Tina Knowles Says Her Daughter Beyoncé Was "Shy and Got Bullied" as a Child

"I'm getting emotional talking about it."

 Beyonce and Tina Knowles attend the after party following Jay-Z's concert at Carnegie Hall to benefit The United Way Of New York City and the Shawn Carter Foundation at the 40 / 40 Club on February 6, 2012 in New York City.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Tina Knowles is opening about her daughter Beyoncé's sometimes difficult childhood.

On Sunday, May 26, Knowles shared a video of a recent interview withVogue on her Instagram page, discussing her favorite memories of her children Beyoncé, Solange, and honorary third daughter, Kelly Rowland.

“Beyoncé, she was very shy and she got bullied a bit but the day that she stood up for someone—she didn’t stand up for herself she stood up for them," Knowles said at the time. “I’m getting emotional talking about it. I was just, I couldn't have been more proud of her.”

Knowles also recalled a moment when her daughter Solange was "singing a petition in school."

"She was only in like fifth grade and she was out getting petitions signed," Knowles explained. "So she's always been an activist."

A post shared by Tina Knowles

A photo posted by mstinaknowles on

Knowles said her honorary third daughter Rowland was "always this kid that just tried to protect everybody."

"I have a memory of her with her best friend Barbara and her being a mediator and just being this little peacemaker," she added.

Knowles also added a moving caption to the nostalgic post, reminding us all that "each child is different" but they're "all so special."

"I believe kids are born with their personalities. My three girls all handled things very differently," she wrote. "Learn their personalities and respect the individuality. Never compare the negatives, always praise the positive differences and pay attention to the things that you can brag on about them. They love it and it encourages positive behavior."

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A photo posted by beyonce on

Now Knowles is not only a proud mother, but a proud grandmother of four who is making new memories with her daughters' children.

Beyoncé is the proud mom of three— daughter Blue Ivy, 12, and twins Rumi and Sir. Solange is mom to her 19-year-old son Daniel 'Juelz' Smith Jr., whom she shares with her ex-husband Daniel Smith.

"It’s the best. With grandkids you don’t have the pressure of taking responsibility for how they get to turn out, so you get to just indulge them and let them have noisy toys that drive their parents crazy," Knowles said during a recent appearance on Today with Hoda & Jenna  "It’s just the best. They are the best. My grandkids are all super creative and I just love them to death."

Danielle Campoamor
Weekend Editor

Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.