Beyoncé Was ‘Unable to Get Out of Bed’ Amid Harsh Backlash for Destiny’s Child Firings 

In 1999, Beyoncé found herself the target of backlash after former members of Destiny’s Child sued the group. They ultimately settled the lawsuits, but as the unofficial center of the group, Beyoncé began to receive negative attention. She said this was painful to go through, and made it difficult for her to get out of bed in the morning.

Beyoncé struggled as a result of public backlash

Destiny’s Child members LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson were pushed out of the group and quickly replaced. They later filed lawsuits against Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Matthew Knowles, Beyoncé’s father and the group’s manager. The lawsuit accused the trio of breach of contract, defamation, libel, and fraud. They settled the lawsuit in 2002.

Sources have said that Luckett and Roberson were primarily frustrated with Matthew Knowles, but Beyoncé found herself bearing the brunt of public backlash. People labeled her a diva and described her as cutthroat. She said this was not easy on her.

“I am not a diva and never have been,” she said in 2003 (per Spin Magazine). “I would never say that I was grateful for the controversy, because it really was hell, but it certainly kept us newsworthy. I just remember being unable to get out of bed while it was all happening, and just crying the whole time.”

She said she loved being in a group

After Destiny’s Child went their separate ways, Beyoncé went on to have a tremendous solo career. She said that she loved working in a group, though.

“I do love sisterhood,” she told The Guardian. “I loved that being in a group was about compromise and sacrifice.”

She enjoyed the creative challenge of collaboration and having to determine what was best for the group as a whole.

“All of us — and not just me, this is about Kelly and Michelle also — whatever was best for the group, no matter whether it was best for us individually, would let something go,” she said. “That element of compromise and sacrifice taught me a lot about myself and about friendship.”

Beyoncé said the backlash made her more cautious

After the backlash from the lawsuit, Beyoncé said she became more cautious of how she presented herself publicly. 

“I’m very conscious of what I say to people and how I treat them,” she said. “Maybe it’s the Virgo in me, but I tend to analyze myself a lot.”

She carefully considered her answers in interviews and analyzed all of her public interactions. She wanted to avoid a bad reputation.

“After this talk with you, I will walk away and immediately recap it,” she told the interviewer, adding, “I will try to work out what your intentions were with your questions, and what my intentions were with my answers. I’ve met a lot of horrible and nasty celebrities — and, no, I won’t tell you who — but I don’t ever want to become one myself.”