TikToker Keith Lee has shut down racist allegations made by UFC fighter Sean Strickland, claiming the conversation the two shared was spun to create a false narrative.
Keith Lee, known as ‘keith_lee125’ on TikTok, is a 27-year-old professional fighter turned food reviewer who helps small businesses turn their fortune around.
His change in career started after Lee decided to hone his speaking skills after the 2020 pandemic, with his TikTok account subsequently blowing up. Currently boasting 13.5 million followers on the platform, Lee has since gone on to collaborate with MrBeast and Kevin Hart.
But Lee’s success almost came to a standstill when UFC fighter Sean Strickland claimed the creator was racist, resulting in mass backlash and negative comments. Now, after great consideration on whether to address the allegations, Lee has spoken out and clapped back at Strickland’s accusations.
The drama started after the UFC fighter claimed he hated “Kevin Lee’s brother” while on an episode of his podcast. Strickland alleged that during a discussion at the gym, Lee came up to him and “tried to talk to [Strickland] about race”.
According to Strickland, after some back and forth the conversation became heated with Lee apparently claiming, “I don’t like white people.”
Now Lee is clapping back in a new TikTok addressing the claims Strickland made, stating “Yes, me and Sean had a conversation. No, this conversation didn’t go anything how he depicted it.”
Lee went on to explain that he joined in on Strickland’s conversation with two other mutual friends and that the topic was already about race, in a discussion that started off as “intelligent” and “productive.”
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However, things took a turn after Strickland said, “Yo, Lee, I’m not racist. I’ve f***** more black women than you have, bro. How am I racist?” A statement Strickland himself admitted to. While Strickland claimed he was being ‘“funny,” Lee said he didn’t find the humor in the UFC fighter’s comments.
“He then spun my words into saying [I don’t like white people],” Lee said. “Never at one point did I say I don’t like anybody [sic]. I simply disagreed with what he said and, instead of fighting ignorance with ignorance, I said ‘No, I’m happily married with children and I’m very proud of the family that God has allowed me to build.’”
Strickland tweeted about Lee’s response, stating, “Bro you eat Cheetos for a living…. relax ‘I’m married to a beautiful black woman’ yes and right before that you said ‘naa I don’t like white people.’ Again it doesn’t f****** matter… [laughing my ass off] Keep eating your sushi. [sic]”
Lee admits he considered not responding to the allegations made against him, but that they were beginning to affect his family and livelihood. He even went on to call the two friends who had been present for the conversation, both of which denied Strickland’s claims.
“This goes completely against what I stand on as a person [sic],” Lee said. “My actions speak louder than my words, and I’ve been blessed enough to be in a position to be a marketing platform for business and business owners of all races.”
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