Michael B. Jordan’s Masterclass On Dealing With Haters: From ‘Corny’ Childhood Bullies To ‘CREED 3’

Michael B. Jordan gave a masterclass on how to deal with childhood bullies after confronting one of his own on the red carpet recently. The CREED III star/director was quick to call out a red carpet reporter who bullied him when they were in high school together. Watch their interaction, plus the advice he has for anyone else who has had to deal with dream killers inside…

Following a recent confrontation on the red carpet with one of his own bullies, Michael B. Jordan gave a masterclass on how to handle bullies in childhood. He was quick to call out a red carpet reporter who had harassed him in high school.

At the HBC screening of CREED III in Atlanta, Michael B. Jordan was quick to put “Morning Hustle Show” host Lore’l, who revealed that they were former classmates in New Jersey and congratulated Jordan on the new film, on blast. The CREED III actor/director referred to a podcast where he was called “corny” after she mentioned they went to high school together.

”We know each other. We go way back all the way to Chad Science [Academy] in Newark [New Jersey],” Lore’l said.

”Oh yeah, the corny kid, right?” MBJ responded.

”[Laughs] I did not say that. Misquoted for sure,” she responded.

”Nah, I heard it,” he said.

“No you did not hear me say that! I said we used to make fun of the name,” she continued, before changing the subject. “But yeah, he is obviously killing things out here.”

She then concluded the interview by telling MBJ, “Well, you’re not corny anymore.”

Watch their interaction below:

It turns out, MBJ was referring to comments Lore’l made on the “Undressing Room” podcast with her co-hosts Eva Marcille and Dominique da Diva. They were talking about his previous relationship with Lori Harvey, and Dominique referred to the actor as “a nice, corny guy,” to which Lore’l agreed.

During the podcast, Lore’l said, “You know what’s so crazy? I went to school with Michael B. Jordan at a point in life,” she said. “… 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. And he also would come to school with a headshot. We lived in Newark, that’s the hood. We would make fun of him like, ‘What you gonna do with your stupid headshot!?’ And now look at him!”

A few days later, Complex magazine caught the actor on the carpet at the L.A. premiere of CREED III, where he was asked what advice he would give someone who is being bullied about their dreams. As expected, he gave a perfect response.

“Just stay focused,” he said. “Just stay locked in. Follow your heart. Try to block out the noise and distractions as much as possible and run your race. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Just keep going.”

Watch below:

And that’s how you shut down a childhood bully.

MBJ’s red carpet reunion with Lore’l caught the attention of the ladies on “The View.” See their takes below:

In other news…

The Hollywood heartthrob stripped down to his underwear for Calvin Klein’s new spring 2023 campaign.

And….yeah. You see it.

Whew.

MBJ has expressed his desire to continue expanding the CREED movie franchise. The actor, who makes his directorial debut with CREED III, has plans to take the Rocky spin-off series even further, according to his interview with Deadline at the movie’s Hollywood premiere. MBJ, who stars as Adonis ‘Donnie’ Creed, stated, “building the ‘Creed’ universe is something that I’m really excited about.”

During the premiere event, the Just Mercy actor also gave an emotional speech, thanking the cast for their support during his directorial debut.

“This journey over the last three years has been incredible. Never thought I could do what y’all say I did. I couldn’t have done that without the people that I just named in this incredible, incredible cast. It’s a team effort. Every day I tried to show up and I wanted to impress them. I wanted to let them know that I wasn’t doing it just to do the job. And finding the truth within the ‘Creed’ family was really, really important to us,” he said.

”So, thank you, guys, so much for having my back every step of the way, even when it’s difficult,” he concluded.

In more good news, the Black Panther star will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, joining a long list of honored celebrities. He’s set to receive the 2,751st star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category of Motion Pictures.

The ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, March 1st, and will take place in front of Funko Hollywood on Hollywood Boulevard.

The event will be hosted by Lupita Sanchez Cornejo, Chair of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Guest speakers for the event include Jonathan Majors (who stars in ‘Creed III’ as the boxer’s nemesis Damian ‘Dame’ Anderson), and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, among others. Congrats MBJ!

He did say 2023 was his year!

CREED III hits theaters this Friday, March 3rd.

Photo: taniavolobueva/Shutterstock