Lore’l Addresses Viral Michael B. Jordan Red Carpet Interview: ‘It Gave the Will Smith Thing’

Lore’l wants to make it very clear she was not Michael B. Jordan’s school bully.

The media personality faced backlash last week after she interviewed Jordan for a Creed III red carpet event. Lore’l pointed out that she and the actor/director had attended middle school together in Newark, New Jersey; however, Jordan didn’t seem too thrilled with the reunion.

Jordan began by accusing Lore’l of calling him “corny” in an episode of the Undressing Room podcast. Though the Morning Hustle host immediately denied the allegations, she has continued to receive a considerable amount of heat from Jordan fans, who have accused Lore’l of bullying. The host pushed back on those claims in an interview with TMZ, saying the viral moment has resulted in unwarranted vitriol. 

“The bully narrative is crazy,” she told the outlet. “And the things people are saying to me, like, they hope I get raped and killed and popped in my head … I just think if you were upset ’cause you thought I called him corny, and those are things that you’re rebuttaling with, the crime and punishment … it doesn’t even match up.”

Lore’l has since pointed out that she never called Jordan “corny” during the aforementioned podcast interview, and that it was actually used by Undressing Room co-host Dominique Da Diva. Lore’l did, however, poke fun at Jordan by recalling his reputation in school.

“… And to be honest with you, we teased him all the damn time because his name was Michael Jordan. Let’s start there, and he was no Michael Jordan,” she said on the podcast. “And he also would come to school with a headshot. We lived in Newark, that’s the hood. We would make fun of him like, ‘What you gonna do with your stupid headshot!?’ And now look at him!”

Lore’l told TMZ she never intended to offend anyone with her “lighthearted story,” and said it did not reflect her high school experience. She clarified she was Jordan’s classmate for only one year, as she was constantly transferring schools. 

“So the narrative that I bullied him all throughout high school—this was 7th grade. We were like 12 years old, and everyone made fun of each other,” Lore’l said, adding she would get mocked for her light complexion. “… That was school, you know. That was one year. And, again, I’ve never bullied him. That just sounds so outrageous to me.”

She suggested Jordan may have taken all his frustration out on her, as he’s likely been called “corny” throughout his life.

“It gave the Will Smith thing,” she explained. “You know, he’s probably heard numerous people probably call him this before, because this is not something we haven’t heard. I just never said it. I’ve defended him numerous times, just because of the fact that I did have a rapport with him. And I never said we were best friends … we were cool, and that was just that.”

Lore’l said the interview went “totally left” and she never expected for the world to twist her words. 

“He’s doing his thing out here,” she continued. “I don’t have no ill feelings. But It’s crazy to me when people are like, even when they listen to the audio, ‘Well, you didn’t defend him when [Dominique Da Diva] called him corny.’ And I’m like, ‘And he’s not defending me now when everyone is calling me a bully, ’cause he knows I’m not.”

Check out Lore’l’s full comments above.