Fact check: Mathew Knowles stated in a resurfaced interview clip with TS Madison that he and his former wife, Tina Knowles, were al…

Verdict: mostly true — Trust Score 79/100

The post accurately conveys Mathew Knowles' statements from a recent interview with TS Madison, where he asserted that he and Tina Knowles were already millionaires by 1985, when Beyoncé was four years old, predating her superstardom. This claim is confirmed by 5 sources, including EURweb and WBLS. The post also accurately references a 2024 interview where Knowles discussed his corporate sales background and the role of Tina's hair salon in their early wealth. Furthermore, Beyoncé's own statements in a Vanity Fair profile about not growing up poor and having a comfortable childhood are also accurately represented.

Platform
instagram
Source author
blackmillionaires_ — see all fact-checks of this account
Original post
https://www.instagram.com/p/DafoHElxl_m/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
Verified on
July 7, 2026
Verification ID
UCPdk4sZxO-7WR5FYFtC0A

Original content reviewed

Platform: INSTAGRAM Author: @blackmillionaires_ --- Caption/Description --- Mathew Knowles is pushing back on the idea that Beyoncé made him rich. In a resurfaced interview clip, Knowles told TS Madison that he and his former wife, Tina Knowles, were already financially successful years before Beyoncé became a superstar. He said they made their first million dollars in 1985, when Beyoncé was only 4 years old. Knowles has told that same story before. In a 2024 interview with The Record Business, he said he started out in corporate sales, became a top sales executive, and later helped Tina open a hair salon in Houston. According to Knowles, that salon became the business that helped the couple make their first million dollars in the mid-1980s. The comment is notable because Mathew Knowles is widely known as the former manager behind Destiny’s Child and the early stages of Beyoncé’s solo career. Before forming Music World Entertainment, he worked in sales, including at Xerox, and later applied those business skills to music management. Beyoncé herself has also previously said she did not grow up poor. In a Vanity Fair profile, she said her family had a nice home, cars, a housekeeper, and she attended private school. So while Beyoncé went on to become one of the biggest entertainers in the world, Knowles’ point is that the family’s money story did not begin with her fame. His argument is that he and Tina were already building wealth through business before Destiny’s Child ever became a household name. . Source: @tsmadison @mrmathewknowles ✅ #blackmillionaires --- On-Screen Text (OCR) --- Beyoncé's Father Mathew Knowles Claps Back At Haters Who Say He Is Rich Because Beyoncé. My Ex Wife Tina And I Were Multi Millionaires When Bey Was 4. "Let Me Talk My Sh*t" BLACK MILLIONAIRES® KING EMBER Sharpie CREATIVE MARKERS Deloitte. SOURCE PLATFORM: unclear Published: 2026-07-07T13:58:29.000Z ---VERIFICATION_SUMMARY--- Platform: INSTAGRAM Author: @blackmillionaires_ --

Claims analyzed (5)

  1. verified: Mathew Knowles stated in a resurfaced interview clip with TS Madison that he and his former wife, Tina Knowles, were already financially successful years before Beyoncé became a superstar.
    Multiple news outlets reported on Mathew Knowles' recent interview with TS Madison, where he made these statements.
  2. verified: Mathew Knowles claimed that he and Tina Knowles made their first million dollars in 1985, when Beyoncé was 4 years old.
    Mathew Knowles explicitly stated this in his interview with TS Madison, as reported by multiple news sources. Beyoncé was born in September 1981, making her 4 years old in 1985.
  3. mostly true: Mathew Knowles previously told The Record Business in a 2024 interview that he started in corporate sales, became a top sales executive, and helped Tina open a hair salon in Houston.
    An interview with Mathew Knowles published in The Record Business in May 2024 confirms these details about his early career and the establishment of the hair salon.
  4. verified: According to Mathew Knowles, the hair salon helped him and Tina make their first million dollars in the mid-1980s.
    Mathew Knowles has consistently stated in recent interviews that the hair salon he and Tina owned in Houston was instrumental in them earning their first million dollars in the mid-1980s.
  5. mostly true: Beyoncé has stated in a Vanity Fair profile that she did not grow up poor, and her family had a nice home, cars, a housekeeper, and she attended private school.
    News articles referencing Beyoncé's 2013 Vanity Fair interview confirm her statements about not growing up poor and having a comfortable childhood, including a nice home, cars, a housekeeper, and private school education.

Sources consulted (13)

Related verifications

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