Food critic and former MMA fighter Keith Lee hires a bodyguard to protect himself and his family after a wild fan encounter in New Orleans

Keith Lee catapulted the celebrity of obscure restaurants and modified lives with his food reviews on TikTok – his influence became so powerful that it was dubbed the “Keith Lee Effect.”

In just three years as a restaurant reviewer, the former MMA fighter has amassed over 17 million social media followers who swarm around every place he reviews. But his fans aren’t just swarming the restaurant – they’re equally furious with the 27-year-old, with Lee revealing the incident that eventually forced him to hire security.

While most fans ask for a photo or restaurant advice, some people react to the intense after they see their favorite viral food critic live. The turning point got here when the Las Vegas resident was visiting New Orleans, Louisiana, and crazy fans piled into his automotive.

It was an eye-opening moment for Lee, who had at all times traveled only with family and close friends.

“Before I could think, the car was surrounded,” he said Rolling Stone. “People stop at green lights, jump out of their cars in the middle of traffic and run up to us to take pictures, crying and screaming.”

The former featherweight has been open about his struggles with anxiety in the past, so it is smart that he would step up his security.

“I’m not a one that likes conflict. I even have the best security you possibly can have. God is at all times watching over me,” he said, adding that he was ready to jump in if needed.

“My hands are registered too. I’ll beat the hell out of somebody if I even have to.

It wasn’t that way back that Lee was a mixed martial arts fighter nicknamed “Killa” with an 8-5 record in 13 fights. Outside of the fighting cage, Lee’s social anxiety made it difficult to give interviews, so he turned to social media to feel more comfortable in front of the camera, and the remainder is history.

“I used to be very nervous. I used to be sweaty. It would break my whole day if I used to be told I had to do an interview,” Lee revealed. “You can’t be a successful professional fighter and not be good on the mic. So I took it upon myself to start creating TikTok. “I just arrange the camera, began recording myself and pretended there have been 1,000 people watching me and used it as an outlet to look higher on camera,” he said.

Now the viral critic is speaking to tens of millions on the Internet and is bound to cause a stir. Lee’s latest dining outing has already sparked controversy after he posted a negative review of a Michigan restaurant and choked on a bite of food.

This followed his now infamous visit to Atlanta, where he criticized several restaurants, sparking nationwide debate and threats against his family. Earlier this yr, he announced his 2024 “Redemption” tour, which is able to take him back to Atlanta, but this time with a barely larger setting.

“We come in peace. With that in mind, we will be protected. These are people who are with us, who are legal and licensed,” Lee said of the tour, which has now been postponed. “We don’t need to use them, but we’ll. My the family will return home safely, and I mean that with every bone in my body.”

With power comes great responsibility and apparently a few bodyguards.