*Jason Lee is moving into a brand new chapter — and this time, BET is behind him.
The Hollywood Unlocked founder is launching “The Jason Lee Present” as a part of BET’s new Creator Studio initiative, marking a full-circle second after the community as soon as handed on him.
“They simply thought I wasn’t prepared… so I went and did the work,” Lee mentioned in an interview with EURweb’s Jazmyn Summers.
Now, he’s not simply getting a shot — he’s serving to lead a platform designed to raise a brand new era of culture-driving creators.
Radio/TV persona Jazmyn Summers caught up with Lee for EURweb. He was as unfiltered as ever, joking concerning the digital camera catching him off guard.
“I’m letting you realize proper now I look so loopy in the present day as a result of I didn’t know this was on digital camera.”
That honesty is a part of the method that turned his platform Hollywood Unlocked from a startup hustle right into a multimillion-dollar Black-owned media model and positioned him because the marquee companion for BET’s new Creator Studio initiative, a devoted house the place culture-forward creators come to amplify their content material with the facility of the BET model behind them. The Jason Lee Present will function the marquee sequence, set to launch Wednesday, April 8 on BET.com and BET’s official YouTube channel.
From Zero Followers to BET
Lee’s journey didn’t begin with company backing or a community deal. It began with grind.
“I began Hollywood Unlocked in 2015… I used to be making no cash. I used to be thugging it out from zero followers to the place I’m now.”
That climb makes his new partnership with BET really feel much less like a deal and extra like a full-circle second. Years in the past, he approached the community alongside Queen Latifah hoping for a shot.
“They simply thought I wasn’t prepared… so I went and did the work.”
Now he returns not simply with a present, however as half of a bigger mission to open doorways for different Black creators.
“The truth that they’re launching a creator studio to offer different creators alternatives… why not?”
His new weekly sequence, The Jason Lee Present, launches April 8 and guarantees what Lee does finest: uncooked conversations, huge personalities, and the questions different interviewers are afraid to ask.
The Interviews Everyone Talks About
Lee has constructed a popularity for conversations that vary from political figures like Kamala Harris to cultural powerhouses like Cardi B, proving his platform can transfer simply between politics, leisure and all the pieces in between.
However for Lee, the largest shock isn’t what occurs on digital camera, it’s what occurs earlier than and after.
“What surprises me essentially the most is how scared persons are earlier than they arrive on. However then once they depart, they’re like, ‘That is the most effective interview I ever had.’”
He says his philosophy is straightforward: nothing is off limits.
“One of many guidelines that now we have at our present is we don’t let folks inform us what we are able to’t ask. We wish to ask the issues that folks wish to know.”
And his visitor want checklist stays bold.
“Beyonce, in the event you on the market… I’ve informed Rihanna, she acquired to drag up.”
Lee says a few of his most memorable conversations come from the personalities that carry huge vitality, together with repeat visitor Jennifer Lewis.
“Jennifer Lewis is all the time a enjoyable time. I’ve had her on twice.”
However even Lee has moments the place he turns into the fan. He laughed remembering his interplay with Jill Scott.
“One time I met Jill and I used to be such a fan… I used to be similar to, ‘Oh my God, I’m a giant fan.’”
What occurred subsequent caught him off guard.
“She gave me her quantity. I texted her a couple of instances, however I don’t suppose she knew I used to be homosexual.”
Finally he needed to clear issues up.
“I believe she thought I wasn’t all in favour of her as a result of I wasn’t hitting on her… I used to be like, ‘Jill, I don’t suppose we on the identical web page.’”
Lee says his visitor checklist displays the broad web his present casts, pointing to conversations with everybody from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to Don Lemon, and viral personalities like Blueface, Chrisean Rock, Amber Rose and Ray J.
“We interview all people from the uttermost to the guttermost.”
Courting Exhaustion Is Actual
Success could open doorways professionally, however Lee admits it will probably complicate private relationships.
“I do have courting exhaustion… I’m simply drained with the video games. I’m simply too previous, too grown, too busy… to be coping with the video games that folks play today.”
Nonetheless, he hasn’t closed the door utterly.
“They will slide in my DM… I’m all the time open.”
However there are guidelines. Deliver up his superstar pals too shortly and the date could also be over earlier than dessert.
“When you carry up Cardi B or Rihanna… on the primary date, we most likely ain’t going to speak no extra.”
Like many public figures, he admits it’s arduous to inform who’s real.
Trauma, Loss and the Drive to Win
Behind the headlines is a narrative formed by loss, together with the loss of life of his brother, one thing he says fuels his ambition.
“I’ve taken all of my trials, tribulations… and turned it into issues to drive my ambition.”
Lee describes his persona by way of what could be his most revealing metaphor, a battle between his current self and the child he as soon as was.
“Little Jason is that little badass child who desires to burn the world down day-after-day… Jason is driving the automotive… after which little Jason’s in his automotive seat… attempting to seize the wheel.”
That internal fireplace, he says, simply has higher path now.
“I’m nonetheless Jason. I’m only a extra polished… Jason. I don’t simply burn the world down and I do know when to gentle the match.”
Vice Mayor Lee: Politics With Goal
Away from media, Lee now serves as Vice Mayor of Stockton, bringing his lived experiences into public service.
“What can I do in my capability as Jason Lee, the entrepreneur… the media particular person… the elected official… the philanthropist?”
His work has included violence prevention initiatives and neighborhood packages, together with partnerships with figures like Tyler Perry to help households and youth packages.
However Lee says being a Black, overtly homosexual official in a smaller metropolis comes with its personal challenges.
“I’m Black and I’m homosexual and I’m unapologetic about all the pieces that I say and do.”
And he makes it clear the title didn’t make him.
“This seat didn’t create Jason Lee. I created the seat.”
No Political Ladder … For Now
Regardless of his rising affect, Lee says he’s not chasing greater workplace in the meanwhile.
“This wasn’t a profession shift for me. It was one thing that I felt wanted to occur proper now.”
Governor? Mayor? He isn’t planning that far forward.
“I don’t don’t have any card stacked to turning into the governor. Not proper now.”
Pet Peeves, Sugar Cravings and Staying Human
Even with all the pieces on his plate, Lee says he’s nonetheless engaged on himself. His largest vice proper now?
“I finished consuming sugar for some time, however now I’m simply again to consuming sugar.”
His largest annoyance?
“I despise people who find themselves late… and I don’t like individuals who don’t make an effort.”
Contemplate that truthful warning to anybody planning to check these DMs.
Nonetheless Writing His Story
Whether or not he’s constructing platforms, difficult energy constructions, or navigating the sophisticated world of relationships, Lee appears comfy residing in a number of worlds without delay.
Media boss. Politician. Cultural commentator. Survivor.
Or as he places it finest, life is solely:
“An experiment of religion over worry… and day-after-day is nearly taking one step ahead.”
And if his observe document says something, Jason Lee isn’t simply taking steps.
He’s constructing total roads.
Catch the complete convo within the video above
Article by Jazmyn Summers. You possibly can hear Jazmyn each morning on “Jazmyn within the Morning “on Sirius XM Channel 362 Grown Folks Jamz. Subscribe to Jazmyn Summers’ YouTube. Comply with her on Fb and Instagram.
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MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Jason Lee’s Nonprofit Wins $12.4M for Stockton Youth Middle
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