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Tina Knowles is setting the record straight once and for all amid widespread false information regarding her superstar daughter’s support of Vice President Kamala Harris. The Knowles matriarch, along with Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland, each delivered impassioned speeches at the Democratic presidential nominee’s Houston rally ahead of the election.
The Oct. 25 event was one of several that notable celebrities participated in during the final stretch of campaigning. Harris ultimately lost the race to embattled GOP candidate Donald Trump on Election Day, Nov. 5, making him the first president to be impeached twice and convicted of 34 felonies yet still be elected to the nation’s highest office.
In the weeks since votes determined the 47th president, several reports have speculated that A-listers who lent their support to Harris did so, at least in part, due to million-dollar payouts. Political commentator Candace Owens reshared the claims in social media posts, like a Nov. 14 tweet promoting an episode of her eponymous YouTube series titled, “Beyoncé Was Paid $10 million For A 3 Minute Endorsement?!” A similar post was uploaded to Instagram and later flagged, resulting in its removal.
Knowles, who has been known to come to the defense of her loved ones, addressed the matter of fake news with a screenshot of Owen’s censored post. On Saturday (Nov. 16), she wrote that Owens and other platforms “with a lack of integrity” were spreading stories rooted in invalidated claims. “The lie is that Beyoncé was paid 10 million dollars to speak at a rally in Houston for Vice President Kamala Harris. When in fact, Beyoncé did not receive a penny for speaking at presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris’ rally in Houston. In fact, she actually paid for her own flights for her and her team and total glam.”
The author of the “Matriarch” memoir said that efforts to spread false narratives were not only “lying and disrespecting Beyoncé’s name, but they are trying to further discredit the power of our vice president!” Knowles also asked, “When [do] the lies and rumors stop?” as she pointed out, “Of course you won’t see this in the news!” In her comments, EGOT winner John Legend wrote, “Let ‘em know, Ms. Tina! We all performed/appeared for free because we care about our nation’s future.” He, along with his wife Chrissy Teigen, made campaign appearances and spoke out in support of the vice president.
When Knowles’ post was reshared on an Instagram blog account, Owens claimed that flagged upload “named multiple publications that reported” the $10 million claim as well as “they all reached out to confirm the alleged amenity multiple times to both Beyoncé and [the] Kamala campaign and were met with silence.”
The pro-Trump pundit made a similar claim about Cardi B, who spoke at a November Harris rally. The “Bodak Yellow” rapper shut down the hearsay in a tweet stating she joined the vice president on stage for free.