A Houston woman who called the health department to report Tina Knowles’ gumbo stand says she fears for her life after receiving threats from Beyoncé’s fans.
Tina Knowles is the mother of pop singers Beyoncé and Solange Knowles.
In a video on her @Ericamenace TikTok page last week, Erica said she vomited blood after eating Mama Tina’s Gumbo at the Houston Rodeo.
Erica went to a hospital for treatment. Her stool sample tested positive for the potentially deadly Clostridium difficile bacteria, aka C. diff. The bacteria causes inflammation in the large intestine (colitis). Signs and symptoms of colitis include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
C. diff can damage the large intestine and cause colon cancer.
Inspectors from Houston’s health department paid a visit to Mama Tina’s Gumbo stand on March 16. They discovered 6 major food safety violations, including thawed seafood improperly stored in non-food grade orange Home Depot buckets.
The health department temporarily shut down the gumbo stand.
Knowles was allowed to reopen her gumbo stand the next day after she corrected the food safety violations. But the damage had already been done.
Foot traffic to the gumbo stand dropped off considerably. There were no customers at Mama Tina’s Gumbo stand on the last day of the Houston Rodeo (March 22).
Mama Tina’s Gumbo Joint is now empty, with an employee spotted resting his hand on his chin due to the lack of customers.
(This video was captured by a fan of Beyoncé.) ? pic.twitter.com/UC2Bxgwwri
— BlackMedia__ (@BlackMedia___) March 22, 2026
Erica now fears for her life after Beyoncé’s fans posted her address and phone number online.
In a follow-up video on TikTok, Erica said, “I’m letting everybody know right now… I am NOT suicidal. I love my life. I do not wanna go anywhere.”
Erica said TikTok users are threatening her and sharing her personal information online.
“I fear for my life,” she said. “Once again, I am not suicidal… I don’t want to harm myself or others. I fear for my life… I don’t know who is behind these fake pages, but clearly I have done too much. I have said too much and I have done too much.”
Erica is allegedly in talks with local attorneys to seek compensation for her pain and suffering.
@ericamenace I was told that allegedly these pages are ran by you know who I have given this information to multiple news stations I love my life. Life has just begun for me clearly I have spoke up and exposed the truth so now I am under attack. I wasn’t looking for problems. I was just telling my truth and trying to prevent what happened to me from happening to other people. There are false claims being made about my health and past living conditions. I was medically evaluated and cleared after moving, and my symptoms occurred after consuming the food in question. I will be addressing this through proper channels. I need to make this very clear I am NOT suicidal and I do not want to harm myself in any way. I love my life and I’m fighting to get through this. I’ve been told that pages are spreading my personal information and trying to defame my name. At this point, I’ve shared everything with multiple news outlets because I will not be silenced or intimidated. I spoke up about what happened to me, and now I’m being targeted. But I stand on my truth??
