Taraji P. Henson confusing influencer Jordan Howlett with food critic Keith Lee at the 2024 BET Awards made for quite the embarrassing — and viral —moment. During the segment, Henson was giving people their flowers to celebrate them and spoke to Howlett believing he was Lee.
Howlett uncomfortably laughed and pointed to Lee, leading Henson to say “I’m so sorry!” and that she “got caught up in her own inner monologue.” Lee ultimately accepted the flower the actress gave him, but in a now-deleted TikTok, the culinary personality showed himself dropping it on the floor.
Lee captioned the video: “Our name will be known in every room it’s supposed to be, when it’s supposed to be, how it’s supposed, with no confusion. God is amazing.” He issued a follow up video on Monday. “I am not upset at Taraji P. Henson by any stretch of the imagination. And not only that, in my opinion, she smoked it last night.”
“The reason I did this had nothing to do with Taraji P. Henson. The reason I did this is that I wholeheartedly believe it wasn’t my rose, it wasn’t my moment. It was given to me, but it wasn’t mine,” he continued. “I always say, I don’t want nothing that wasn’t mine. I am forever thankful for every room that I’m in. I was more than thankful and more than grateful to just sit there and enjoy the show.”
Lee also blamed the show’s producers for the awkward moment, not the host herself. Henson, like others, thought Lee was doing a bit too much and addressed his video in an Instagram comment. “Life really is too short for this behavior,” she said.
“He wasn’t in his seat. They give celebrity assigned seats! I rehearsed all damn day to go hit my mark and that young man wasn’t in his seat so HE MISSED HIS MOMENT! His ego is hurt. He will be fine. I cleaned it up at the end of the show. No love lost here. #GODBLESS.”