Today Show hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager are defending singer Kelly Rowland's actions at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival red carpet.
On Today with Hoda and Jenna, the co-hosts told Entertainment News Online's Justin Sylvester that the whole red carpet incident made them "very upset."
"What is she protecting them [from]? I don't understand what she's trying to do. Protecting them from what? Or what's she doing?" Hoda questioned the security guard's actions.
Despite the guard's intentions, Hager backed up Rowland, whom she described as their "girl."
"Yes. It felt like people were piling on her and we know that she handles herself with grace and class always," Kotb doubled down.
Over the past few days, Rowland has been a headline-maker at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. On her first appearance on the red carpet, a female security guard hurried Rowland away when she was photographed at the stairs of the Palais.
In now viral videos and photos, Rowland is seen at the stairs, waving to the press as she gets her photos taken.
However, things began to escalate when the singer appeared to scold the female security guard who held her arm up on her back to guide her on the steps and appeared to hurry her to finish her act. The female security guard appeared to be talking to either the singer-actress or the male security guard on her right.
Whatever their conversation may be, Rowland seemed to dislike what happened. She appeared furious at the female security guard, even wagging her finger and pointing at her during what could be seen as a heated argument.
Speculation as to what happened had social media on edge, with some accusing the guard of racism and some saying that it was Rowland's diva attitude that got her in the altercation.
Speaking to AP News Entertainment, Rowland addressed the controversy.
"The woman knows what happened, I know what happened," the former Destiny's Child singer said about the encounter. "And I have a boundary. And I stand by those boundaries. And that is it."
According to Rowland, the other women who attended that carpet, whom she had claimed "did not quite look like" her "didn't get scolded or pushed off or told to get off."
"And I stood my ground and she felt like she had to stand hers. But I stood my ground. And that was it," Rowland concluded.
Kotb and Hager's defense came months after Rowland reportedly walked out of the Today show set after a misunderstanding with the production. Because of her sudden exit, execs had to scramble for a last-minute host for Kotb. Thankfully, Rita Ora saved the day when she stepped up to be one.