“Grandmas don’t play!” Tina said, before explaining the reason behind her reaction.
Tina Knowles is setting the record straight on a viral video, in which she appeared to scold her granddaughter, Rumi, while on stage at her daughter Beyoncé’s concert.
While speaking with Gayle King on Monday as part of her Matriarch promo tour, the mom of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles addressed the video, and explained the reason behind her reaction.
In the viral clip, below, Beyoncé was joined by Tina, 71, and her daughters Blue Ivy, 13, and Rumi, 7, on stage during one of Queen B’s Cowboy Carter tour concerts earlier this month.
“Today is a big day because my mother, who worked so hard on her book, she has the number one book on the New York Times best-seller list,” Beyoncé said. “Everybody please say, ‘Congratulations, Mama T.”
While the Grammy winner was speaking, a visibly excited Rumi appeared to reach for Beyoncé, who was holding a microphone. Tina pulled her granddaughter away, seemingly scolding her. Blue then reached for her younger sister, bringing her over to stand by her. She made a “shh” motion as she clearly instructed Rumi to be quiet.
During her sit-down with King, Tina said she was worried her granddaughter was going to grab the microphone.
“And you went, ‘Excuse you!'” King joked. “She did, like, a mama bear move. Like, ‘Stand aside, little girl, for just a second.'”
“It’s very funny,” King added, asking if Tina has seen the video.
“Of course, I’ve seen it,” Tina said, “People have written all kinds of narratives about it.”
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King assured that it was “very cute,” to which Tina said, “It was real. I mean, it’s real life. You know, grandmas don’t play!”
“No, it really wasn’t that. It was just that she was reaching for the mic because she wanted to say something,” she continued. “And I realized that, but she was pulling, and I was like, ‘Oh God, that’s all that needs to happen, is the mic hits her in the face!'”
Tina reflected on the moment she was able to be on stage with her daughter and granddaughters to celebrate her accomplishment. “I got to be on there with [Beyoncé] and Blue and Rumi, and that made it so special,” she said.
“It was from a different perspective — I’m usually behind the stage — but it was actually fun. It was exciting,” she continued.
Tina added that Rumi told her how she felt being on stage, saying, “It feels powerful.”
