“HE WILL PAY FOR IT” Matthew Knowles is DONE with his grandson. Granddaddy said enough is enough. The Knowles family brand can’t take another mess. | HO’
“HE WILL PAY FOR IT” Matthew Knowles is DONE with his grandson. Granddaddy said enough is enough. The Knowles family brand can’t take another mess. | HO’
Matthew Knowles has issued a stern warning to his grandson Julez Smith, telling the 20-year-old to stop what family insiders are calling ‘gay rage-baiting’ before the situation spirals out of control — following a disastrous club appearance that has left Atlanta’s LGBTQ community furious and accusing the young influencer of exploiting them for a quick paycheck.
The drama unfolded when Smith, the son of Solange Knowles and nephew of Beyoncé, was booked to appear at Club Opium in Atlanta — a well-known gay club.
At first glance, the booking seemed like a standard celebrity appearance, the kind that offers stars easy money for showing up, smiling for cameras, and posing for photos.
But when Smith arrived, the night took a sharp turn.
Instead of interacting with the crowd, Smith reportedly sat in a VIP section surrounded by women, refused to speak to patrons, ignored the microphone, and left after only a few minutes.
‘He came in with women, sat in the section, and looked at them folks like, “I got on my denim cloth. I don’t want to talk to y’all. I ain’t got no questions. No pictures, please,”‘ one attendee told DailyMail.com. ‘Y’all flew me out. All expenses paid for. Y’all pay for the hotel. Pay me for being at the event. Pay me to get to the event. And I gave y’all absolutely nothing.’
The backlash was immediate and brutal.
A gay magazine called Smith out for refusing to grant an interview despite agreeing to one, with video capturing a reporter asking, ‘We were going to get your interview outside when you leave. That’s cool? You said you’re not doing one. Okay, cool.’
Smith responded simply: ‘Nope. Nope.’
The disappointment was palpable among fans who had turned out hoping to see the young model, who has long been the subject of speculation about his sexuality.
‘Julez came to Atlanta to host a club — a gay club — and basically not wanting to be around the gays,’ one observer noted. ‘He took them ninjas’ money for an interview and an appearance he never gave.’
The incident struck a particularly raw nerve because many in the LGBTQ community had embraced Smith over the years, seeing him as someone who might be part of their community.
Rumors about Smith’s sexuality had circulated for years, fueled by his career in fashion modeling and his personal style. A transgender woman had previously come forward claiming Smith offered to fly her out to date, further fueling speculation.
So when the club appearance was announced, many saw it as Smith finally letting the public know ‘which side he played for,’ as one insider put it.
But instead of clarity, the community got what many are calling exploitation.
‘The girls and the gays and the dolls and the days are mad,’ one commentator said. ‘They mad as hell that Julez Smith — the son of Solange, model, and somewhat of an influencer — came to Atlanta, booked, and paid to be at the club for the gays, the Black gays in Atlanta, and he didn’t do much of anything.’
When the criticism mounted, Smith took to social media with a response that only poured gasoline on the fire.
He posted a message suggesting the entire appearance had been a setup to get back at people who had speculated about his sexuality: ‘When you realize ain’t nothing but a club and some money to be made.’
He followed up by taunting critics: ‘And y’all don’t be mad when I come 20 girls deep.’
The posts were seen by many as a direct provocation — confirmation that he had used the LGBTQ community as a punchline for a payday.
‘He was only there for a few minutes before he left,’ one source said. ‘That’s something celebs do because club appearances are seen as an easy check. They show up, they smile for the cameras for a few minutes, they secure the bag, and they dip. But he immediately got dragged for lying and using the community for a quick check.’
The controversy has now drawn in the Knowles family patriarch, Matthew Knowles, who has reportedly had enough of his grandson’s antics.
‘Matthew Knowles just sent a strong message to his grandson Julez Smith to stop with the whole gay rage-baiting before things spiral out of control,’ a source close to the family told DailyMail.com.
Knowles has long been outwardly supportive of the LGBTQ community and has publicly defended the inclusiveness of Beyoncé’s audience.
‘I want to give a special shout out to the fans of the LGBTQ community for all of your three decades of support,’ Knowles once said during a public appearance. ‘Yes, three decades of support. Destiny’s Child.’
But according to family insiders, supporting the community for good PR is one thing — having his grandson accused of exploiting it is quite another.
‘Matthew is almost done with Julez and his shenanigans because he finds himself in petty drama that could have easily been avoided and it’s affecting their entire brand,’ the source added. ‘Matthew was reportedly more worried about how this would look on their brand because Julez could easily be exploited for controversy, attention, and criticism.’
The family’s concern is not without precedent.
Smith has been at the center of controversy before — most notably during his messy breakup with actress Skai Jackson.
When their relationship ended, things went south fast. Smith allegedly shared in a leaked group chat that Jackson had cheated on him — and then added that he had taken revenge.
In the chat, one friend asked, ‘Sky cheated?’ Smith responded, ‘Mhm, she cheated.’
When another shocked friend asked why Jackson had made a post that read, ‘Throw Libra men away’ — in reference to Smith because he’s a Libra — his response was chilling: ‘Because I made sure to ruin her life. I effed her good, got her addicted, and then left her.’
The leaked messages also revealed Smith leveraging his family connections to intimidate others.
In another exposed message, he wrote: ‘My aunt is Beyoncé. You really think I’m going to get sued? Take the next guess, effing idiot. I don’t care anymore. I still gave that dark a** b***h d***. Stop leaking the effing chats.’
Unlike most of his famous family members, who maintain a disciplined public silence, Smith has been known to engage directly with critics — allegedly using burner accounts to attack people on Instagram.
The club appearance controversy has also drawn attention to the broader context of Smith’s public persona.
‘He’s not even known in straight spaces,’ one observer noted. ‘He’s not even a famous heterosexual amongst other heterosexuals. He’s only famous in gay spaces because he’s Beyoncé’s nephew, Solange’s son, and he’s light-skinned with green eyes. He’s not even a good model.’
Some have called for Solange to address the situation directly.
‘This is her son and this looks bad for the brand,’ one commentator said. ‘This looks bad for folks who are fans of Beyoncé, and Solange knows and he has taken advantage of that.’
Smith has previously addressed the speculation about his sexuality, insisting that assumptions about him are just that — assumptions.
During an interview, when asked ‘What’s the hardest part about being you?’ Smith replied: ‘Misconceptions.’
When pressed on what misconceptions he meant, he answered: ‘You think I’m gay?’
He went on to explain that rumors began when he was just 13 years old, after his mother posted a picture of him dressed as LL Cool J in a red jumpsuit.
‘I went to school and my girlfriend showed me a picture that my mom posted. It was on some media, and grown ass adults was calling me gay at 13 ’cause they were saying I’m pretty,’ he said. ‘I’m a pretty boy.’
But his explanation for the club appearance — that it was his way of getting back at people who had speculated about his sexuality — has done little to calm the anger.
‘All of this doesn’t matter,’ one critic said. ‘You should have never agreed to do that in the first place if you wanted gay people to not talk about you. Let’s not play dumb here.’
Representatives for Julez Smith, Solange Knowles, and Matthew Knowles did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
‘I see why Beyoncé doesn’t speak,’ one observer concluded. ‘Her family just talks too much.’