Taraji P. Henson Addresses Keith Lee's Response After Mixup at BET Awards: 'He Missed His Moment'

'The Color Purple' actress said Lee "wasn't in his seat" during a viral mixup where she confused Lee with another influencer during the BET Awards on June 30

• On July 2, Taraji P. Henson responded to a now-deleted TikTok posted by food influencer Keith Lee during the 2024 BET Awards.

• The Golden Globe winner said that Lee "wasn't in his seat so he missed his moment."

• Lee clarified in a TikTok posted on July 2 that he is "not upset with Taraji P. Henson by any stretch of imagination.”

Taraji P. Henson has responded to a now-deleted TikTok posted by food influencer Keith Lee after a viral mixup at the 2024 BET Awards.

On July 2, Henson, 53, commented on an Instagram post that showed Lee, 27, dropping the rose she gave to him during a segment of the show meant to honor creators.

“Life really is too short for this behavior. He wasn’t in his seat 🤷🏾‍♀️,” The Color Purple actress commented on the post. “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,” she continued. “He will be fine. I cleaned it up at the end of the show. 🤷🏾‍♀️ No love lost here.” 

Henson hosted the BET Awards for the third time on June 30. During the segment when she passed out the flowers, she went up to influencer Jordan Howlett and confused him for Lee. Howlett then pointed to Lee sitting with his wife, Ronni Lee, in a different seat and Henson apologized for the confusion.

Related: Taraji P. Henson Brings Head-Turning Outfit Changes While Hosting the 2024 BET Awards — See Them All!

"I got caught up in my own inner monologue, I’m so sorry," she said about the moment before she gave the influencer a rose, which he initially accepted.

A short time later, Lee posted the now-deleted TikTok of him dropping the flower to the floor and captioned it: "Our name will be known in every room it's supposed to be, when it's supposed to be, how it's supposed to be, with no confusion. God is amazing."

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In another TikTok posted on July 2, Lee said, “I am not upset with Taraji P. Henson by any stretch of imagination.” He added that he thought “she smoked it last night.” 

“I don’t think for one second that Taraji had any ill-will or any ill-intentions behind the situation,” he continued. “It is what it is.”

He directly addressed the deleted TikTok of him dropping the rose on the floor and clarified that “the reason I did this had nothing to do with Taraji P. Henson.”

“The reason I dropped it on the floor is that I wholeheartedly believe it wasn’t my rose," he continued. “That wasn’t my moment. It was given to me, but it wasn’t mine. I always say, I don’t want nothing that wasn’t mine.” 

Lee then went on to say the segment felt “rushed” on the production side and “it did not feel intentional or purposeful.” 

Related: BET Awards 2024: See the Complete List of Winners!

“So to take me and my wife out of our seats and put us in different seats, give Taraji no direction to who we are and what we do, felt extremely unprepared and unprofessional to me," Lee added. “For this situation to take away from her moment and our moment was unfair to both of us.”   

Despite the way the situation unfolded, Lee said he is "forever thankful for every room that I’m in."

“Never once was I upset that Taraji didn’t know who I was,” he said. “I’m always going to be myself, and I’ve always been myself. Nothing about his journey or this ride is going to change me.”

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