Keith Lee resorted to TikTok to improve his interview skills, which, in turn, led to his career as a food reviewer.
The Detroit native was recently profiled by Rolling Stone, where he recalled a myriad of experiences following his rise to the top of social media with his informative takes on food. He explained a moment when his celebrity was recognized, which led him to hire security after a trip to New Orleans, Louisiana.
“Before I could think, the car was surrounded,” Lee said. “People are stopping at green lights and jumping out of the car in the middle of traffic and running up to us to take pictures and crying and screaming.” Lee had refused to hire extra security to travel with him before that jarring moment—he used to travel just with his family entourage—but now he has a hired security guard.
“I am not a person who likes conflict. I got the biggest security that you could possibly have. God is always watching over me,” However, Lee doesn't want anyone to get it twisted, adding, “My hands are registered, too. I’ll beat the hell out of somebody if I have to.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Lee recalled his early MMA career and the need for public speaking skills to excel in professional interviews. While Lee was formerly under a contract with Bellator MMA, speaking on camera put him to the test, so the 27-year-old decided to practice using one of the biggest social media tools.
"I was so nervous. I was sweaty. It would mess up my entire day just to hear that I had to do an interview," Lee told the publication. "You can’t be a super-successful professional fighter and not be good on the mic. So I took it upon myself to start doing TikTok. I just set up the camera, and I started recording myself and pretended that it was 1,000 people watching me and I would use that as an outlet to get better in front of the camera."
The effort paid off: Lee now speaks to an audience of 16.3 million on his official TikTok, giving food reviews of popular and little-known food establishments. During a decline in his fighting career, caused by a loss in which his Bellator contract was revoked, Lee was jobless but leaned on TikTok while he was in a period of depression.
"I’m in the bed in a fetal position, and my wife is standing over me and telling me everything’s gonna be OK,” he said. “Maybe like a week later, I pulled myself out. I sat in the car. And I just started recording, and I was like, ‘No matter what it is that is supposed to happen, it’s gonna happen. And I’m here for the ride. I’m not OK now, but I will be.’"
In a chat last December with Complex's Speedy Morman, Lee talked about what it took to make it online, even discussing having Cardi B as a fan before the two would link up for burgers and noodles.
