Tina Knowles Defends Beyoncé Against Skin-Lightening Accusations at Renaissance Premiere

Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, has passionately defended her daughter against critics who suggested the star lightened her skin for the premiere of her film, “Renaissance.” The Grammy-winning artist attended the red carpet event on Saturday with a platinum blonde hair look and wore a silver dress, embracing the theme of the film.

Social media erupted with comments claiming that Beyoncé had altered her appearance and “looks so white.” In response, Tina Knowles took to Instagram in a lengthy post condemning the accusations as racist, ignorant, and self-hating.

Knowles stated, “She does a film, called the Renaissance, where the whole theme is silver with silver hair, a silver carpet, and suggested silver attire, and you bozos decide that she’s trying to be a white woman and is bleaching her skin?”

The post, which included a video montage of Beyoncé set to her song “Brown Skin Girl,” received over 250,000 likes since its Tuesday night upload. The song, released in 2019 as part of the film soundtrack for “The Lion King: The Gift,” celebrates blackness and includes empowering lyrics sung by Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy.

In the Instagram post, Tina Knowles expressed frustration with those attacking her daughter, emphasizing Beyoncé’s positive contributions. “This girl minds her own business. She helps people whenever she can. She lifts up and promotes black women and underdogs at all times,” Knowles wrote.

The 69-year-old also admitted that Beyoncé would likely be annoyed by her post but conveyed that she was “fed up” with the unwarranted criticism. “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé,” documenting the world tour of her Grammy-winning album, premiered in Los Angeles on Saturday and is set to release in cinemas worldwide on Friday. The album, Beyoncé’s first solo project after a six-year break, received acclaim for its fusion of black and queer influences and debuted at number one upon its release.