The Shady Side Of Beyoncé

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, widely known simply as Beyoncé, is a global icon and one of the most influential figures in the entertainment industry. The Texas native first gained fame in the mid-90s as the lead singer of the R&B group Destiny's Child. Her solo career, however, catapulted Beyoncé into unparalleled success. Throughout her nearly 30-year-long career, Beyoncé has released numerous chart-topping albums and singles, earning her multiple Grammy awards. Her compelling artistry goes beyond just her music: she is a multifaceted artist, acclaimed actress, mother, wife, and dedicated entrepreneur. While Beyoncé is widely celebrated for her talent, charisma, and positive influence, she has also been known to display a certain level of "shade," mainly due to her meticulous efforts to control her personal narrative and image. Her decision to keep her private life private has caused an ongoing fascination with Beyoncé as a person, and thus, any of her slip-ups are immediately magnified and scrutinized by the public. Let's take a look at Beyoncé's shadiest moments.

Beyoncé released her seventh studio album, "Renaissance," in July 2023. The highly anticipated album paid homage to Beyoncé's heroes of the 70s and 80s and included several samples and interpolations of music she was inspired by. The key difference between a sample and an interpolation is that an interpolation takes an existing sound and alters it, whereas sampling takes directly from a song with no changes. Of these interpolations, Beyoncé included a sample of the track "Milkshake" by Kelis in the song "Energy." However, when the album was first dropped on Tidal and Apple Music, a brief glitch caused the track to only play Kelis' isolated vocals while the rest of the track was completely silent. Kelis wasn't too pleased about the mishap. She took to her chef's Instagram account to express her displeasure, even going so far as accusing Bey of stealing the interpolation. "It's not a collab, it's theft," she wrote (via Rolling Stone). "My mind is blown too because the level of disrespect and utter ignorance of all three parties involved is astounding."

Though Rolling Stone reports that Beyoncé's website eventually credited Kelis, the controversy caused the interpolation to be removed altogether. Reps for Beyoncé never commented on the incident.

It's no secret that Beyoncé is beautiful. The world has always been fascinated with her looks and many have speculated that Beyoncé went under the knife to achieve her iconic figure. In truth, Beyoncé has always kept a strict diet and certainly isn't afraid to go to the extreme. At 21, she was surviving off lunches of just six slices of tomato and four slices of cucumber. "I have to, I am not naturally skinny," she explained to the Daily Mail. "I am a natural fat person, just dying to get out. I go through agonies to keep my stomach as flat as possible — though it is never flat enough for me." During this era, Beyoncé also made headlines for loosing 20 pounds in two weeks on the Master Cleanse diet — appropriately nicknamed "The Lemonade Diet" — and inspired millions to try the same.

After birthing her first child, Beyonce reportedly went on "The Herculean Diet" to lose 60 pounds in three months (via Today). Her most recent journey was to prepare for her iconic Beychella performance in 2018. "In order for me to meet my goal, I'm limiting myself to no bread, no carbs, no sugar, no dairy, no meat, no fish, no alcohol ... and I'm hungry," Beyoncé said in "Homecoming," her documentary concert film (via Vox). By the end, the singer vowed to never go to such lengths again. "I definitely pushed myself further than I knew I could and I learned a very valuable lesson: I will never, never push myself that far again."

Perhaps one of the biggest mysteries in pop culture — besides who might've bitten Beyoncé — is the scandalous elevator incident. At a 2014 Met Gala afterparty, Beyoncé, her husband, Jay-Z, and her sister Solange got into an altercation that would shake the world. In the leaked footage obtained by TMZ, the famous family is seen in an elevator at the Standard Hotel in New York. Solange appeared to be yelling at her brother-in-law before lunging at him. Beyoncé watched on calmly as a man assumed to be a security guard tried to restrain Solange. Finally, after letting her sister get a few licks in, Beyoncé stepped in. Paparazzi pics from after the incident (via Billboard) show Solange looking slightly disheveled and Jay-Z rubbing his face. Beyoncé, on her part, had a small smile on her face.

A source told People that Solange was "provoked" earlier by designer Rachel Roy (aka, "Becky with the good hair"), prompting the attack. 10 days later, the family released a joint statement (via The Hollywood Reporter) to clear the air: "Jay and Solange each assume their share of responsibility for what has occurred. They both acknowledge their role in this private matter that has played out in the public. They both have apologized to each other, and we have moved forward as a united family." The source continued: "We love each other, and above all, we are family. We've put this behind us and hope everyone else will do the same."

Everyone wants to keep up with Kim Kardashian — except Beyoncé. Despite being pictured together on numerous occasions — mainly due to their former BFF husbands — rumor has it that these two megastars have never been friends. Allegedly, it's because Beyoncé isn't too fond of the infamous reality star. In fact, on several occasions Kardashian made attempts to deepen their friendship but was met with radio silence. In 2012, while their husbands performed at the Made in America Festival, New York Daily News reports that the two hardly acknowledged each other. A year later, Cosmopolitan reports that Beyoncé was a "no-show" at Kardashian's baby shower despite having been invited.

The rumors all seemed pretty innocent until Kardashian's 2014 wedding. Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z (Kanye West's best friend) were nowhere to be found. Apparently, "she [Beyoncé] didn't really want to go" (via the Daily Mail). While the two business savvy mavens haven't been spotted together or interacted publicly in years, fans still speculate that there might be some kind of beef between them. Most notably, at the end of the song "Heated" on Beyoncé's Renaissance album, the singer proudly repeats the lyric: "Uncle Johnny made my dress / that cheap spandex, she looks a mess!" Many have joked that the "cheap spandex" may be a reference to Kardashian's shapewear line, Skims. "Kim K is quaking," one user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Every celebrity has their major foot-in-mouth moment. Beyoncé's came in a 2008 interview with Elle Magazine. While promoting her album "I Am... Sasha Fierce," Beyoncé accidentally threw shade at the famous Jackson family. When asked about her upbringing, Bey was maybe a little too honest about her privilege. "We're African-American and we work together as a family, so people assume we're like The Jacksons. But I didn't have parents using me to get out of a bad situation." While it certainly didn't seem like it was Beyoncé's intention to offend, her comments weren't received well at all.

Janet Jackson in particular became confused and angry upon hearing Beyoncé's comments. "Beyoncé's remark came out of left field and really stung Janet," a source told National Enquirer. At the time, the two megastars really didn't know each other so Jackson felt that Beyoncé had no right to speak on her background. "Janet wanted to know why Beyoncé had to mention her family ... She feels Beyoncé went out of her way to tell the world she's from the upper class and the Jacksons were like a bunch of dirty gutter rats." Apparently, Jackson didn't plan on letting Beyoncé get away with the comments, either. The Enquirer's source revealed that Jackson had planned on tarnishing Beyoncé's reputation, but things fizzled after a while. Though they still don't appear to be friends, Beyoncé was spotted jamming out at Jackson's Las Vegas show in 2019 (via People).

Beyoncé's music is moving, inspiring, and powerful to millions around the world. Her music, which often incorporates elements of house and disco into pop and R&B, invokes empowering and inspirational messages revolving around independence, self-confidence, opulence, and resilience. Additionally, Beyoncé also uses her music to uplift the black community. Nevertheless, the talented and beloved artist has been subject to criticism due to the massive amounts of wealth she has accumulated and the way she commodifies her work. For example, in the critically acclaimed visuals for "Lemonade," Beyoncé uses diverse black female bodies to represent royalty, pride, and strength. As one writer for The Guardian puts it, the film uses the black female body as a commodity to "seduce, celebrate and delight."

What's more, Skylar Baker-Jordan, a writer for the Independent, argues that Beyoncé tends to write lyrics that could encourage irrational behavior. In the 2022 hit "Break My Soul," she sings: "Now, I just fell in love / And I just quit my job/ I'm gonna find a new drive / Damn, they work me so damn hard." Baker-Jordan writes: "When heard through the ears of the working poor, 'Break My Soul' sounds like just another middle-class platitude rather than an anthem for our times. How could it not? Beyoncé, after all, is hardly the working poor. She grew up in a life of relative affluence." With an estimated net worth of $440 million, Baker-Jordan argues: "If someone broke her soul, she could probably afford to buy a new one."

The talented Beyoncé is meticulous about maintaining control over her personal narrative and image, often choosing to keep the details of her private life guarded. Her romantic relationship is no exception. Beyoncé and Jay-Z have been a pop culture power couple for decades. After a few years of dating, the couple married in 2008. They have since had three children: Blue Ivy, Sir, and Rumi Carter. While everyone loves Beyoncé and Jay-Z together, it's unclear when exactly these two met or when they started dating. Lately, due to a resurfaced video from 2006, the internet seems to have turned its attention back to the subject.

The video was taken on Jay-Z's birthday, allegedly five years after the couple started dating. "You've taught me so many things. I was 20 years old when we first started dating. You taught me how to be a woman, you taught me how to live," Beyoncé gushed about her then-boyfriend. When the video resurfaced, X users fixated on her statement about womanhood and on the couple's age difference. "That is a very wild statement. Why did your man teach you how to be a woman instead of your own mother?" one user tweeted. What's more, MTV reported that Beyoncé had previously revealed that she was actually 18 when the couple met and 19 when they started dating. At the time, Jay-Z was 30 years old.

While the term "diva" can mean different things, positive and negative, in the context of Beyoncé it is often used to describe her commanding stage presence, exceptional talent, and high standards for performance. Her impeccable attention to detail and buttoned-up, otherworldly demeanor have also granted her diva status. Occasionally, the word "diva" is also used to throw some shade at Queen B for her ... questionable behavior. Most recently, the Queen made headlines for her hilariously bizarre request while on the road for the Renaissance Tour.

Apparently, according to the Daily Mail, Beyoncé requested that this private item be with her at all times so that she is not subject to using a public one. She even paid thousands for it to be sent. The item in question? A toilet seat. That's right, the Daily Mail reports that a container labeled "Beyoncé toilet seats" was revealed in a photo from backstage. The seats are transported in "a customized golf buggy which is covered in black sheets" — for protection, of course. A source close to Bey told The Sun: "Beyoncé is such an elite performer she can literally request anything. Her team makes great effort to ensure she has her own comforts and a personal toilet seat happens to be one." Outrageous requests are nothing new for the singer. In the past, the singer's specific needs included "alkaline water chilled to 21 degrees, $900 straws, and red toilet paper" (via the Daily Mail).