James Wright found viral fame in 2015 when he literally sang the praises of singer Patti LaBelle’s sweet potato pie. But the LaBelle fan claims he nearly had to hit back at the singer when she denied the successful sales of the pies had anything to do with his video.
He now recalls to BET that he got his “entire life” after coming home and taping himself taste testing the dessert. And while LaBelle posted on Facebook that she was thankful for Wright helping get the pies to over $1 million in sales, she told TMZ that she “did it myself … I was selling them before the guy did his wonderful
.”
“Girl, Patti, why you do that?” says Wright, who has since launched a music and touring career, in the segment “I Went Viral.” “I called my fans … they went on my page and lit Ms. Patti up and I had to make a post like, ‘Do not disrespect Patti.'”
But then, LaBelle called Wright and invited him to her home for Thanksgiving dinner, saying his video was “amazing.”
“Child, when I tell you I almost died and was resurrected all in that same [conversation] … we fell in love immediately,” he recalls of their meeting, adding that she serenaded him with “Happy Birthday” and gifted him with items from Louis Vuitton.
“We actually have a great relationship to this day,” he says.
