What You Don't Know About Tina Knowles-Lawson

A number of noteworthy moments have set the internet abuzz in the past decade, but none reigns as supreme as the time Solange Knowles unleashed her inner karate kid on hip-hop mogul Jay-Z. This post-Met-Gala elevator altercation is forever embedded in every pop culture lover's memory, birthing the catchphrase popularized by Beyoncé Knowles herself: "Of course sometimes s**t go down/when it's a billion dollars on an elevator."

Plugged off of the "Flawless" remix featuring Nicki Minaj (via The Guardian), Beyoncé spelled out her contribution to the couple's mega empire, estimated by Celebrity Net Worth to be $500 million. Her level of success wouldn't have been possible without the help of her mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson, who'd figured out she was a star in the making from the get-go.

"I knew that she...she was star when she was like, seven. She got on a stage and she came alive because she was really shy," said Tina during an interview with "The Tyra Banks Show." "She got all this confidence and she was just like in control." Speaking of confidence and control, Tina, who has a solid relationship with her daughter, Beyoncé, does it all. Besides being the world's most famous corny joke grandma (via Cosmopolitan), she's a fashion enthusiast, a philanthropist, and an entrepreneur who doesn't limit herself. There's more to her than meets the eye. Here are our best picks.

Born in 1954, Tina Knowles-Lawson's roots are in Louisiana, where her miner father and seamstress mother hailed until they moved to Dallas, Texas. Moving to Dallas came with a significant career change for her father, Lumis Albert Beyincé, who became a longshoreman after partially losing his hearing. The couple had her in their mid-forties, making her the youngest child in a family of seven.

"I got the sneaking suspicion since they were forty-four that I might not have been planned," Lawson joked at a past luncheon. "All five of my siblings—four of my siblings and myself— attended Holy Rosary Catholic prison...um, I mean school."

According to Lawson, schooling in the '50s and '60s wasn't a walk in the park. Despite her parents diligently serving the church —her mother making clothes for the altar boys, while her father drove the nuns around—she and her siblings faced discrimination. "I felt like, well the nuns for one thing, they picked on us a lot," said Lawson. "And I didn't quite understand why at the time."

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There can only be one Beyoncé Knowles. She is one of the most profitable musicians of her time and the woman with the most Grammys of all time, according to Entertainment Weekly. Her name is so unique and, frankly, wasn't as popular before she stepped onto the scene. It's therefore a shocker to know that, indeed there is another Beyoncé, and it's Tina Knowles-Lawson herself.

In a conversation with Access Hollywood, Lawson said of her now famous maiden name, "I thought everybody knew that. I'm the original Beyoncé...I'm the OG." Unfortunately for Lawson, a big part of the "I Was Here" singer's fanbase is not privy to this information. So much so that Lawson has had a number of incidents while traveling. 

"You know, it's funny because on my passport obviously Beyoncé is on there 'cause it's on my birth certificate, and people say, 'Oh! How did you change your name to her name?' And I'm like, 'That's my name! She got my name.'"

Through the years, Tina Knowles-Lawson has had a number of entrepreneurial pursuits. From owning a salon in which her children actively participated in maintaining, and working as an interior designer, to launching a hair magazine and a clothing line dubbed "House of Deréon," she possesses a mean hustling spirit. It's also fascinating to learn that, just like her daughter Beyoncé Knowles, Lawson was in a singing group during her formative years (Via Positively Gam). This go-getting attitude is one she learned from her own mother.

In an interview with Positively Gam Podcast, Lawson praised her stay-at-home mom for having a solid work ethic, even though her life seemed effortless at first glance. "...And so, she was a great designer, and she made these beautiful beaded jackets for women in Galveston and evening gowns and that type of thing. She was a beader and a seamstress, so, I got it from her," said Lawson. What would later become Lawson's life's work — design — was a result of years and years of perfecting what Agnéz Deréon had started.

When the all-girl group Destiny's Child took over the entertainment scene with breathtaking vocals, something else stood out: Their outfits. Tina Knowles-Lawson gained notoriety as the genius behind most of the girls' costumes, going as far as catching the eye of former Fugees rapper, Wycliffe Jean.

Her style, she said on Positively Gam, was inspired by Motown. As for what really stood out, Lawson revealed, " I think, probably, the first Grammy gown when Beyoncé was nominated for, like, I think she got five Grammys that year. I wanted her to look like a Grammy statute. So I did this gold dress and I had a custom neckpiece made, and it's really one of the most beautiful things." Beyoncé Knowles did steal the show when she made a red carpet debut after a Destiny's Child split in 2004.

According to Tina Knowles-Lawson's appearance on Positively Gam, age is nothing but a number. With each and every year that passes, Lawson grows more confident in her ventures. When the opportunity came knocking for her to start a talk show of her own, she grabbed the bull by its horns. 

"Talks with Mama Tina" is a Facebook show filmed in the comfort of Lawson's home. Its opening sequence, voiced by Beyoncé Knowles, is a blend of sweet-sounding acapella. The six-part series has so far featured a number of celebrities including Zendaya, Kelly Rowland, Ciara Wilson, and the star-studded cast of ABC's award-winning show, "Black-ish."

The fifth episode, which aired on 30th December, 2021, featured Beyoncé Knowles' protégés Chloe and Halle Bailey, the latter of whom has been making headlines for her upcoming role in "The Little Mermaid." On how she felt about the life-changing casting, Halle said, " Getting that role felt very surreal. It was much of a shocker for me, even when I was asked to audition. I looked at it and I was like, 'Me?' Like, as...for Ariel."

With her hands already full, one would wonder whether Tina Knowles-Lawson has some extra hours added to a normal working day. No, she doesn't. It's the same 24 hours everyone has, except she knows how to make the most out of hers. During an appearance on "The Real," Lawson's stepdaughter, Bianca Lawson, let the hosts know that her parents were fond of getting their day started at the crack of dawn. "She and my dad get up at 5:45 every morning and do a dance workout at seven," revealed Bianca. "Like clockwork. Every morning."

Bianca's revelation does hold water since Tina was hard at work back in 2016, spotting Ivy Park workout gear while getting exercises in, with the help of a trainer. Her caption suggested that the workout was, in fact, happening in the AM. "That damn Patrick always trying to cheat, @pg13fit too early in the morning for that mess." It read. As Tina was busy working her arms with dumbbells, Richard Lawson was cheering her on. "My baby (Richard) in the background 'motivatin' that's our word for motivating," she wrote.

At the premiere of the Jay-Z -produced 2021 flick "The Harder They Fall," Tina Knowles-Lawson had hinted at a probable acting career. Speaking to Access Hollywood, Lawson, who was in the company of her husband, Richard Lawson, disclosed that scripted work wasn't entirely off the table. "I think I might. I've been offered something and I'm looking at it," she said.

 The future came a lot sooner than expected when Lawson starred in "Wrath: A Seven Deadly Sins Story" in 2022. In the film, she plays the role of Sarah, the mother to lawyer Chastity Jeffries (portrayed by former Destiny's Child band member Michelle Williams), whose love story takes center stage.

With such a creative family, one would assume that she had a whole army helping her with her lines. That's not what happened. It took the genius of her granddaughter for Lawson to master the script. "Nobody was available to help me. You know, my husband — actor and acting coach— he was doing a movie. Um, Kelly was doing a movie. And so, I'm like, 'Who am I going to get to help me?' And so, Blue Ivy actually was the only person available that could help me learn my lines."

Although Lawson's income as a Destiny's Child stylist is not publicly known, she revealed during her Positively Gam podcast appearance that the budget didn't quite cut it. "You know, when the girls came along, I wanted them to be like the Motown...but sometimes that went wrong because I didn't have the money to really, you know, put the money into it, and so a lot of it I made it myself or I had this guy make it. We couldn't afford to really get stuff custom done."

Things have since changed. Celebrity Net Worth places Tina Knowles-Lawson's net worth at $25 million, a figure that can allow her to buy and sell real estate as she pleases. Back in 2011, Business Insider broke the news that Lawson had sold her New York condominium for $5.6 million. In 2012, TMZ reported that Lawson had sold an 8,885 square-foot Texas Mansion for $2.9 million, slashing $500,000 off of the original asking price. Lawson continues to rake in passive income from the sale of her books, including "Learning to Be: Finding Your Center After the Bottom Falls Out."

When it comes to charity, Tina Knowles-Lawson has quite the track record. Many times in the past, she's supported her daughters' philanthropic donations in addition to having her own. In 2020, Lawson partnered with the Beyoncé Knowles-led BeyGOOD organization in a campaign to encourage Covid-19 testing in Houston, Texas.

Two years prior, the Lawsons had contributed to the establishment of the Where Art Can Occur (WACO) theatre in Los Angeles, California, per PR Newswire. The facility, including a mobile theatre and Richard Lawson Studios, was, in their own words, a dream realized. "The purpose of this endeavor is empowering people to gain the skills and ability to identify and pursue their dreams no matter who they are or where they came from," Richard Lawson said in part. Through the center's Wearable Art Gala, whose fifth installment is set to take place in October 2022, a trip back in time to Harlem in the '20s and '50s is bound to make a memorable charity night.

Only a year before the opening of WACO, the couple showed up at the Hot Night in Haiti charity event. In a red carpet interview with Bionic Buzz, Lawson expressed their interest in supporting Haiti and backing worthy causes. Other philanthropic spaces Lawson has shown support for include the Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth, Miss A Meal, and the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center.

Tina Knowles-Lawson's contributions to the entertainment industry haven't gone unnoticed. In 2016, Knowles received an Essence Leadership Award, one which hit close to home due to her longstanding relationship with the brand. In a clip obtained by Concert Daily, Lawson said of her relationship with Essence, "My experience with Essence has been absolutely wonderful. I've been coming to Essence Festival for twenty-two years since they started. I was here the first year. And it's just a very powered place."

In a tribute to Lawson, narrated by Beyoncé Knowles, the "Halo" hitmaker let it be known that Lawson was a mother figure, not only to her but to people with whom she crossed paths. "My whole life, seeing my mother give to any and everybody that needed, it really is who my mother is," said Beyoncé. 

Despite having been through her lows, many of which were filled with lessons, and having experienced high highs, most of which were results of down-to-earth mastery, Lawson chose to be the light in an often-dark world, making her deserving of an Essence recognition.

In the kitchen, Tina Knowles-Lawson has skills, and she wasn't afraid to share when she got to hang out with the ladies of "The Real." Her signature soul food, one which Michelle Williams solely swears by, is a mean plate of Southern candied yams. "What makes them so good is that they are they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and so sweet, you can make a pie out of 'em..straight out," said Lawson.

Just like her mother, singer Solange Knowles knows her way around the kitchen, according to a 2019 chat with Us Weekly. The same cannot be said for Beyoncé Knowles, who's publicly admitted that the kitchen is not necessarily a good use of her time. " I can't cook. That's accurate," the "If I Were A Boy" singer remarked when reviewing footage of her 2011 collaboration with J. Cole, "Party." Her declaration was an echo of a 2006 interview with Cosmopolitan, in which she said, "I don't cook much, but I'm good at spaghetti and sandwiches. I know they're easy, but they're my specialty."

For more than three decades, Tina Knowles-Lawson was married to Matthew Knowles, with whom she had two children. Together, they worked as a team to get the career of Destiny's Child off the ground. While Tina ensured the girls' outfits were perfect on stage (via CBS), Matthew oversaw the girl group's business affairs, and later managed Beyoncé Knowles as a solo act.

In an interview with Vlad TV, Matthew said of his time as a manager, " I always had the vision and the belief that it [Destiny's Child] would be successful. Um...there was a lot of failure in the beginning. There was a learning curve for myself. There was a learning curve for the, the ladies." Matthew was serious in his role as a manager, going as far as attending college to better grasp artist management.

In December 2011, Matthew and Tina Knowles finalized their divorce (via DailyMail). Though Solange Knowles tricked her into seeing him afterward, per Hollywood Today, Tina's daughters played a huge part in her healing. "When I went through my divorce, I was devastated after 33 years of marriage...They were my bomb," she said during a conversation with the Oprah Winfrey Network. "They came over and looked at old movies with me, and we ate ice cream all night. They let me feel sorry for myself for a short period of time."

Although Tina Knowles-Lawson's marriage to Matthew Knowles had run its course, her next relationship was right around the corner. Quite literally, because she and would-be husband Richard Lawson had known each other for over thirty years. " I was in an MTV movie many years ago ironically with my now-husband, like 20 years ago," she said when she appeared on the Positively Gam podcast.

Though Richard was not so far from sight when Tina became newly single, it took the effort of a friend to get the pair together. Ironically, the said friend wanted Richard to introduce Tina to some eligible bachelors in his circle. What was she looking for, you may ask? "Somebody with integrity, somebody who believes in God, who is a good person," Tina recounted during the Merge Summit (via Los Angeles Sentinel Newspaper).

To cut the long story short, in April 2015, Tina and Richard exchanged their vows on a 140-foot yacht in Newport Beach, California, with both their families in attendance, per People. "To walk down the aisle and see all my friends and family and to see my handsome man standin' there, and to know that at 61 you can still find love and have a magical day like that it was really beautiful," Tina exclusively told the publication.

That Tina Knowles-Lawson has the most famous grandchildren is no secret. She first became a grandmother when Solange Knowles' son Julez J. Smith was born in 2004. Years later, the revelation of Beyoncé Knowles' pregnancies would set tongues wagging. First came the MTV Video Music Awards reveal that hip-hop's power couple was expecting (via The New York Post), then came one of the internet's most-liked pictures along with the revelation that twins Rumi and Sir Carter were on the way.

As far as fashion is concerned, the apple does not fall far from the tree. Tina Knowles-Lawson's grandchildren already have shown an interest in fashion. "Well, they are little fashionistas, and they have definite determination about what they like and what they don't like. When Beyoncé's doing the first samples, they get them, and some things they love, and some things you can tell are not their favorite," she told Oprah Daily in a 2022 interview. If history is anything to go by, then we're looking at an age-old family craft coming full circle.