Keith Lee has words for The Shade Room after the platform posted of video of him receiving a car as a birthday gift that started drama online.
The Gist:
TikTok food critic Keith Lee has sent a message to The Shade Room about posting his birthday video knowing that it would breed negativity.
Keith issues a warning to folks about not talking about his wife and family.
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In the influencer world, Keith Lee is a name most folks know pretty well. Keith, a former MMA fighter, who is revered for his work in helping restaurants take their businesses to the next level with thorough reviews and advice, is respected in the community. Over the years, Keith has shared videos of reviews on big restaurants to small family restaurants — most notably his review on Kevin Hart’s vegan eatery in Los Angeles.
Although Keith is the go-to food critic on TikTok, the talent is making headlines for his grievances with the popular gossip site The Shade Room. And after the site posted a video of the critic and his spouse on their platform, drama ensued, which caused him to issue a statement. Here’s the scoop.
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Source: Getty Images
Keith Lee addresses The Shade Room for concocting a space for drama based on his birthday post.
In case you’ve been out of the loop, Keith has had enough of The Shade Room. On Oct. 6, 2023, the site posted a video of Keith Lee being surprised with a new car for his birthday by his wife.
During the video, Keith’s eyes were covered with a handkerchief as his wife led him into a car lot. She then took off the handkerchief and Keith realized that he was being gifted with a Maybach car. He got emotional over the kind gesture and shed a few tears.
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While some of the comments were positive, in true Shade Room nature, many of the comments were negative. Several folks commented about Keith being gifted the car by his wife with his own money to other folks making comments about his family.
Once Keith got wind of the post and the drama that grew from it, he wasted no time sharing his thoughts with a TikTok video on Oct. 8, 2023.
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In the video, Keith explained that he has helped countless restaurants across the country, raised over 30,00 for a restaurant owner with his family, and other selfless actions. However, he shared that the platform has only posted him on two occasions — when he was cooking and the video of him crying after receiving the birthday gift.
Keith explained that he was posted with little to no context of him crying. And as a result, The Shade Room community drew their conclusions. Unfortunately, the video has created conversations about his sexuality, questions about who purchased the car he was gifted, and inquiries about what his wife does for a living.
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“Before some people try to gaslight me saying I shouldn’t be surprised that my wife got me a car because she bought the gift with my money, she spent my money, and she’s a golddigger, it’s very demeaning to my wife, and myself,” Keith said. “Pocket-watching is crazy. You don’t know where my wife’s money comes from. My wife is blessed enough to do well.”
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The shade room will forever be trash to me! From the people who run it to the people who can’t wait to comment on some negativity! It’s nasty all around
He went on to share that folks can talk about him, but it becomes a problem when his family is being brought into the conversation. Keith also said that he has “imposter syndrome and doesn’t know how to accept things.”
He continued: “Yes, I’m in touch with my emotions. If that makes me less manly in your opinion, that’s fine. Y’all don’t bother me, just leave my wife alone.”
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Keith also said that he’s not saying that The Shade Room was wrong for posting the video, however, there are various other thighs worthy of being posted. He used the example of him and his wife buying out an ice cream vendor for Hispanic Pride Month and passing it out to people.
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Ronnie actually does a lot promo on her page so I’m sure she has her own money. That’s so stupid to assume that about her and her gift 🤦🏽♀️
Social media users agree with Keith’s sentiments and have been dragging The Shade Room for filth online.
It’s no secret that The Shade Room has become a huge source of viral information in the Black community and beyond. As such, many posts are often home to negative comments from people online.
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That said, some people believe that the platform lives up to its name and posts content that they know would garner negative comments. So, when Keith shared his feelings online, folks followed suit and dragged The Shade Room.
“The Shade Room has been garbage. Keep doing your thing king,” one person shared.
“I’ve deleted The Shade Room for this exact reason,” another person said.
“Bless your family Keith. Unfortunately, people aren’t happy with their own lives and jealous smh. God will continue to use you as a vessel,” another user shared.
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As of now, The Shade Room has not responded to Keith’s sentiments on TikTok.
An NFL tailgater found a brilliant way to kill two birds with one stone: get the cost of his game day tickets covered while enjoying some beers.
Source: TikTok | @ronnydoitche
Tailgating is about as time-honored a tradition as stanning for K-Pop groups on Twitter by doxxing anyone who says anything bad about your favorite 17-woman group.
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And while you could pretty much tailgate anywhere you can park a car and bust out a cooler of drinks and a portable grill, the practice is often most closely associated with NFL fans who vehemently debate whether or not Tom Brady would be able to survive under the rule set that other greats like Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw among many others.
That’s usually what one thinks of when tailgating: a group of fans pre-gaming while rocking their favorite jerseys and day drinking, presumably in a bid to make the game more enjoyable while they scar their vocal cords as they say things about the referees who probably would’ve gotten them banned from social media.
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What one doesn’t consider, is how fans can, before the game, earn a few bucks while engaging in some friendly drinking competitions with their fellow pigskin lovers.
But that’s exactly what this industrious fan did.
Source: TikTok | @ronnydoitche
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Ronny Doitche (@ronnydoitche) has posted several TikTok clips that demonstrate his beer chugging prowess, whether it’s rocking crazy-looking, quad-bottle holders to help him slam multiple Miller High Lifes at the same time, or sitting outside of a McDonald’s and pouring out and pounding down a Grimace Shake Jager Bomb, the man sure knows how to get creative with his unique skill.
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In what is perhaps the most brilliant display of mixing business with pleasure when it comes to drinking beer in a stadium parking lot before a football game, Ronny set up a table with a cooler and multiple plastic cups and decided to record himself absolutely smashing folks who thought they could out chug the quick-beer-drinking maven.
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Source: TikTok | @ronnydoitche
In a clip that’s garnered over 18.7 million views, Ronny can be seen sitting behind this table. His face: stoic, presumably fixated on the task at hand: to take as many $20 bills from unsuspecting NFL game attendees as possible.
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A sign on the table reads: “$100 to your $20 I can chug a Friday beer faster than you change my mind.”
An unsuspecting participant approaches Ronny at the table and puts $20 into his jar as he says, “Go Patriots.”
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The two men cheers and they begin to chug: Ronny’s is gone in an instant as the challenger is still drinking from his own cup.
Source: TikTok | @ronnydoitche
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Another NFL fan tries his luck and Ronny seemingly gives him a head start, but he summarily loses, earning Ronny another $20 in the process. The third guy puts up a better fight, but ultimately falls to Ronny.
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Source: TikTok | @ronnydoitche
While the video shows a fourth competitor, someone off camera remarks that Ronny was already “10 beers deep” at this point, signifying he’s already managed to earn $200 from his tailgating venture. This individual watches the chug champ best him, and doesn’t even bother to attempt to chug any longer.
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Source: TikTok | @ronnydoitche
No matter who steps up to test their mettle against Ronny, they can’t seem to match his speed, but everyone, to their credit, takes it well. By the end of it, according to a caption he appended to his post, he was $440 richer, which, depending on the tickets he bought for the game, should more than cover the cost of his ticket and the beers he brought to the parking lot.
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Source: TikTok | @ronnydoitche
TikTokers who bore witness to Ronny’s chugging excellence seemed just as impressed as everyone else watching on in the video. Like this person who wrote: “It seemed like he just kept getting faster each time lol I could never do that”
While another was just impressed with his hustle: “Dudes making money by drinking beer. I need this talent lol”
In trying to explain the economic divide between Boomers and younger generations, one man figures out that the latter doesn’t benefit from work.
It feels like younger generations hear certain phrases from Boomers all the time about our work ethic, lifestyle, and expectations. Most of all, they call us “lazy” and say that we don’t want to work anymore. In reality, many of us have been working since we were teenagers and are still holding down challenging jobs.
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These conversations can be especially tricky during the holidays when older family members blame us for any financial shortcomings. “At your age, I had already bought my second home and had a child,” they might say. Luckily, comedian Brendon Lemon was able to make the logical argument on TikTok as to why younger generations don’t actually benefit from work.
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Source: Getty Images
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Comedian Brendon Lemon figured out why younger generations don’t want to work — there’s no benefit.
When talking to his Boomer dad and uncles, Brendon made a point about the difference in generations and our expectations. “Why do people expect work to be good?” Brendon’s Boomer relatives tell him. “It’s not supposed to be. It’s not supposed to be comfortable, that’s why you call it work. We didn’t expect it to be comfortable, we labored in uncomfortable situations, and we did it in order to make a living. We didn’t expect luxuries. You guys expect luxuries.”
What luxuries do millennials and Gen Z expect? Sure, offices lure us in with nice coffee machines, ping pong tables, and in-office bars, but no one is asking for that. Those are all just distractions from low pay and even lower growth opportunities. Maybe if the office is nice, we won’t want to leave a job that takes us for granted as quickly. But at the end of the day, all people really want is enough money and time to have a life outside of work.
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“Who’s telling them that we want luxury?” Brendon asks. “And that for some reason we’re unwilling to put up with uncomfortable situations? All of us worked through college! I don’t know a single person who didn’t have a job, who didn’t work almost full-time all the way through college, even though they were going to college full-time.”
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“Secondly, most of us are just asking for healthcare and affordable housing. I don’t understand where the concept of luxury is coming from. A place to sleep and have some money to buy food and then maybe go out every once in a while is most of what people are asking for. And not to be terrified of future and retirement and dying poor and lonely.”
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But an emotional argument can only take us so far. When Brendon gets into actual statistics, it’s terrifying what we can see and how the future looks for future generations. Since 2000, there has been 62.34 percent inflation total.
For example, something that would have cost $5.38 in 2000 now costs at least $8.73. The CPI (Consumer Price Index) has increased by 500 percent since 1970, and college tuition has increased by 1,550 percent. But there has only been a 10 percent increase in wages. That’s a recipe for disaster!
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Not only that, but Brendon added the data about how Baby Boomers have blocked career progression and wage increases for younger generations by not retiring. All of this data shows one very important fact — it isn’t that millennials and Gen Z don’t want to work. It’s that working isn’t worth it anymore. Because even if we do everything our parents did, we won’t be able to afford even half the life they wanted for us.
One person even commented that they make more than their parents combined, who owned three houses, and they can’t even afford to buy one house. Others pointed out that the basic necessities of internet, cell phones, and a place to live are suddenly being equated with “luxuries.”
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Someone else added that not only does work not benefit us, but it also doesn’t seem to benefit society. Most of the high-paying jobs are for large corporations who take advantage of the Earth’s natural resources and lower-rung employees, all while benefiting one rich guy at the top who donates to campaigns we disagree with.
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Millennials have been working for at least a decade, if not longer. They would know by now if work was worth it, but if anything, many of our lives have gotten harder instead of easier.
Millennials had the technology to warn Gen Z, and they’re now learning the same thing and how to make money through other avenues, such as NFTs and influencer marketing, which may not seem like “work” to Boomers.
So yes, the Boomers are right, to a degree. We don’t want to work, because what’s the point?
It’s kind of hard to imagine Boomers struggling financially when they have things like three cars and one airplane parked in their driveway.
I think about money a lot. I’m definitely someone who has had to check their bank account before making any significant purchases. By the way in this scenario, significant can be anything from dinner to a concert ticket. There has rarely been a time in my life when I haven’t mostly lived paycheck-to-paycheck. Let’s just say, I know how to budget and cut a corner. My corners have been so cut I am living in a circle, baby!
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My situation has often been exacerbated by the fact that my mother, who is a well-meaning and supportive member of the Boomer generation, doesn’t always understand my financial struggles. Despite the fact that she is now retired and living on a fixed income, a luxury I doubt I will ever see, she often thinks I’ve spent money incorrectly. This is why I understand the frustration felt by one TikToker who doesn’t need advice from Boomers when some of them have planes parked in their driveways.
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Despite what you think, it’s not OK, Boomers.
Paige, who goes by @sheisapaigeturner on TikTok, is tired of explaining the ridiculous cost of living to a generation who kind of had a hand in making things bad. It seems as if any time Paige dares to express her concern over the astronomical price of childcare, some Boomer swoops in and demands she needs to “learn how to live within her means.”
It’s funny what kind of advice a person will give when they don’t have all the information. For example, if I wasn’t in possession of Paige’s entire financial portfolio I wouldn’t tell her that she’s spending her money incorrectly.
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On a personal note, I do see that my mother is usually out of the loop because she doesn’t live almost exclusively online like I do. If or when the television is on, it’s turned to HGTV or something on a streaming service she’s watching at the moment. She has Facebook and never logs on. All this to say, I kind of get when Boomers have no idea what is happening outside of their own world.
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Still, if you don’t know what’s happening then please don’t give unsolicited advice. And don’t filter someone else’s experiences through your own. This is the same kind of thinking that gets us the “I had to pay for college, so should you” crown when it comes to student loan forgiveness.
Paige then pulls from her own life to show just how out of touch Boomers are. Looking around her neighborhood, which she says is mostly members of that generation, Paige is able to deduce that they might not be on the same rung of the financial ladder.
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The house across the street from Paige has three cars in the driveway, which isn’t so bad until she explains only two people live there. Other than Jay Leno, who has an extra car? One of the cars is a collector’s item. When someone casually collects something I use for utilitarian purposes, that’s how I know they have money.
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That’s not the craziest part of this driveway. There is also an airplane in the driveway which begs the question, does Paige live across the street from John Travolta? Either that’s a big driveway or a very small plane.
Paige isn’t asking for a whole airplane at her house, she is merely on the hunt for affordable daycare. Gosh, maybe the neighbors can open up a facility in the plane. That would kill two birds with one stone.
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In what feels like some sort of prank, Paige then moves onto the house next to the plane place. They have four cars and a boat. I’m now thinking she must live by some sort of dealership.
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I’m going to say one thing in defense of these people. Unless I missed something, Paige is responding to other people who have told her to “stop being so materialistic.” A different group of Boomers have told Paige to curb her spending enthusiasm.
We have no idea who they are and how they reached such great heights, one of them literally. At the end of the day this is a systemic issue. Sadly we can’t control where we are or how we got here. We can only control, honestly nothing. Things are bleak!
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