Following singer and social media personality Addison Rae’s controversial appearance on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, a Black teenage TikToker has come forward to express her disappointment over not being credited for the choreography used in the show.
In an interview with TMZ, 15-year-old Mya Johnson said she was excited to see moves from her dance routine during Rae’s dance segment but was later crushed when the teen said she didn’t receive the credit she felt she deserved.
“I was shocked and I was really happy ’cause it’s like my challenge made it all the way to TV, which is like—that’s crazy.” Johnson said.“But then as I started to think, I was like dang, I wish that could’ve been me and Chris [Cotter] performing our own challenge at his show.”
During the show, Rae was invited to teach Fallon popular internet dances, which included a routine of Johnson’s choreography to Cardi B's song “Up.” Following public outcry from Rae’s appropriation, Fallon and his team later corrected the attribution, according to Black Enterprise.
Cotter and Johnson, both originally from Houston, expressed that they didn’t harbor any animosity toward Rae for the incident and left the possibility open for future collaboration with the 20-year-old white singer.
“Just to clear the air, it’s not nothing much against each other. So I would still be open to do those types of different things. We’re still teenagers,” Johnson said.
“I didn’t want me and Mya to be going up while she was getting brought down,” Cotter said, according to Cinema Blend. “I wanted both of us to be getting lifted up and maybe even collabing in the future and just getting together and going up to the top together.”
TMZ caught up with Rae following the airing of the episode and told a reporter that she supported the artists that inspired her dances, but failed to mention Johnson or any others by name.
“I think they were all credited in the original YouTube posting,” the Lafayette, Louisiana native said. “It’s kinda hard to credit during the show. But they all know that I love them so much, and I support all of them so much. Hopefully, one day we can all meet up and dance together.”
Johnson's mom shared with TMZ that she didn’t feel that Rae’s apology was sincere, but acknowledged that she didn’t think the singer meant any harm.
“I felt like it was not as genuine, but I definitely don’t feel that her going through this whole situation, I don’t think that she had any bad intent,” Candice Rangel, Johnson’s mom, said.
According to Pop Sugar, Johnson said she wanted to bring to light the issue of Black creators’ work being stolen or appropriated.
“This isn’t the first time this has happened, and I don’t want it to continue. I feel like it is very important for us to get our credit because we are very good creators that are very overlooked in what we do,” she shared.
