Long before Beyoncé became the most decorated artist in Grammy history and one half of music’s most powerful couple, there was apparently a brief window in which her story could have taken a very different turn. At least, that is how Terrence Howard tells it.
The actor, best known for his role in Empire and his early breakout in Iron Man, recently reflected on what he described as a missed romantic opportunity with the superstar during the early years of her career. Speaking on a podcast, Howard claimed that years before Beyoncé and Jay-Z became a couple, a connection between him and the singer was within reach. He chose not to pursue it, opting instead to get to know another member of Destiny’s Child, the group he referred to loosely as the girl with the blue eyes, without ever naming her directly.
The group that made Beyoncé a star
Destiny’s Child formed in Houston and rose to global fame through a lineup that shifted more than once over the years. The original group included Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson. After Luckett and Roberson departed, Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin came aboard, though Franklin’s time with the group was brief. The trio of Beyoncé, Rowland and Williams became the definitive formation, releasing some of the most enduring pop and R&B records of the early 2000s before the group eventually disbanded.
Howard did not clarify which member caught his attention, leaving that detail to the imagination of anyone listening.
A moment on stage that Howard still thinks about
The more vivid part of Howard’s recollection centers on the 2005 BET Awards, where Destiny’s Child performed their song Cater 2 U with a memorable twist. The group selected three men from the audience to join them on stage. Magic Johnson was paired with Williams, Nelly with Rowland, and Howard with Beyoncé.
What followed was a performance Howard described as charged with subtext, at least from his perspective. He suggested that Beyoncé’s decision to pick him from the crowd was not accidental, reading it as a pointed reminder of what he had passed on years earlier. Whether that interpretation reflects reality or simply how a good story gets better with time is impossible to know, but Howard has clearly held onto the memory.
He acknowledged feeling genuinely attracted to Beyoncé during that earlier period, describing it as a real moment before she and Jay-Z became an item. The two married in 2008 and have since built a family together, including a daughter and twins, while maintaining an famously private personal life.
A look back with perspective
Howard, who is 57 and has been married four times, was reflective rather than wistful in the way he told the story. He noted that the connection he was describing happened a very long time ago, framing it less as a loss and more as one of those early-life crossroads that only make sense in hindsight.
Beyoncé has spoken in the past about the foundation she and Jay-Z built before their relationship became romantic, describing a lengthy friendship that grew slowly before evolving into something more. That timeline lines up with Howard’s account in a general sense, even if his version of events adds a layer that was never part of the public record.
Neither Beyoncé’s nor Howard’s representatives have publicly addressed his remarks.
