TikTok video of diner offended by hibachi chef’s misunderstood Kobe Bryant reference goes viral
March 7, 2022
A TikTok of a Japanese steakhouse customer who did not understand a hibachi chef’s “Black Mamba” reference recently went viral when she attempted to defend the late Kobe Bryant.
Yesterday, Jeremy Flood uploaded to his TikTok page a video of the “awkward” encounter between the customer sitting next to him and a hibachi chef at Hiro Japanese Steakhouse in Wilmington, North Carolina.
“I believe the chef’s name is BJ,” Flood told NextShark. “I started off by recording the food being cooked, and then he encouraged me to record him, because he was going to put on a show and have lots to say for everyone on the internet.”
In the video, the chef can be seen making a successful trick shot tossing a steel container into a basket behind him before shouting out, “Kobe! One time for the Black Mamba, man! R.I.P.”
“You gotta bring a black man into this?” responded the customer next to Flood, who did not appear to understand the reference to the late NBA legend’s nickname and asked the chef to “leave him alone.”
The chef then attempted to explain that he was not insulting Bryant before Flood, who is also Black, chimed in to say he understood the chef’s reference and that “Black Mamba” was famously Bryant’s nickname.
“Some of his jokes made the lady sitting next to me unhappy, but he was a good sport about it, and he didn’t let it ruin everyone else’s vibe,” Flood said.
Flood only recently shared the footage recorded back in December to his TikTok account on March 6, and it has since garnered over 21 million views and more than 3 million likes, as of this writing.
He also uploaded three more videos of the hibachi chef to his TikTok, one of which shows “BJ” sharing a drawing he did of Kobe and Gigi Bryant before delivering more jokes to lighten the mood around the dinner table.
“At the end of the night, everyone at the table was laughing and having a good time,” Flood added.
Many viewers commented on the positive energy of the chef and the woman’s ignorance.
“She really thought she did something 😂,” one viewer wrote.
“I love how he didn’t counter attack but clarified and kept the vibe positive,” another user commented.
“I feel bad that he had to explain himself, it’s always awkward,” one user said. “Thank you for sticking on his side.”
“He was the best chef we had there!” another TikTok user shared. “He’s also a tattoo artist and makes the whole experience really entertaining and funny.”
Featured Images via @bankrollll704
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