There’s nobody alive quite like Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter. The 37-year-old powerhouse performer is a singer, songwriter and entertainer par excellence with a dedicated army of fans called the Beyhive. Queen Bey is easily one of the most famous people on the planet and yet, it appears that nothing about her private life gets out unless she so decides (Lemonade, anyone?) – so untouched is she by controversy that it seems like she runs the news and not the other way round.
Still, controversies abound and Mrs Carter is not immune to them. Here are five times that Sasha Fierce battled negative news:
Sweatshop scandal
Beyoncé’s activewear brand Ivy Park came under fire in 2016 following an investigation by The Sun. According to the report, the women working in the Sri Lankan factories were being paid peanuts and made to work more than 60 hours a week in terrible conditions. “Ivy Park has a rigorous ethical trading programme. We are proud of our sustained efforts in terms of factory inspections and audits, and our teams worldwide work very closely with our suppliers and their factories to ensure compliance,” the company said according to a Reuters article. Still, many fans lashed out at the singer online.
MTV Music Awards 2009
That horrific incident where Kanye West made an absolute ass of himself. Queen Bey handled this one with class and grace.
Blue Ivy’s birth
Media reports suggested that the Carters paid around a million dollars to block an entire floor in Manhattan’s Lenox Hill Hospital and that many parents were denied entry into the neonatal unit for hours as Queen Bey gave birth to Blue Ivy. “Once they checked in there was high security everywhere,” said a mother of twins to The Associated Press. “It looked like the president was on our floor. The hospital’s security cameras were taped over. Internal windows from the hallways into the ward were blacked out.” However, according to Today, the state health officials dismissed two complaints regarding the issue even as the hospital stated that they were conducting their own probe.
Super Bowl performance
When Beyoncé performed Formation at the Super Bowl Halftime show, she was flanked by dancers dressed in outfits allegedly inspired by the Black Panthers. The performance was not appreciated by the political right and police unions across the country. “I’m an artist and I think the most powerful art is usually misunderstood,” the singer said in an interview to Elle magazine. “But anyone who perceives my message as anti-police is completely mistaken. I have so much admiration and respect for officers and the families of the officers who sacrifice themselves to keeps us safe. But let’s be clear: I am against police brutality and injustice. Those are two separate things.”
Vegan in fur?
Then there was that time when the Carters decided they were going vegan temporarily. Queen Bey was photographed entering a vegan restaurant in LA . . . wearing a fur collar. The media had a field day with that one.
