The 16-year-old son of Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance pranked them by pretending that Bassett's 'Black Panther' co-star had died.
Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance's 16-year-old son, Slater, is apologizing after participating in a viral TikTok trend. The trend features kids telling their family members that prominent celebrities have died.
On New Year's Eve, Slater tearfully took to his own TikTok account to share a video apology after filming his parents while telling them the false news that Bassett's Black Panther co-star, Michael B. Jordan, had died.
"I would sincerely like to apologize for taking part in such a harmful trend," Slater said in the video, referencing the celebrity death trend that's viral on the social media site. "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."
Slater went on to note that he hopes his mistake can help others monitor their own social media practices.
"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."
In a since-deleted video on TikTok, Slater filmed his parents as he pretended to read off a fake headline, saying, "Did you hear this? 'Michael B. Jordan Dead at 35?'"
Bassett is seen gasping and repeating, "Uh-uh, uh-uh," before grabbing the phone as Vance is heard in the background saying, "Stop it, you playing." Slater is seen grinning before the video cuts out.
Thus far, Bassett, Vance, and Jordan have not publicly commented on the videos.
Bassett and Jordan both appeared in Black Panther and the Marvel superhero film's sequel, Wakanda Forever.
In November 2022, Bassett told ET that she managed to keep Jordan's cameo in the second film a secret by simply not answering questions about it.
"I didn't lie. I just didn't say anything," she said. "Especially to my children who I try never to lie to."
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