiere of the French film *Marcello Mio*. The initial reports suggested that a security guard stepped on her dress and apologized, but tension remained high. Rowland was overheard saying, “Don’t talk to me like that,” sparking curiosity and speculation among fans.
A few days later, Rowland addressed the incident, implying that the security guard might have made racist comments. In her remarks to the Associated Press at the amfAR Cannes Gala, she stated:
“The woman knows what happened. I know what happened. I have a boundary, and I stand by those boundaries, and that is it. 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.”
This wasn’t the only altercation involving the security guard during the festival. Dominican actress Massiel Taveras and South Korean K-pop idol YoonA also had similar experiences on the same stairs, with the same guard. These incidents led to discussions about potential racism, which the security staff and a colleague refuted. They insisted that the security guard was simply doing her job, and claims of racism were dismissed as “ridiculous” by a staff member speaking to the Daily Mail.
The Cannes Film Festival is known for its strict protocols, especially regarding posing on the iconic stairs. The festival operates on a tight schedule to accommodate multiple screenings, premieres, and events, which often means that celebrities not involved in the premieres must move quickly to avoid delays.
Despite the confrontation, Rowland continued to enjoy the festival, which concluded on May 25. The incident has sparked broader conversations about how celebrities, particularly those of diverse backgrounds, are treated at high-profile events like Cannes.