“What work did she put in?”

Beyoncé’s father walks out of interview after reporter credits Tina Knowles for shaping Destiny’s Child

"What work did she put in?"

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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on March 4, 2026 8:57 p.m. ET

Tina, Beyoncé, and Mathew Knowles. Credit:

Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

- Mathew Knowles walked out of a recent interview over a suggestion relating to his ex-wife, Tina Knowles, and their daughter Beyoncé's girl group, Destiny's Child.

- PIX11 anchor Kendis Gibson suggested that shaping Destiny's Child "was a joint effort" between the parents, prompting Mathew to get up and leave.

- "What work did she put in?" Mathew asked of Tina, before announcing, "We'll stop now."

Mathew Knowles, the father of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, had a tense moment with a reporter regarding his ex-wife, Tina Knowles, and the group that launched his eldest to fame, Destiny's Child.

Tina and Mathew divorced in 2011, well after Beyoncé launched and successfully landed her bid for solo stardom beyond Destiny's Child. But the group, particularly his and Tina's roles in shaping their look, sound, and legacy, still seems to be a sensitive subject for Mathew.

Mathew gave an interview to New York City TV news outlet PIX11 on Jan. 30 in which he discussed the past and future of his daughters' careers. In a recently surfaced scene cut from the version uploaded to YouTube, anchor Kendis Gibson pointed out the Knowles patriarch "earned your flowers. I said the same thing to Ms. Tina Knowles. You guys put in the work, and obviously the talent was there."

Before the host of segment "Kandid With Kendis" could complete his question, Mathew asked, "What work did she put in?"

Mathew and Tina Knowles in 2008.

Jason Kempin/WireImage

Gibson began to list, "the hair, the clothes," prompting Mathew to concede, "You’re absolutely right. The styling, the imaging. You're right."

Tina additionally "claimed to have prayed on the name," Gibson pointed out. Indeed, Tina has said that she "put their picture in my NIV study bible and one day I opened it and it said 'destiny,' and I said, 'That's the name,'" adding that her "ex-husband added 'child' to it."

Gibson reasoned that getting Destiny's Child off the ground "was a joint effort," but Mathew had heard enough. He laughed, stood up, and announced, "We'll stop now." At first, Gibson appeared to think that Mathew was joking, but then clarified, "Did I say something wrong?" Mathew assured him that he did not, and walked out of the interview.

* *did not immediately hear back from representatives for PIX11 News, Mathew Knowles, Tina Knowles, or Beyoncé.

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Mathew claimed in a Monday *Page Six* report that Gibson arrived late to their interview and asked multiple questions about his ex-wife, "when the interview was supposed to be about Destiny's Child's tribute concert." In February, he announced the Destiny's Child Reimagined Tribute tour, a traveling show to feature orchestral covers of classic Destiny's Child songs.

But that's not all he had to say about his interview with Gibson.

"How it starts is how it ends. It started on a bad note, and obviously ended on a bad note for him," he continued. "I politely ended the interview, shook his hand, and took a photograph."

Kelly Rowland, Beyoncé Knowles, and Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child.

Dave Hogan/Getty

Mathew and Tina were married for 31 years before their 2011 divorce.

Rarely one to publicly comment on her personal life, Beyoncé has seldom if ever addressed the subject of her parents' divorce. But she did pay tribute to her mother's decision to leave in the 2014 song "Ring Off," which includes lyrics like, "Mama, I understand your many sleepless nights / When you sit and you think about Father. / Or how you tried to be the perfect wife," and "You found a new man now you shine and you're fine. / Like it’s my time, you took that ring off."

Tina, meanwhile, told Gayle King in 2025 that she and Mathew "are on good terms because we did a good job." Though she admitted she "had some really tumultuous, terrible times with Mathew," Tina said she "never questioned whether he loved me or my kids."

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