Tamar Braxton & Kandi Burruss Have Awkward Encounter

Is there beef still brewing between Kandi Burruss and Tamar Braxton? Moreover, has Monica chosen a side in it? That’s the question social media is asking after an awkward ESSENCE festival interaction on July 5. A video from ESSENCE’s Black Women In Music captured Tamar attempting to play nice as she greeted Kandi during a photo-op alongside Brandy, Monica, Mona Scott Young, and Missy Elliott, who were honored at the event on Sunday.

What happened between Tamar Braxton and Kandi Burruss at ESSENCE?

In the now-viral clip, Tamar Braxton walks over to greet the group, briefly placing her hand on Kandi Burruss’ arm as she appears to say hello. Kandi smiles and seems to exchange a few words with Tamar before the singer continues on her way.

But it was what happened next that had social media talking.

After Tamar walked away, many viewers noticed Kandi laughed and flashed what some interpreted as a fake smile and an eye roll before quickly turning her attention back to the photoshoot. Tamar also reached out and touched Monica’s wrist during the interaction, but the “The Boy Is Mine” singer didn’t appear interested in engaging. Instead, Monica immediately looked down, seemingly avoiding eye contact.

The awkward exchange quickly went viral, with eagle-eyed fans dissecting every second of the interaction.

One person wrote on X:

“This is hilarious, Tamar doesn’t know how to be in a room with people she doesn’t like without speaking. Kandi is always gonna laugh at the awkwardness and Monica cannot fake it. (gtfo my face) 😭😂 #EssenceFest.”

Kandi and Tamar had this to say after the awkward exchange.

Just as fans began debating whether the apparent tension was being overanalyzed, Kandi appeared to fuel the conversation with an Instagram post on July 6 that many interpreted as a subtle response.

“Giving side-eye while keeping it classy!” she captioned a photo of the sexy outfit that she wore during her Sunday appearance at ESSENCE Festival.

Hit the flip for Tamar’s response.

Tamar Braxton and Kandi Burruss’ beef goes way back

The tension between Tamar Braxton and Kandi Burruss stretches back to 2017, when they worked together on The Great Xscape Tour. Both women have since acknowledged that problems developed behind the scenes due to communication issues and professional disagreements.

Their strained relationship became even more public during Celebrity Big Brother in 2019, where they openly admitted they were not on good terms. Tamar accused Kandi of spreading misinformation about her during an episode of the hit reality TV show.

The feud resurfaced in 2023 after Tamar claimed that Kandi’s husband, Todd Tucker, threatened her during an off-camera incident. Kandi denied the allegation and dismissed Tamar’s version of events, sparking another round of social media exchanges.

Last year, the pair got into it after a video resurfaced of Tamar dragging Kandi’s Old Lady Gang restaurant, claiming it had a reputation for serving “nasty” food. When asked that year by ET‘s Brice Sander, if she would extend an invite to Tamar to the soul food spot, Kandi made it clear she had no interest in making amends with the Love & War singer. 

“I’m not playing games with clowns. I’m not fittin’ to be in the circus with [her]…never again,” Kandi responded quickly.

Although both women have spoken about the situation in interviews over the years, they have never publicly reconciled, leaving their long-running feud unresolved.

Tamar and Monica’s friendship also hit a rough patch

Fans also zeroed in on Monica’s reaction during the ESSENCE Festival interaction. Rather than acknowledging Tamar, Monica appeared to look down and avoid eye contact, sparking speculation that lingering issues still exist between the two singers.

Back in 2020, Tamar addressed rumors surrounding her relationship with Monica during an appearance on The Wendy Williams Show. After rumors of her unfollowing “The Boy Is Mine” hitmaker came to light, Tamar explained that she never intentionally unfollowed Monica out of spite. Instead, she explained that she unfollowed around 30 people after becoming emotionally overwhelmed by seeing posts about her firing from The Real. Tamar said she intended to follow everyone back, but when she tried to reconnect with Monica, she realized Monica had already blocked her.

Explaining her decision at the time, Tamar told Williams:

“I unfollowed everybody because I just didn’t want to see it like it’s one thing like you know when you hear about things you just don’t want to see it in your face.”

She added:

“I had every intent on following everybody back because I thought I unfollowed at least 30 people that day right? When I went to go follow her back she had blocked me.”

Now that fans have been reminded of the history between Tamar, Kandi and Monica, many are wondering whether Sunday’s awkward interaction was simply an uncomfortable moment, or another sign that old wounds still haven’t healed.

What do you think? Is there still unresolved tension between Tamar Braxton and Kandi Burruss, as well as Tamar and Monica, or are fans reading too much into a brief interaction?

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