Beyonce’s mother Tina Knowles has finally opened up about her viral divorce from ex-husband Richard Lawson in 2023.
Accoprding to the PEOPLE, Knowles revealed the details behind the divorce in her new memoir Matriarch, released last month.
The 71-year-old superstar mom and author wrote about the moment she decided to file for divorce at age 69 in July 2023 and why ending the relationship was personally important.
In the book, Tina recalled one day in July 2023 when she “woke up” and knew her marriage “needed to end.”
She recognized Richard’s “great qualities” from throughout their 10 years together but no longer felt the relationship was positive for them
While she’d spoken to him “for some time” about the feelings, she didn’t feel it was working and came to the realization that she “deserved so much more.”
Tina “wanted to be happy” and thought she “would never feel whole, cherished, loved, and respected” in the relationship, according to the book, as quoted by the publication.
She also felt pressured to show others they could “find a second chance at love” but ultimately knew she needed to choose herself.
So, she filed for divorce. “I made the decision to divorce with a heavy heart but totally without malice, and I have not lost a night of sleep over it,” wrote Tina, noting that it was quite a shift from feeling as though she “was going to die” after her first marriage to Mathew Knowles ended in 2011.
The mother of Beyoncé wrote that she “thrived” in the wake of the divorce, as she was able to shift her focus to “the things that bring me joy and security” in life aside from romance. She developed more self-confidence and ultimately knew she “would lead a fulfilled life” on her own.
After filing for divorce, Tina saw some negative online chatter directed toward her, much of which was “posted by women” and led her to think about times she’s perhaps succumbed to internalized sexism herself.
Tina Knowles was married twice. Her first marriage to Mathew Knowles, the father of Beyoncé and Solange, lasted for 31 years, from 1980 to 2011. Her second marriage to Richard Lawson lasted for eight years, from 2015 to 2023.