Tina Knowles Admits Mathew Knowles Began Cheating in Their “First Year” of Marriage

Tina Knowles’ memoir is gearing up to be one of the juiciest reads of 2025, especially as she outlines her messy marriage to ex-husband Mathew Knowles.

In “Matriarch,” Mama Tina reveals the painful realities of her relationship, including Mathew’s lovechild from another woman during their marriage. The former hairstylist married Mathew in 1980, and she recalls early signs of trouble.

“There were already problems in our marriage that first year. But the suspicions I had would get washed away by the fact that our love was stronger than a misstep…It was us against the world, taking on what life brought us,” she wrote in the newly released tell-all.

Despite the growing tension, the couple welcomed their first superstar daughter, Beyoncé, in 1981. However, as Mathew’s unfaithfulness intensified, Tina struggled with her feelings. By 1985, while pregnant with the family’s second singer, Solange, she was contemplating leaving the businessman, describing how the marriage “was deteriorating faster than I could possibly find ways or even reasons to make it work.”

Despite the turmoil, Tina stuck around, supporting Beyoncé’s blossoming career alongside Mathew, who became her manager. However, the cheating continued, and Tina felt trapped in a never-ending cycle.

“He would cheat or act up, and I would say I’d had enough. He would beg for forgiveness…But this is what married people did, I told myself,” she added.

The marriage finally ended in 2009 when Tina discovered Mathew’s affair had resulted in a child with former actress, Alexsandra Wright. They share a son, Nixon Knowles. He also shares a daughter, Koi Knowles, with Taqoya Branscomb.

“I screamed, ‘Get out! Get out!’ like he was some demon. ‘I hate you!’ …my world had exploded,” Tina shared.

After the divorce in 2011, Tina went on to wed actor Richard Lawson on April 12th, 2015. They were married for eight years before separating in 2023 and finalizing their divorce shortly after.