Tina Knowles Says White Couple Cut Her In Line In ‘Racially Charged’ Incident

Popstar Beyoncé‘s mother, Tina Knowles, has revealed that she experienced a major wake-up call about the culture of the Kentucky Derby after a racial” incident during one of her visits to the event.

According to the fashion designer, an employee allowed a white couple to cut ahead of her in line on the red carpet, even after she confronted the staffer about the situation.

The revelation comes shortly after Tina Knowles received a philanthropy award for her work in raising awareness and contributing to cancer research.

Tina Knowles has reflected on being treated unfairly during a past visit to the Kentucky Derby, per the Daily Mail.

Speaking about the incident during an appearance on Peacock’s High Horse: The Black Cowboy, the fashion designer recalled that at the event, an employee allowed a white couple to cut ahead of her in line on the red carpet.

She claimed that someone had even come up as she stood in her turn and announced, “Oh, Tina Knowles is next.”

But then the employee suddenly appeared on the scene and interjected with, “Oh no, because we need a-,” before running right into Knowles’s face.

At this point in her retelling, Knowles revealed that she herself added “a white person?” as though she were completing the staffer’s unfinished thought for her.

She also noted that the staffer didn’t respond and instead stepped behind her to meet the couple and guide them onto the red carpet.

For Knowles, being in such a situation deeply rubbed her the wrong way, but it also opened her eyes to what she believes the culture of the Derby is really like.

“It was a very big wake-up call for me to attend the Kentucky Derby and to see this closed-off culture,” Knowles said of the incident.

Doubling down on her stance, Knowles called out the event for being racially charged.

“It’s racially charged there,” she added. “There’s a lot of racially charged energy.”

Knowles has attended the Kentucky Derby at least twice, including an appearance in May 2018.

However, it is unclear whether the 2018 event was when the incident occurred, as Knowles did not reveal that detail during the interview.

Earlier this year, Knowles told Gayle King about her breast cancer diagnosis during an episode of “CBS Mornings.”

She revealed that her doctors found two tumors during a delayed mammogram appointment, and the discovery left her in shock.

“I’ve always tried to take care of myself. I just … was in disbelief,” the 71-year-old recalled.

Of the two tumors, one was benign, while the other was diagnosed as stage 1 cancer.

Knowles then had no choice but to undergo a lumpectomy to remove the tumor, which was located in her left breast.

Ahead of the surgery, her daughters Beyoncé and Solange, along with several close friends, offered her immense support.

“I was nervous,” Knowles recalled how she felt, “And so they started just joking with me.”

“I start laughing,” she continued. “I get out of my head. … Then I said, ‘I’m just so happy that y’all are here.'”

Knowles added, “And I thought about the song ‘Walk With Me,’ which they used to sing all the time.”