Tina Knowles reveals she put Beyonce and Solange in therapy as kids: ‘I wanted them to be close’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Businesswoman and fashion designer Tina Knowles recently shared candid insights into her parenting choices, revealing why she took her daughters, Beyonce and Solange, to therapy during their childhood.

Speaking at the 2026 LA Times Festival of Books, she reflected on the challenges of raising daughters whose lives were already shaped by early fame and changing family dynamics. Her decision, though controversial at the time, proved to have a lasting impact on their relationship.

Tina Knowles on Beyonce and Solange’s early struggles

Knowles recalled that Beyonce showed signs of stardom from a very young age, winning talent competitions at just 7 or 8 years old. As her popularity grew, the dynamic between the sisters began to shift, "Her sister felt like everything was about her."

She added, "In all families, if any of you have kids with an age difference, especially two girls, they start kind of going apart at 10 because the older girl has her own friends. She don't want to be bothered with that little 5-year-old running around, getting all in her business and her things."

As the older sibling, Beyonce, began to grow increasingly irritated with her younger sister, while Solange struggled to understand the shift in their once-close relationship, leaving her confused about the emotional distance that had begun to emerge.

Knowles explained. "The more she didn't want her around, the more sad Solange became, I wanted her to be sensitive to the fact that she was this little local star and that her sister had to deal with a whole bunch of stuff... I wanted them to be close."

Around this time, she recalled having a client at her hair salon who worked as a therapist, prompting her to seek guidance and ask for a recommendation for a child therapist who could help them better navigate their evolving relationship.

"I took my kids to therapy, and my family did not like it," She continued.

Tina Knowles reflects on the impact of therapy

According to Knowles, therapy had a transformative effect on her daughters, "It opened Beyonce's eyes because she was like, 'This is my little sister. We're always gonna be close. I'm gonna take care of her and I'm not gonna let the age difference get between us."

Knowles added, "So, she was much kinder, and they've been close ever since. Like, they could've gone in different directions, but I was so afraid of that, and I always wanted them to be close. And so even though it was way ahead of the curve with people with therapy, it was the best thing I could have done for them."

Despite the clear benefits therapy had on her daughters, Knowles acknowledged that her decision was not universally understood or supported by those around her.

She shared, "My husband at the time, he was like, "They 5 and 10, like, or 11 and 6. What do they need to go to therapy for?' But it was the best thing, and it made them understand that it's okay not to be perfect, not to know how to do everything, that you need to talk to people."

Knowles concluded by stating, "To this day, my kids grew up knowing that it was okay to have someone to talk to and to share things with and not to try to keep them bottled up inside."