By Tammy Howard // Marriage // EEW Magazine Online

Gospel singer Kierra Sheard Kelly is clapping back hard after receiving major criticism for her comments about forcing friends to stay in a hotel to keep them from leading her new husband into temptation.

While the 34-year-old has been called several things ranging from insecure to wise, she is speaking up for herself, making her position clear, and accusing some publications of over-sensationalizing the story and “making juicy headlines for clout.”

“Nowadays healthy boundaries seem like insecurity and distrust to some,” wrote the star of Lifetime’s new movie, Line Sisters, in an Instagram caption next to a nearly three-minute video clip capturing the full context of the conversation with Page Six interviewer, Tashara Jones, that originally started the hullaballoo.

After Sheard Kelly alleged that some journalists and bloggers covering the interview were “reaching and making juicy headlines for clout,” the one-year married actor clarified, “I’m blessed to have a husband and friends who I trust. My family and friends are most welcome in my home,” noting that “they know who they are.”

At a time when interview sound bites circulate on social media faster than the speed of sound, Sheard Kelly caught flak for her response to interviewer Jones’ personal disclosure about what Jones’ mother told her: “Once you’re married, do not let another woman into your household”—a sentiment with which Sheard Kelly wholeheartedly agreed before confirming that her mother, the Grammy-winning gospel singer Karen Clark Sheard, instructs her similarly.

“Absolutely, Tashara!” said Sheard Kelly who wed Jordan Kelly, a landscaper and fellow Detroit native in 2020. “My momma has already said, ‘Don’t have too many people around your house. Don’t get comfortable. I don’t care how good you trust [that person] or whatever it is, I’m very mindful and very careful. I will buy a friend a hotel room before I let them stay at my house.”

Despite feeling misunderstood, mischaracterized, and singled out by some, Sheard Kelly told social media followers, “I will remain prayerful and strategic in everything that I do, and so should you. Be encouraged to discern well because common sense ain’t so ‘common’ these days.”

Doling out a bit more advice in the post, the Eleven60 clothing designer said, “So, protect your homes, husbands, children, careers and more. You’ll avoid a lot of mistakes and trauma.”

She added, “Until we grow in relational intelligence, we won’t understand fundamentals like this.”

So, there you have it folks. Sheard Kelly is not backing down, only clarifying her statements and the fact that she believes her mother’s recipe for longevity is the right one.

Watch the full clip Sheard Kelly shared on social media below.