I could’ve told you this a long time ago: A viral TikTok trend featuring kids telling their family members that celebrities have died wasn’t a bandwagon to jump on.
Unfortunately, Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance’s 16-year-old son Slater joined in on the prank — and now he’s issued an apology for his participation.
“I would sincerely like to apologize for taking part in such a harmful trend,” he said.
“I apologize to Michael B. Jordan’s entire family, extended family, and him directly, as he is an idol of mine.”
“Taking part in a trend like this is completely disrespectful. I don’t wish any bad ramifications of this on his family nor my parents, as they deserve none of the backlash. I know this was a mistake.”
In a now-deleted video on TikTok, Slater filmed Angela and Courtney reacting to him reading a fake news story, saying, “Did you hear this? Michael B. Jordan dead at 35?”
Angela was immediately distraught, while Courtney was skeptical. The joke is extremely uncomfortable, considering Angela’s relationship with friend and Black Panther costar Chadwick Boseman, who died in 2020.
Slater believes owning up to his mistake could prevent others from continuing harmful trends. “I hope this can be a teaching lesson to anyone out there who also uses social media as a tool and a source of entertainment to truly understand that your actions can have consequences that extend beyond you,” he said.
“I apologize for any hurt that my actions may have caused Mr. Jordan or my parents or anyone else who could have been involved in this. And I am truly, truly and sincerely sorry.”
Angela, Courtney, or Michael B. Jordan have not officially commented on the videos. But, as I said before, this is not the trend to follow.
