Nationwide — Mathew Knowles is responding to claims that Beyoncé made him wealthy after she became famous. The music executive says he and his former wife, Tina Knowles, had already built wealth before Beyoncé became a global superstar.
During an appearance on the Outlaws with TS Madison podcast, he said his family had built financial success years before Destiny’s Child gained worldwide fame. He credited their Houston-based business, Headliners Hair Salon, as one of the main sources of their early success.
“For all of y’all that talk sh*t to think Beyoncé made me, no,” Knowles said, according to Complex. “We were millionaires when she was… four years old.”
Knowles said Headliners became one of Houston’s leading Black-owned hair salons in the 1980s. He also claimed that he and his ex-wife, Tina, earned their first million dollars in 1985, years before Beyoncé’s music career took off.
The comments also challenged the belief that Beyoncé grew up in poverty. In a 2013 interview with Vanity Fair, Beyoncé said she had a comfortable childhood, attended private school, lived in a nice home, and had a housekeeper.
Beyond his role in Destiny’s Child, Knowles pointed to his own career achievements. He said he had a successful career in sales, became the first Black salesperson in the United States to sell MRI and CT scanners for Philips Medical Systems, and later sold his company, Music World Entertainment, for $10 million.
Knowles said his work with Destiny’s Child focused on creating a lasting brand rather than simply selling albums. He credited touring, business partnerships, and global marketing efforts for helping the group become one of the most successful female groups in music history.
Knowles said his career accomplishments should be judged on their own and encouraged people to research his background instead of assuming Beyoncé was the reason for his success.