Tina Knowles Reveals Beyoncé Chose Between Jay-Z & Another Man

In her newly released memoir Matriarch, Tina Knowles opens the vault on one of Beyoncé’s most pivotal early love decisions. It involves a surprising romantic crossroads between her now-husband Jay-Z and another mystery man. Read more about Knowles’ memoir inside.

According to US Weekly, the book shares details about Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s relationship. It cites that it began as a slow-burn friendship in the early 2000s. They first connected over phone calls, bonding through deep conversations about music and the industry.

“They provided good counsel to each other,” Tina writes in the book. “She would tell me, ‘He’s just so nice.’”

But the love story wasn’t always a sure thing.

At the time, then 21-year-old Beyoncé was filming Austin Powers in Goldmember in Los Angeles while being pursued by another man in the music industry. Both Jay-Z and this other suitor planned to visit her, prompting Beyoncé to turn to her mother for guidance.

 “Well, who do you like the most? Who do you enjoy talking to more?” Tina asked her daughter.

After some thought, the answer became clear: it was Jay.

“Isn’t it humbling how love can begin with such a simple feeling?” Knowles reflects in the memoir. “You like talking to someone over the phone… You can’t know someday you will take that love to the stars.”

Beyoncé obviously chose hose Jay-Z, and the rest is music history. As their romance grew serious, Knowles met Jay’s family. She met his mom and his beloved grandmother Hattie White, who would later be immortalized on Beyoncé’s “Freedom” from Lemonade. The couple wed on April 4, 2008, in a private ceremony at their home, with both families cooking soul food for the reception.

Though Tina Knowles doesn’t name the other man in the book, her recounting highlights how love isn’t always dramatic or explosive. It can begin with a feeling as quiet and sure as enjoying someone’s company.

Now, more than two decades later, Beyoncé and Jay-Z remain partners in life and music, raising three children and building an empire. In Matriarch, Tina calls Jay “a true blessing,” praising both him and son-in-law Tim Weatherspoon for being steadfast partners and protectors of their families.

Sometimes the most iconic love stories start with the simplest question: Who makes you feel most at home?