In case y’all didn’t catch the plethora of birthday wishes online, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter turned 37 years old on Tuesday (Sept. 4th). Her loyal ‘Bey-hive’ was damn near celebrating like it was a holiday. However, for outed Destiny’s Child singer, LaTavia Roberson, it was quite a nostalgic moment, filled with memories of the woman who was once her closest friend.
LaTavia’s Touching Birthday Shout Out To Bey’
In an online post, LaTavia shared a throwback video of herself and Beyoncé singing together during their tween years, along with a sentimental caption. She praised Bey’ for reaching for the stars and now standing on top of them. She also expressed the unwavering love she will always have for her former group member, whom she still refers to as her “best friend.” Peep what she had to say in th b-day video shared by The Shade Room:
“Happy birthday to my 4ever sister Beyoncé. Starting this journey with your best friend & now watching her achieve everything she said she would accomplish is amazing! No matter what the past might have given us, the one thing it couldn’t do was take away the love and admiration we have for each other. So celebrate LIVE-LOVE-LAUGH everyone deserves those 3 simple things!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnUlbq4Fcls/
They’ve Come A Long Way From This…
For the longest, fans heard about LaTavia Roberson and fellow original DC member, LeToya Luckett getting kicked outta the group, but never knew the details. In a 2016 interview with People Magazine, LaTavia finally revealed the massive amount of tension, heartache, lawsuits, and suicidal depression she endured after her departure. She also wanted to clear up the misconception that she left Destiny’s Child on her own free will. According to LaTavia, Beyoncé’s dad/DC’s manager, Mathew Knowles, kicked her to the curb:
“I never left Destiny’s Child,” [LaTavia] Roberson explained. “That is something that people say. But who would leave Destiny’s Child? That’s crazy! I was dismissed from the group. It was very difficult because of the way that I found out about it. I hate even talking about it, and it’s been 20 years — but it is what it is. We saw the ‘Say My Name’ video on TV, and that’s how I found out I was no longer in the group.
“It was very difficult,” she continued. “I’m pretty sure that it was difficult for all of us — because we were young. My issue was always with the management; it was never with the girls.”
LeToya and LaTavia sued and won lawsuits against Mathew Knowles, ultimately receiving royalties for the records they recorded while in the group. However, that was nothing in comparison to the severe pain that came afterward:
“It was almost like a bad divorce — you’re no longer with your friends, people that you love so much, ” Roberson said. “So that was hard in itself, and then being by myself at that time, when other aspects starting taking ahold of me. It lead me into a depression. And it wasn’t pretty, like at all.”
Those other “aspects” LaTavia mentioned included dealing with past “molestation,” as well as the “alcoholism and drugs” she became dependent on following her firing from DC. She also revealed, on a reality TV show appearance, that she felt like she ‘was going to die’ back then, from her pain.
Thankfully, LaTavia Roberson is far removed from her days of deep depression and it’s beautiful that she’s still showing support for her Destiny’s Child ‘sister.’
