Rap icon Flavor Flav was dispirited by the way NBC treated him in a backstage area at the tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center on Wednesday.
The 65-year-old cofounder of the rap group Public Enemy said he was kicked out for no reason.
In a deleted post on X (formerly Twitter), the rapper wrote:
“I feel weird. I was invited to the Rockefeller Tree Lighting tonite and I was escorted to see my boys ... THE BACKSTREET BOYS ... and we were backstage in their dressing room."
"Security came up to me and says @nbc does not want me in this area and I need to leave. At the same time ... their social media woman came up and asked to capture social content."
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer couldn't wrap his head around what caused his ejection from the festivities merely by being a supportive presence.
"What did I ever do to NBC or anyone??," he asked before recalling his positive experience with the network during their coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics. He also served as a hype man and sponsored the US women's water polo team and helped them get to the summer games.
Flav concluded the post with:
"All I ever do is try to spread joy and love ... and I think I did that for NBC at the Olympics.”
Here's a screenshot of the post shared by X user @ArtCandee, who wrote:
"Flavor Flav got kicked out of the tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Plaza tonight for no reason. Shame on NBC."
@FlavorFlav/X
Flav later wrote a follow-up saying that he deleted the tweet but that his spirit remained "broken" over the incident.
Fans were there for him.
NBC got shamed.
Flav posted a video of him wearing his signature oversized clock necklace at the event during the tree lighting countdown.
He appeared to be in good spirits and having a great time.
“Yeah, boyyee!” he exclaimed as the Norway spruce from Stockway, Massachusetts, lit up dramatically in front of 30 Rock.
“Rockefeller Center is lit! Flavooor-Flaaav in the building lighting up Rockefeller Center, baby! Yeah, boyyee!”
As of this writing, NBC has not commented on the incident.
In response to the comments asking whether or not the Backstreet Boys spoke up for Flav, the rapper confirmed that the group did.
The rapper also later shared a statement on X to say the that situation was "poorly handled," writing:
"I posted and quickly deleted something last night. I was embarrassed by some language and actions by security guards throwing their weight around. The situation was poorly handled and I didn’t realize how many people would care."
"I thank all y’all for the love, and this the season to spread love and joy. 🫶"
"My post created headlines that takes away from the incredible performances and everyone’s hard work. Jennifer Hudson CRUSHED it, that’s my girl, and man Kelly Clarkson is one of the GREATEST all time."
"I stayed and watched the Backstreet Boys from side stage just as it started to snow, and I gotta say that Howie D is one of the NICEST guys in the music industry, real good people ya know, and if ya don’t catch us on the front street, catch us on the Backstreet!! 🌲🌟✨"
He also shared a video of himself enjoying one of the Backstreet Boys' performances.
We're glad Flavor Flav was able to find the joy in an unfortunate situation.
Liam McBurney/PA Images via Getty Images
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