In 2011, a pivotal moment in Beyoncé’s career arrived as she chose to part ways with her father, Mathew Knowles, relinquishing his role as her manager. This strategic move coincided with her collaboration with Live Nation, a company associated with her husband Jay-Z, effectively severing all remaining business connections with her father.
As per accounts, Beyoncé had grown weary of collaborating with her father, who faced allegations of purportedly misappropriating funds from the singer’s I Am… World Tour. This tour, spanning from 2009 to 2010, amassed a remarkable $143 million in earnings. Nonetheless, Knowles vehemently refuted the accusations, countering them by filing legal documents that were acquired by TMZ. Within these papers, Knowles asserted that the entertainment company had levied baseless claims against him to serve their own purposes.
Furthermore, he highlighted the involvement of a law firm that had conducted an audit, purportedly confirming his innocence. He attributed responsibility for the situation to both Live Nation Entertainment and the aforementioned law firm. His intentions even extended to considering legal action against the company. TMZ reported, “Mathew insists the theft accusations by Live Nation are false, and he wants the judge to give him the right to take depositions of various people at Live Nation, to determine just how they concluded he was a thief.”
In spite of the tensions within the family, Beyoncé issued a positive press statement about her father on March 28, 2011. She stated, “I’ve only parted ways with my father on a business level. He is my father for life, and I love my dad dearly. I am grateful for everything he has taught me. I grew up watching both him and my mother manage their own businesses. They were hardworking entrepreneurs, and I will continue to follow in their footsteps,” as reported by CNN.
Nevertheless, despite these developments, the case swiftly subsided. This outcome was unsurprising, given Beyoncé’s inclination to avoid drawing widespread attention to a professional rift with her father. This sequence of events unfolded merely two years following Beyoncé’s mother initiating divorce proceedings, although the formal conclusion of the process didn’t occur until 2011. The catalyst for their separation was Mathew’s extended extramarital involvement with Alexsandra Wright, resulting in the birth of a child. This deeply regrettable situation led to a strained relationship between Mathew and his daughters.
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While Beyoncé understandably reduced her interactions with her father, she did make an exception during her Formation World Tour’s visit to Texas in May 2016. On that occasion, her father attended her Houston show, as per The Things. Wearing smiles, the duo posed for a backstage photograph, seemingly captured by Tina, who then shared the snapshot on her Instagram account accompanied by the caption, “Houston Concert proud dad.”
References:
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/29/beyonce.father/index.html
https://www.thethings.com/beyonce-relationship-father-matthew-knoles/