The Cannes usher, who previously clashed with Kelly Rowland, got into another heated exchange with Dominican actress Massiel Taveras during the film festival. Taveras, frustrated by the usher while arranging her gown’s train, went as far as shoving the French woman.
The actress later celebrated the gown’s depiction of Jesus on Instagram, noting its historical significance at Cannes. The shocking incident comes after Rowland’s viral altercation with the same usher, who was accused of unfairly targeting women of color.
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Cannes Film Festival Usher Prevents Massiel Taveras From Posing On Red Carpet
Dominican actress Massiel Taveras was moved out of the carpet as she posed for photos at the Cannes Film Festival.
The same security guard was involved in an incident with Kelly Rowland. https://t.co/O3Q1788tjy
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) May 25, 2024
The Cannes usher, who recently made headlines for an altercation with Rowland on the festival’s red carpet, was recorded engaging in a similar incident with Dominican star Taveras.
In the now-viral clip, Taveras is seen arranging the lengthy train of her gown, which featured a prominent portrait of Jesus, on the red carpet stairs when the security officer hurried her along.
While being guided by multiple ushers, the “El Encuentro” actress kept trying to spread her Jesus cape-like train across the grand stairs of the Cannes Film Festival in order to get the perfect shot.
Once at the top of the stairs, Taveras again tried to spread out her gown’s train for photos, but the female usher blocked the actress with her arm, mirroring her actions during the Rowland incident.
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The situation then escalated when the usher put an arm around Taveras in an attempt to move her away, which prompted the actress to shove her.
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Massiel Taveras Gushes About Her Jesus Cape
After the incident, Taveras shared photos from the Cannes event on Instagram.
In the caption, she wrote, “This is the first time in 77 years of the great Cannes festival that Jesus is exhibited on this stage, and it is the first time that a work of art by Dominicanos is published and valued by the legendary magazine #vanityfairitalia #vanityfairitaly.”
She continued: “El Cristo’ is the most shocking love story of all time, and today it made history again. Come and see this.”
“The 22nd was a big night—the premiere of ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ was exquisite and unforgettable. I’m still in Cannes, France, as the festival agenda continues until tomorrow. I’ll be here for a few more days, marveling at what God has accomplished through ‘The Christ,” Taveras added.
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Kelly Rowland Speaks On Her Heated Exchange With The Cannes Usher
The new footage comes just days after Rowland’s video with the security guard went viral during the “Marcello Mio” premiere.
In an interview with the Associated Press at the amfAR Cannes Gala, the “Mea Culpa” actress addressed her encounter with the Cannes usher, stating, “The woman knows what happened, I know what happened, and I have a boundary. I stand by those boundaries, and that is it.”
She added, “There were other women on that carpet who did not quite look like me. “They didn’t get scolded or pushed off or told to get off. And I stood my ground and she felt like she needed to stand hers.”
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Fans Are Outraged At ‘Racist’ French Usher at Cannes Festival
It was very clear Kelly Rowland was trying to take photos and they were rushing her then that security guard stepped on her dress and Kelly tried to correct her nicely and the security guard decided to be rude and Kelly said “Don’t talk to me like that” pic.twitter.com/cXnuXH6oZK
— Meech (@MediumSizeMeech) May 21, 2024
Fans have also expressed their outrage over the French usher’s actions, with many demanding for her to get fired.
One person noted, “They need to fire that racist security woman because she keeps harassing every woman of color at Cannes while the two white ladies aren’t being rushed at all.”
Another fan added, “I think it’s official now. Europe is back to being the most disgustingly racist continent…this is actually disturbing.”
“I really want to know if @cannes has even bothered responding to any of this. If they haven’t, it speaks volumes,” a third individual commented.
Colleagues Defend French Woman Against Racism Allegations
After Rowland hinted at racism during her interview, colleagues of the Cannes usher came to her defense, asserting she was simply performing her duties. Other security personnel at the heavily policed event also supported the usher’s actions as appropriate.
“She was an usher working under a lot of pressure to keep people on the carpet moving, to stop crowds building up,” an insider told the DailyMail. “There was no pushing or shoving or scolding. Security and safety are the priorities, along with keeping to strict timetables set according to contracts – even the celebrities have to stick to the rules.”
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“Lots of ushers are involved, and they always act professionally and with politeness,” the source added. “In this case, the usher was certainly only doing her job – she didn’t do anything wrong.”