How Beyoncé and Tina Knowles resolve business disagreements comes down to a simple principle that keeps both family and business relationships strong, as revealed in candid discussions and memoir excerpts. The celebrated matriarch and Vice Chairwoman of Cécred haircare openly shares her approach to navigating differences with her famous daughter, demonstrating trust, humility, and unwavering family priorities.
Tina Knowles Shares Her Approach to Working With Beyoncé
Tina Knowles, at age 71, serves as Vice Chairwoman of her daughter Beyoncé’s Cécred haircare venture. The two regularly collaborate on business matters, but Tina emphasizes that she intentionally steps back during disagreements. As she explained on the Confessions of a Female Founder podcast hosted by Meghan Markle on June 3, Tina prefers not to create tension with her daughter in a business setting.
“We have disagreements with things but it’s her business,”
Tina shared with Meghan Markle. —Tina Knowles, Vice Chairwoman, Cécred haircare
Her approach is grounded in her supportive role:
“I’m just helping. Overall, we get along really, really well. So, if we have a disagreement, it’s her business, so she gets to win.”
—Tina Knowles, Vice Chairwoman, Cécred haircare
Tina, who has another daughter, Solange Knowles, 38, with Mathew Knowles, credits her long-standing peacekeeping tendencies for her boardroom management style. She admits she “always caves,” adding,
“There are difficulties sometimes because when you’re dealing with your child or they’re dealing with their mother, you have disagreements,”
Tina acknowledged. —Tina Knowles, Vice Chairwoman, Cécred haircare
She explained her dedication to maintaining harmony between herself and her children by sharing,
“I’m the one that always caves. I’ve been like that since I was young. So, if my kids are mad at me, I can’t take it. So, I’ll cave. I’ll apologize.”
—Tina Knowles, Vice Chairwoman, Cécred haircare
Even when conflicts arise in adulthood, Tina is the first to reach out.
“Even as adults if we have disagreements or whatever, I’m the one that calls because I don’t want to waste that time,”
she said.
“I want to be close to my kids. That’s my priority.”
—Tina Knowles, Vice Chairwoman, Cécred haircare
Tina stresses that trust defines their partnership:
“She’s just such a savvy businessperson and she knows so much about hair, and so we trust each other.”
—Tina Knowles, Vice Chairwoman, Cécred haircare
On one occasion, during a Cécred board meeting, Tina’s expertise was questioned when she proposed opening a test salon and research space. Beyoncé supported her, telling others,
“My mom knows what she’s doing.”
—Beyoncé, Artist and Entrepreneur
Their mutual support is visible outside the boardroom as well. Beyoncé celebrated Tina’s literary achievement during her Cowboy Carter tour, proudly announcing to an arena,
“Today is a big day because my mother, who worked so hard on her book, has the No. 1 book on the New York Times bestsellers,”
before urging the crowd, “Congratulations, Mama T!” —Beyoncé, Artist and Entrepreneur
Family Dynamics During Solange Knowles’s Teenage Years
Tina’s memoir, Matriarch, explores other family moments, offering insight into her relationship with her younger daughter, Solange Knowles. When Solange became pregnant at 17, Tina feared she was too young for motherhood, despite offering her support. Tina also tried persuading Solange and her then-boyfriend, Daniel Smith, to delay marriage. The conversation escalated into family conflict, prompting Solange to lash out and disappear for two days, alarming her family.
“[Solange] said, F–k you, and f–k my mama, and f–k Angie [Beyincé, Tina’s niece] because I know they put you up to this.’ Solange hung up in his face, and then disappeared for two days. We were scared to death, and even if a disappearing act was always Solange’s way, I was so mad.”
—Tina Knowles, Author
Solange had her son Julez Smith and married Daniel in 2004, with family present, but they later divorced in 2007. This episode underscored Tina’s commitment to her children’s autonomy, even when those decisions were hard to accept.
The Story Behind Beyoncé’s Unique Name
Tina Knowles reveals in her memoir that her own last name originated from a clerical error on her birth certificate, which read “Celestine Ann Beyoncé,” a variant spelling among her siblings. The name’s spelling was never corrected, despite Tina’s desire for uniformity as a child. Her brother Larry helped her practice writing it, and she discovered that their family had several spellings:
“[He] reminded me that all of us kids had difference spellings of our parents’ last name, Buyince,”
she wrote.
“There was Beyince, Boyance, and mine, Beyoncé.”
—Tina Knowles, Author
Tina, frustrated by the inconsistency, confronted her mother.
“I was told, ‘Be happy that you’re getting a birth certificate.’ Because, at one time, Black people didn’t even get birth certificates.”
—Tina Knowles’s mother, Agnéz
Despite her initial resistance, Tina embraced her unique name and proudly passed it on to her oldest daughter, Beyoncé.
“It didn’t matter how it was spelled when it was given to me, it was our name,”
Tina wrote.
“Our history. The most valuable possession I had, and it was now mine to give. I’ve kept a word going.”
—Tina Knowles, Author
Tina Knowles Addresses Beyoncé’s Pregnancy Rumors
Tina also documents a difficult period when Beyoncé, after several miscarriages, faced public speculation about her pregnancy with Blue Ivy Carter in 2012. The rumors—suggesting she had faked her pregnancy or used padding—angered Tina deeply.
“I wanted to curse some people out and scream at these losers to set the record straight. They had no idea what she and Jay, and our whole family, had been through. It was one of the worst times that Beyoncé would not allow me to speak publicly.”
—Tina Knowles, Author
Looking back, Tina agreed with Beyoncé’s choice to remain silent in the face of damaging rumors, though it left her feeling vulnerable as a parent.
“As a mother, the constant rumors make me feel helpless, unable to protect my children. I can work on anything else that comes about, but rumors? It feels out of my control.”
—Tina Knowles, Author
Challenges in Tina Knowles’s Marriage to Mathew Knowles
Tina details the complexities of her decades-long marriage to Mathew Knowles, whom she wed in 1980. They experienced periods of strong connection, but his infidelity strained their relationship.
“We were so good half the time,”
Tina recalled, describing their complicated bond and Mathew’s repeated unfaithfulness:
“He would cheat or act up, and I would say I’d had enough. He’d beg for forgiveness, crying and promising to get better.”
—Tina Knowles, Author
She often felt societal pressure to maintain her marriage despite recurring betrayals.
“But this is what married people did, I told myself.”
—Tina Knowles, Author
As the marriage unraveled further during Tina’s pregnancy with Solange, she realized she could no longer continue.
“The marriage was deteriorating faster than I could possibly find ways or reasons to make it work—even with the pregnancy. Mathew’s infidelity became so out there for all to see that I could not possibly stay in the marriage.”
—Tina Knowles, Author
She acknowledged Mathew’s strengths as a parent:
“But he had issues that did not make for a good husband then.”
—Tina Knowles, Author
Mathew weighed in on public speculation linking Beyoncé’s Lemonade lyrics to their family dynamics, responding ambiguously in a 2016 interview with Mark Thompson.
“I don’t know who she was referring to throughout the whole series,”
he said.
“I can only speak of being a proud father. I think Beyoncé pushed the envelope of creativity on this HBO special.”
—Mathew Knowles, Music Executive
When asked to comment on the opening chapter, Mathew declined to elaborate.
“I know the response you want to get,”
he told Mark.
“You’re not going to get that response.”
—Mathew Knowles, Music Executive
The Path to Finalizing Her First Divorce
In 2009, Tina filed for divorce after learning that Mathew had fathered a child outside their marriage. In her memoir, she describes how this time was different.
“This was different from the other times I had chosen to leave him. Now I had no choice,”
she wrote, recounting her reaction to Mathew being served during a significant moment in Beyoncé’s career.
“The aftermath of that explosion, I kept pace with my life, and I had now for years, sticking to my routine and allowing work to numb and carry me.”
—Tina Knowles, Author
Despite the separation, Mathew continued to pursue Tina, and she found herself drawn back into a relationship.
“As he courted me, I found myself falling in love again.”
—Tina Knowles, Author
She concealed their rekindled relationship from Beyoncé and Solange, fearful of their disapproval.
“Knew the kids would be so mad at us if they found out we were back together.”
—Tina Knowles, Author
Mother’s Day in 2010 revealed the truth to their daughters, resulting in emotional reactions. Tina describes how the girls loved their father differently, with Solange feeling the impact of his failings deeply:
“They each loved their dad in different ways, and I sometimes felt my youngest was so much like her dad that she felt his moments of failing on a soul-deep level.”
—Tina Knowles, Author
The divorce was finalized in 2011. Mathew later married Gena Knowles in 2013 and fathered two more children with other partners in 2010.
Tina Knowles’s Second Marriage and Divorce
After remarrying in 2015, Tina’s union with Richard Lawson ended quietly in 2023. Unlike her first divorce, the breakup involved no scandal or betrayal. Tina explained that she and Richard shared a decade-long friendship and relationship but grew apart.
“Friends for many years before our 10-year relationship, and he has great qualities, we just didn’t bring them out in each other. I just grew up at 69 and realized I deserved so much more. I wanted to be happy. I wanted someone to be happy when I walked in the room.”
—Tina Knowles, Author
Tina made the choice to end the marriage without animosity, prioritizing personal happiness and growth.
Beyoncé’s Support During Tina Knowles’s Health Crisis
In 2024, Tina Knowles faced a health scare when she was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer and underwent a lumpectomy. Both of her daughters, as well as niece Angie Beyince and family friend Kelly Rowland, supported her during her hospitalization. Beyoncé, in particular, took Tina into her home during recovery, offering the care that Tina and her own mother would have provided.
“Beyoncé made me move into her house so she could supervise my recuperation,”
Tina wrote,
“exactly as my mother or I would have done.”
—Tina Knowles, Author
The Enduring Strength of the Knowles Family Bond
Tina Knowles’s experience, from co-leading business ventures with Beyoncé to weathering family challenges, highlights the value she places on trust, communication, and unconditional support. How Beyoncé and Tina Knowles resolve business disagreements is emblematic of a broader philosophy that weaves together professionalism, humility, and deep mother–daughter respect. Through all of life’s stages—from tense boardroom exchanges and parenting teenagers to overcoming public scrutiny and health battles—the Knowles family consistently demonstrates a commitment to prioritizing their connection and supporting each other through every challenge. As memoir and public appearances reveal, this balance shapes not just their personal lives, but the success and resilience of their shared endeavors.
