NFL legend and Hall of Famer Terrell Owens joins ‘The Jason Lee Show,’ where he bares it all: from spilling his own tea to getting emotional while talking about grief. As he speaks with host Jason Lee, T.O. talks about racism in the NFL, Colin Kaepernick kneeling, and JAY-Z‘s partnership that followed. T.O. also details his beef with sports commentator Stephen A. Smith and talks about his dating rumors and preferences.
As the interview begins, Terrell Owens reflected on his upbringing in Alabama, including the demographics of where he grew up, being surrounded by only Black and white people, no Latin/Hispanic, Asian communities, etc.
He also spoke about being raised by his grandma, how his mother gave birth to him around 16/17, and how he didn’t know his dad until he was a pre-teen. T.O. also mentioned that when he went on Iyanla Vanzant‘s ‘Iyanla, Fix My Life,’ that was the first time he saw his mother and father sitting in the same room together.
Continuing to speak on his upbringing in Alabama, T.O. shared his experience with racism in his hometown, specifically recounting a story about a white father and son weaponizing the n-word against him once he made the NFL.
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T.O. also revealed that ahead of making the league he was never really that obsessed with football, and that he was more so interested in basketball. He noted that he played both sports before making the league, but he never saw the NFL begin in his future, if it were up to him he would have stuck with basketball and pushed for the NBA.
Hopping into his career and thoughts about issues within the NFL, T.O. spoke on his issues with sports commentator Skip Bayless and also shared his thoughts on Colin Kaepernick kneeling at games amid the Black Lives Matter movement. He shared that he never thought his kneeling would blow up so negatively as it did.
T.O. noted that although he doesn’t discourage people from their dreams, he however admitted that Kaepernick’s chances of seeing any real change are “very, very slim.” T.O. also spoke on rapper-turned-social-justice-fighter JAY-Z supporting the NFL and partnering with the league to demand change on the heels of Kaepernick kneeling.
T.O. essentially admitted that he doesn’t really support JAY-Z in the NFL, explaining that his partnership with the league doesn’t bring any real solution to the problem of racism in the NFL. He also answered the question of why there aren’t any Black owners in the NFL. He claimed that it is due to the system that sees current owners, who are predominately white, having to vote for a new owner.
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Continuing to speak on racism in the NFL, T.O. also spoke on his personal experiences with being targeted and also made an example of, specifically when it came to his Hall of Fame snubs and eventual induction. T.O. said that the league and other officials made him wait three times due to his attitude.
So when he was finally inducted, he did not feel validated as a phenomenal football player and instead opted against going to the league’s ceremony. Instead, he created his own, and speaking on it, he said he felt disrespected by the NFL and was not going to let them dictate his place in history.
T.O. also spoke on his beef with Stephen A. Smith and detailed exactly how things began and where it all went wrong between the two. T.O. also recalled his time working with former President Donald Trump on his show ‘Celebrity Apprentice,’ and explained how he got fired over former basketball star Charles Barkley.
RELATED: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Wishes ‘We Had Listened Earlier’ To Colin Kaepernick
Later in the show, Terrell Owens talked about his friendship with Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and how they’ve gone viral several times over some controversial claims. Jumping into his dating rumors, T.O. revealed how many women he has slept with in one day and what type of woman he is currently looking for.
He also reflected on his past relationships and rumors of dating actresses Sanaa Lathan, Vivica A. Fox, and Kenya Moore. There were also rumors about women’s basketball legend Lisa Leslie. T.O. addressed it all, including the rumors that he only prefers to date white women. T.O. broke down how the claims came to be and clarified that the rumors weren’t true.
Towards the end of the interview, T.O. got emotional and vulnerable as he spoke on the challenges of losing two family members following this year’s Thanksgiving holiday. He spoke about losing his cousin he grew up with to a drunk driving incident, noting how all of his recent grief has forever changed him.
Instead of preparing to celebrate his big 50th birthday this year, he canceled his party plans to grieve properly and finalize his cousin’s homegoing.
Terrell Owens then transitioned into recalling his experience with a “Karen,” who ended up getting charged, and he also spoke on his future with the NFL. T.O. admitted that he’s not interested in going back to the league as a football player, but would go back in another position to help a team get to the Super Bowl.
He also gave an update on his legacy being continued with his son Terique Owens. Outside of that, T.O. is coming out with a skincare line and teased a documentary due out in late 2024, which was recently green-lit by Amazon.
Then, during the games portion of Terrell Owens on ‘The Jason Lee Show,’ he shared whether he would smash or pass on: Bre Tiesi, Justina Valentine, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Cassie, Shakira, Mariah Carey, Sexyy Red, Brittany Renner, Jeannie Mai, Jada Pinkett Smith, and more.
#Socialites, be sure to check out the full episode below, then leave us your thoughts in a comment after!