During his recent appearance on The Breakfast Club, Keith Lee got into a bit of a back-and-forth with DJ Envy. Envy claimed that the viral food critic reviews food “the hood way” when the father of two fired back. He accused the host of calling his reviews “ghetto,” which Envy quickly denied.
“I wouldn’t say the hood way, I just eat food,” Lee argued. Envy then asked him how service in NYC differs from that of other regions, which Lee said is all in the culture. “Culture is different, the people are different” he explained. “When I walked in you asked me or you said that I’m a ghetto food critic, so it’s like that alone embodies what New York is… New York is cold, they play with you a lot.“
“I didn’t say ghetto I said hood,” Envy interjected, prompting Lee to say “It’s the same thing.” The TikTok personality went on, claiming that he doesn’t like when small restaurants are given the same “energy” that Envy gave him, but he himself doesn’t mind it because he has “thick skin.” Envy eventually elaborated on his comments, stating that while he’s from the “hood” he doesn’t consider himself “ghetto.” Charlamagne Tha God disagreed, calling him “so ghetto.” Both Charlamagne and Lee then took aim at his outfit, arguing that wearing a wife beater when it’s cold and rainy is pretty “ghetto.”
The former MMA star made it clear that he didn’t appreciate being pigeonholed by DJ Envy. Countless social media users are weighing in on the debate, praising Lee for the polite way he handled the correction. Others think he misunderstood what Envy said, and came back a bit too hard. What do you think of Keith Lee and DJ Envy going back and forth during a recent episode of The Breakfast Club? Do you think the food critic’s response to Envy’s comment was warranted? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
It’s safe to say that not a lot of former MMA fighters have had the kind of career change Keith Lee has had. The man took the lemons life gave him, made lemonade, and has been running with it ever since. If you’re a TikTok user or use social media a lot, it’s highly possible you’ve come across him on your feed before. Basically, Keith Lee has created a niche for himself, and become a favorite of food enthusiasts around the world.
Lee is a huge trend right now, especially due to his most recent visit to Atlanta as a part of his food tour. Like a Black Santa Claus, Lee went on his merry way spreading love and light throughout ATL. However, he seems to have left a trail of restaurants shaken in his wake as well due to his criticism of Atlanta’s food scene. Even Cardi B has corroborated Keith Lee’s story about the restaurants in ATL. Now a renowned food reviewer, he has come a very long way from his MMA days. For those curious about the personality shaking up TikTok (and the ATL restaurant scene), here’s all you need to know.
Keith Lee’s MMA Beginnings
Born on October 4, 1996, Keith Lee first gained media attention duking it out with opponents in the MMA cage. Keith, who is the brother of MMA fighter Kevin Lee, has previously fought in both the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions, going professional at the age of 20 in 2016. Known by the nickname “Killa,” Lee went on to partake in 13 MMA fights. Altogether, he holds a fair record, with eight wins and five losses. On TikTok, Lee shared how he secured a contract with Bellator MMA. “A day after Christmas (2019), I got a call from my manager and I earned a six-figure contract,” he said. Unfortunately, his contract with Bellator was terminated in August 2021, and he became broke again. However, that was probably the best thing to happen to him. The seemingly unfortunate event spurred Lee on to take a step that changed his life forever.
Keith Lee actually started posting content on his TikTok account way back in 2020. For most of his life, he had dealt with social anxiety and wanted to try conquering it through making videos of himself. In an interview with MMA Fighting, he shared, “I originally started doing TikTok to get more comfortable with doing interviews for MMA.” He explained further, “Because, at the time, all I was doing was MMA. Within that, it was about me learning how to slow myself down, how to speak at a more monotone tone. I usually speak this slow anyways, but when I get excited or I get nervous, I talk real fast.”
It would still take a while for the internet personality to finally settle on food reviews. He first pivoted to making more family-related content, often featuring his then-pregnant wife. Subsequently, the unusual cravings she had led Lee to start making cooking videos. Soon after, he was invited to appear on an episode of the popular YouTube show, People Vs Food.
“I was like OK, if I was to be on their show and I was a viewer, what would I look for if somebody was on a different platform?” Lee shared. “What would I look for in order for me to go to their platform and watch their videos? I was like, food reviews. I would watch somebody do food reviews all day. So let me start doing food reviews.”
For all of the long term members of the Lee family We thank you for being here during this whole journey For the new members Welcome to the family , we also thank you for being here. To myself Thank you for never giving up and trusting God , to my wife Thank you for trust me and what God has for us. To @REACT & @Disney I will see you soon God is amazing #thankful#storytime
Lee subsequently became an overnight TikTok sensation. On the platform, he achieved a followership gain of over four million between November 2022 and January 2023. In a vulnerable moment, the food critic shared with MMA Fighting, “I felt very expendable after I lost my contract with Bellator. I promised myself I’m going to build something that no one can take away from me.” Evidently, he has managed to do just that. If nothing else, Keith Lee is a man of his word.
Keith Lee’s rise since he started posting food reviews has been something straight out of a fantasy book. Audiences evidently love his honest reviews, and his followers have grown exponentially since January 2023. While all of this is great for him, perhaps the best part of it all is how he’s used his platform to elevate small food businesses. The Keith Lee effect is no joke, and he has used it positively ever since.
On his nationwide food tour, Lee recently shook the internet during his stop in Atlanta. In like fashion, the food reviewer intended to highlight food from as many places as he could, and honestly, too. However, he was faced with a surprising obstacle: the unorthodox, and sometimes ridiculous rules of some restaurants in Atlanta. This has since become a major hot topic on social media, garnering all sorts of responses from celebrities, as well as the general public.
Over time, Lee has been vocal about how he does not want to be given special treatment. However, since he has become such a recognizable figure, it’s hard to know whether or not he’s being treated specially. As a result, what he often does these days is have another member of his family place orders or walk into restaurants in his place. Several restaurants in ATL went on to state their rules, including things like limits on dine-in times, no reservations, no waiting areas, hour-long waiting times, etc.
These rules, however, were typically overturned whenever Keith Lee eventually revealed himself. Obviously, if someone was influential enough, these restaurants could break their rules, and Lee just wasn’t a fan of that. Consequently, he shared videos of every time this happened, and it was more than a few times. It happened at The Real Milk & Honey, Old Lady Gang, and Atlanta Breakfast Club, among others. Lee, hoping only to share his experiences at these establishments, always expressed that he did not condone any disrespect towards them. Regardless, chaos ensued, and Lee has said he may have to put his food tour on hold. He prioritizes honesty and transparency, and has since shared, “I’m going to be 100 percent transparent, 100 percent candid, me and my family will postpone touring if other cities are going to be like this. Every review [is] not going to be the best.”
As a result of his transparency, Keith Lee has managed to put several rising restaurants on the map. Particularly, many small-time spots have expressed their gratitude for his positive reviews, which has, in turn, boosted their clientele. However, his visit to ATL has led to many on social media to call out the pretentious façade of many restaurants in the city. Nonetheless, Keith Lee forges on, sharing his experiences, one spot after another.
TikTok star Keith Lee has responded to Chad Johnson expressing his disdain for Lee’s review content. “You must have never heard of me, but if you have heard of me, why is this your first time speaking on me? Why haven’t you spoken about the positive things we’ve done with this platform?” the former MMA fighter asked the retired wide receiver. Lee went on to cite examples such as helping fund cancer treatment for one restaurant owner and helping a schoolteacher retire.
However, Lee even had backup – from Johnson’s own daughter no less. “Listen, we team Keith Lee over here,” Johnson claimed his daughter had texted him. “My daughter got on my head about this. And when your daughter get you on about something like this, you know you never gonna win,” Johnson continued. Other famous daughters have also gone after Johnson. A TikTok from the daughter of Jalen Rose has garnered hundreds of thousands of viewers.
While Sharpe, as he often is with the topic of sexuality, was hesitant, Johnson voiced his full-throated support for the idea of his partner doing OnlyFans to help the family’s finances. He acknowledged that OnlyFans can be a way to find financial stability in a world where a lot of people increasingly find a lack of it.
It’s unsurprising that Johnson would support the notion. Johnson recently revealed that in 1997, while attending Santa Monica College, he worked as a stripper to help pay his bills. “I used to strip at The Right Track, I used to be a dancer. I could tell you cause we family. 1997, I was in LA. My mom was out there but I really couldn’t live with my mama, so I had a place in Santa Monica. Sometimes I was short on my light bill. Them candles, light em. I used to strip. I used to be a dancer. If anybody in the chat is from LA that’s a little bit older, I used to strip at The Right Track. I bullsh-t you not,” Johnson told a livestream back in September.
Keith Lee lit the culinary and pop culture world on fire when he, a popular social media food critic, reviewed a couple of Atlanta restaurants poorly. The issue wasn’t the food, though: it was the service, or lack of it, that he experienced. Moreover, this opened up a lot of debates around whether this is a valid criticism and whether it’s even reflective of the city’s restaurants. Furthermore, the latest celebrity to throw their hat into the ring is Chad Johnson, also known as Ochocinco, a football star with little connection to the A. Regardless, he told Shannon Sharpe in an interview that Lee was unfair with the issues that much of the food industry faces.
“Being a professional athlete, we get privileges sometimes at the restaurant that normal people don’t get. It happens!” Shannon Sharpe challenged to Chad Johnson. In fact, this clip is a strong debate between the basketball icon and the former NFL player with a lot of solid points on both ends. On one hand, Shannon believes that such critique is what restaurants ask for, and that people shouldn’t have to sugarcoat their criticisms because of a restaurant’s history or situation. The 45-year-old was more empathetic to the businesses that work very hard to get a name for themselves and face a lot of scrutiny as a result.
Not only that, but Chad Johnson also called into question Keith Lee’s authority as a “food critic.” As a counter to that, Shannon Sharpe expressed belief that he has all the authority he needs: he goes to a restaurant, decides whether it’s good, and posts it online. Overall, their argument centered around the limit to which a venue’s service and the attitude of their workers can be criticized. They also brought up that many of these could be Black-owned and run businesses, which in and of itself opens the debate up to more discrimination and bias.
Meanwhile, which side do you agree on with this debate? Should restaurants suck it up and aim to be better or are too many people too quick to judge? In any case, drop your thoughts in the comments section down below. For more news and the latest updates on Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, stay posted on HNHH.
Kandi Burruss is reality TV royalty at this point. Furthermore, she is the owner of the Old Lady Gang restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia. Overall, this is a spot known for making amazing food. However, the restaurant has recently come under fire due to a review by TikTok star Keith Lee. The former MMA star-turned food reviewer went to Old Lady Gang and didn’t get any food. It was a review that many fans were waiting for, especially with Lee reviewing a ton of spots in the Atlanta area.
As Keith Lee explains, he was told that the restaurant was not doing any takeout. Subsequently, he decided to have his wife go in and see if he could get a table. He was eventually told it would be a long wait. However, once he went into the building, they offered him a seat right away. He did not like the special treatment and decided to leave. It was an experience that others have had at the restaurant, and it is why Lee’s review resonated with people. Now, Kandi Burruss is giving her side of the story.
#KandiBurruss responds to #KeithLee OLG food review and tbh she took the criticism very well and acknowledged the concerns and says she hopes to be able to serve his family in the future. pic.twitter.com/gsvoCqzSlQ
In the clip above, she revealed that she doesn’t have her restaurant do takeout on the weekends as it can overwhelm the kitchen. Overall, this is a pretty reasonable explanation. However, when it comes to Lee’s favoritism allegations, she didn’t really offer too much of an answer. That said, she did make it clear that she would love to have Lee back. “I want to say thanks to Keith for trying to even show up,” Burruss said. “Thanks for trying to bring your family by. Maybe next time we’ll still get a chance to serve you.”
For many, Lee’s arrival in Atlanta is huge as he is exposing a problem that has plagued restaurants in the area for years. Only time will if these places take the criticism to heart. Let us know what you think about Burruss’ response, in the comments section below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more news from around the entertainment world. We will always be sure to keep you informed.
After the allegations! Rick Ross has returned to the squared circle of All Elite Wrestling with his buddy Swerve to confront the “Limitless One” Keith Lee.
Taking the mic, Rozay teases a group named “Mogul Affiliates,” potentially getting an FCC violation by calling Keith Lee a “Big Motherfucker” and then introduces a new gang of wrestlers to jump Lee. The dominant moment concludes with Swerve leaping off a top rope and stomping a cinder block onto Keith’s chest.
As Ross strolled out of the building with the new gang he delivered another promo: “Really, we shoveling shit out the stall. It’s time to get to the money. Big Funky aka Keith Lee had all the opportunities, rocking with the legend. He didn’t take advantage of it. We coming to take over the whole game. All you know me for is one thing, winning and making money. Let Big Fat Funky know it ain’t no making up.”
For the new members Welcome to the family , we also thank you for being here. To myself Thank you for never giving up and trusting God , to my wife Thank you for trust me and what God has for us. To @REACT & @Disney I will see you soon 
(@laugh_track_nat) 