Taraji P. Henson doesn’t have time to worry about any supposed feud or resentment with Keith Lee.
On Tuesday, Henson, 53, took to Instagram to leave a comment on a post shared by celebrity news account MorningJuiceBox, which referenced an accident during the BET Awards 2024 on Sunday, when Henson handed out roses to celebrities in the audience — but ended up confusing Lee with another influencer Jordan Howlett.
Lee, 27, later shared a since-deleted TikTok that showed him dropping the rose he received on the floor, over which he wrote, “Our name will be known in every room it’s supposed to be in, when it’s supposed to be, how it’s supposed to be, with no confusion. God is awesome.”
According to Henson’s commentary, however, this type of alleged defamation is not worth the effort or attention.
“Life really is too short for this behavior,” Henson wrote, before explaining her side of the mix-up. “He wasn’t in his seat🤷🏾♀️ They give designated seats to celebrities! I rehearsed all day to hit my mark and that young man wasn’t in his seat so HE MISSED HIS MOMENT!”
“His ego is hurt. He’s going to be fine. I cleaned it up at the end of the show,” she added. “No love lost here.”
Henson served as host for the third consecutive yearand during the show, she did a bit where she “gave people flowers” as a way to celebrate them. During the segment, Henson walked to the front of the audience, where Lee was sitting with his wife, Ronnie, which is when things got dicey.
Henson approached Howlett (who goes by the name Jordan Thee Stallion on TikTok) and the Oscar-nominated actress then turned to the camera and began a portion of the bit that was supposed to be directed at Lee. Howlett laughed as she awkwardly pointed at Lee, and Henson quickly pivoted and redirected her comments while joking that she “got caught in my own inner monologue.”
“I’m sorry!” she exclaimed.
To Lee’s credit, the influencer, food critic and former MMA fighter clarified in a TikTok on Monday that he wasn’t upset with Henson at allbut I felt the show did a poor job of organizing the part.
“I’m not mad at Taraji P. Henson by a long shot,” Lee said in a video he shot from inside his car. “And not only that, in my opinion, she smoked last night.”
In the post, Lee explained that the video of him dropping the rose was not intended to suggest he was angry with Henson.
“The reason I did it had nothing to do with Taraji P. Henson. The reason I did it is because I believe with all my heart that it wasn’t my rose, it wasn’t my moment. It was given to me, but it wasn’t mine,” he shared. “I always say, I don’t want anything that isn’t mine.”
Lee said the entire segment “felt extremely unprepared and unprofessional” and that they had him and his wife switch seats to make the bit easier, but didn’t do what was necessary to ensure the segment was a success — which was also embarrassing for Henson.
“It is what it is. I just wish they had prepared both of us for success in that situation,” Lee said.
Before entering the show, ET spoke to Lee on the blue carpet, who spoke about attending the event with his wife.
“It’s amazing. I’m blessed to be here,” Lee shared. “We’re amazing. My wife is amazing. God is amazing. I’m here. I’m grateful. We’re everywhere we’re supposed to be all along.”
Lee said he never in his wildest dreams would have imagined attending the event with his wife, but he was grateful.
“I wouldn’t have believed it,” he said. “I always knew I was going to be somebody, I always knew God had something special in store for me. I just never knew what path it would take me on and I’m here for every path he puts me on.”
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