Running into someone who used to tease you in school isn’t exactly on most people’s bucket lists.
While you might imagine feeling smug and showing off how far you’ve come, the reality is usually just plain awkward.
Even for Hollywood star Michael B. Jordan, that was the case when he confronted a reporter on the red carpet over comments she made about him back in their school days.
Since those teenage years, Jordan, who turns 38 this Sunday (February 9), has built an impressive career, starring as Wallace in HBO’s The Wire and taking on major roles in Fantastic Four, Black Panther, and Creed.
While on the red carpet for the Creed III premiere, Michael B. Jordan ran into Lore’l, host of The Morning Hustle Show, who just so happened to be a former classmate from his school in New Jersey.
Seizing the moment, Jordan took the opportunity to remind her of some past comments she had made about him.
“I was the corny kid, right?” Jordan quipped, catching Lore’l off guard.
She quickly tried to defend herself, saying, “I did not say that! I was misquoted for sure!”
But Jordan wasn’t letting it slide, firmly replying, “I heard it.”
He was referring to a comment Lore’l had made during a 2021 episode of the Undressing Room podcast, where she recalled their school days together.
“You know what’s so crazy? I went to school with Michael B. Jordan at a point in life,” she had said.
Lore’l admitted that back in school, she and others used to tease Jordan relentlessly.
“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 recalled on the Undressing Room podcast.
She also mentioned that Jordan would bring a headshot to school, which classmates found amusing.
“He also would come to school with a headshot. We lived in Newark, that’s the hood,” she said, adding that others would mock him, questioning what he planned to do with his “stupid headshot.”
But she acknowledged how far he had come, saying, “And now look at him… he is obviously killing things out there.”
On the red carpet, Lore’l tried to smooth things over by telling Jordan, “Well, you’re not corny anymore.”
However, Jordan didn’t acknowledge the comment and simply moved on, leaving fans firmly in his corner.
One X user wrote, “You called him corny. Now you gotta call him actor, director, superstar, Hollywood mogul. Living legend. He took that s**t personally.”
Another added, “You called him corny, but you’re the one interviewing him, not the other way around. I’m glad MBJ got the last laugh.”
