In her newly released memoir Matriarch, Tina Knowles—mother to global superstars Beyoncé and Solange opened up about a surprising chapter in her personal life: a brief reconciliation with her ex-husband Mathew Knowles after filing for divorce in 2009.
The couple initially split following Mathew’s affair, which resulted in the birth of a child with another woman.
Despite this, Tina admitted in the memoir that she found herself drawn back to him after he sought counseling and made repeated efforts to win her back.
“He’d changed after new counseling,” she wrote. “I didn’t believe him at first, but he was persistent, proved he’d gotten help, and as he courted me, I found myself falling in love again. The magnetic pull between us… was stronger than ever.”
Tina revealed she initially filed for divorce because she felt she had “no choice” in the wake of the betrayal.
Still, in 2010, they rekindled their relationship in secret, even sneaking around to avoid upsetting their daughters.
The truth came out on Mother’s Day when Beyoncé and Solange made a surprise visit to Tina’s Galveston, Texas, home.
Tina recalled Beyoncé reacting quietly, while Solange was more emotional.
“Beyoncé was more understanding than Solange, who I know was just being protective of me,” Tina shared. “They each loved their dad in different ways.”
Despite the temporary reunion, Tina ultimately chose to move forward on her own, finalizing her divorce from Mathew in 2011. She later married actor Richard Lawson in 2015, a marriage that ended in divorce in 2024.
Reflecting on her journey, she wrote, “I clearly knew my relationship with Mathew was unhealthy, and it was the fear of going it alone that kept me stuck.”