Kelly Rowland and Beyoncé were in Destiny’s Child together for over fifteen years. They grew up together and have maintained a friendship since the group split. Still, Rowland wants to be seen as an artist in her own right, not just as the friend of the singer. She once felt as though an interview was disrespectful because of the questions about Beyoncé. 

Kelly Rowland felt disrespected by questions about Beyoncé

In 2024, Rowland walked off the Today show. A source said that this was because of the questions about Beyoncé. Host Savannah Guthrie asked several questions about Beyoncé and her foray into country music on Cowboy Carter. Rowland gave short, vague answers.

“The story was spun that Kelly didn’t like her dressing room, but she has been on the Today show numerous times, she and her team know the dressing room setup. That would not come as a surprise at all,” the source told The Wrap. “Kelly was upset about Savannah’s aggressive questioning about Beyoncé. She and her team were not happy and felt disrespected.” 

Rowland hasn’t been in Destiny’s Child in years and wants her work to be separate from Beyoncé’s.

She spoke about her friendship with her former bandmate

While Rowland doesn’t appreciate constantly being linked to Beyoncé, she considers her a good friend. She grew up with her family.

“I grew up with Beyoncé, her sister Solange, her mother Tina and her eldest cousin Angie,” she told Marie Claire. “It was a real sisterhood.”

She said Beyoncé has remained one of her closest friends.

“Bey and I met at rehearsals for [the girl group] Girl’s Tyme when we were nine,” she said. “We were both singing our butts off and she was impressed I knew all the words to Whitney Houston’s ‘I’m Your Baby Tonight.’ We grew up in this industry together; we’ve shared ups and downs and we are closer than ever. I can tell her anything and she’ll never judge me. She’s a real friend: genuine, loyal and trustworthy. She’s also one of the sweetest people you ever did meet.”

Rowland added that she feels incredibly proud of Beyoncé’s career achievements.

“I admire her passion and hard work,” she said. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t look up to her as an artist; she has ignited fire inside so many women.”

Beyoncé is in a group chat with Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams

Years after Destiny’s Child disbanded, Rowland, Beyoncé, and Williams are still in a group chat. In an interview on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Williams shared what the chat was like.

“It is pure, it’s friendship, it’s all of those things,” she said (per Vibe Magazine).

When Williams starred in the Death Becomes Her musical, Rowland and Beyoncé attended the premiere. She said that having them in the audience was an “absolute joy.”

“Having them there, I felt anchored,” she said. “We obviously have not been touring together for years, but it took me back to the time when I’d been with them on stage. Even though they weren’t on stage with me, I felt so grounded. It’s giving me some fuel for the rest of my run in the show.”