Beyoncé’s mom, Tina Knowles, has shut down rumors that she shaded Dolly Parton over Beyoncé’s snub at the 2024 Country Music Awards.
Tina Knowles is setting the record straight after a post claimed she criticized Dolly Parton. The post suggested Knowles threw shade at Parton, who commented on Beyoncé’s exclusion from the CMAs despite her hit country album, Cowboy Carter.
Dolly Parton shared her thoughts with Variety, saying, “There’s so many wonderful country artists that, I guess probably the country music field, they probably thought, well, we can’t really leave out some of the ones that spend their whole life doing that.” She added, “I didn’t even realize [Beyoncé wasn’t nominated] until somebody asked me that question. But it was a wonderful album. She can be very, very proud of, and I think everybody in country music welcomed her and thought that, that was good.”
Dolly continued, “So I don’t think it was a matter of shutting out, like doing that on purpose. I think it was just more of what the country charts and the country artists were doing, that do that all the time, not just a specialty album.” Beyoncé covered Parton’s classic, “Jolene,” on Cowboy Carter.
The controversy began when a screenshot of a comment from Tina Knowles went viral. It allegedly read, “Oh Ms. Dolly, we love you, but Bey did spend her WHOLE life workin’ hard, since she was 9! She got country roots too. She’s mastered her craft and broken records in EVERY genre. So sayin’ she didn’t ‘spend her life’ in country music dismisses all that work she put in.”
The post continued, “Bey don’t need to stay in one lane to get respect – her talent and work ethic speak for themselves! She’s been puttin’ in the work, and nobody else gets asked to ‘spend their life’ in one place to be recognized! #beencountry.”
However, Tina Knowles quickly debunked the screenshot. When it was shared by The Neighborhood Talk, she confirmed, “This is fake not from me!”
Meanwhile, Beyoncé’s father, Mathew Knowles, had his own take on the situation. He told TMZ that he wasn’t surprised by the snub, remembering Beyoncé’s cold reception when she performed with the Dixie Chicks at the 2016 CMAs. “[The voters are] showing it still comes down to white and Black,” he stated. “There’s more white people in America and unfortunately they don’t vote based on ability and achievements, it’s still sometimes a white and Black thing.”
Mathew Knowles added, “In America, there’s no accountability for people not being accepting of other cultures.”
The Country Music Awards nominations were revealed on September 9. Though Beyoncé was overlooked, Shaboozey, who featured on Cowboy Carter, was nominated for Single of the Year for “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” He thanked Beyoncé on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Thank you Beyoncé for opening a door for us, starting a conversation, and giving us one of the most innovative country albums of all time!”
Tina Knowles firmly denies any shade towards Dolly Parton, emphasizing her respect for the country legend. The CMAs snub has certainly ignited discussions about inclusivity and recognition in country music.
