Tyrese is responsible for one of the most viral clips in social media history. His unforgettable crying video has made its way around the internet since 2017, and the actor is now poking fun at his tear-filled antic.
The video was a public breakdown that Gibson recorded of himself while he was in the thick of a custody battle with his first wife Norma Gibson over their daughter Shayla. The dramatic rant became a social media staple when he yelled, “What more do you want from me?”
Aside from use in the text conversations and Twitter threads of millions, the crying video has haunted the multi-hyphenate through any issue he has publicly addressed.
During a recent interview with Tammi Mac, he addressed the impact of the viral moment and how he’s since dried his tears.
“I’ve been able to survive the reputation of a crying video. This is all laughable to me,” he said.
He added that while the video made him a spectacle across Black Twitter, it didn’t hinder anything within his career.
“Most people didn’t have to deal with a crying video and making them ugly faces on psych meds and then figure they’re going to have some type of career after,” the Baby Boy actor added.
“So, I just want to remind y’all that people will project that it’s over,” he continued. “They will say, ‘Ah, man, he ain’t gon’ be able to …’ I’m still here. And it’s mind-blowing to me that God continues to bless me and make my stage even bigger.”
Since the clip, Gibson has continued to add to his resume. He returned to the Fast & Furious empire as Roman Pearce with an appearance in 2017’s The Fate of the Furious, the ninth movie in the series, F9 in 2021 and will return for Fast X, set to come out later this year.
In 2019 he also appeared in Sony’s Spider-man spinoff, Morbious.
The 44-year-old actor told the host that the moment actually did the opposite of what people thought it would. His ability to be vulnerable helped more people embrace him. The video shed light on men deserving the space to display emotions regardless of what people may think.
“What ended up on the internet is what us as men normally deal with alone at home,” he said.
“The hugs are different,” he added. “People look at me from across the room different.”
Blavity covered the first time Gibson opened up about the viral moment earlier this year.
During an appearance on Sway’s Universe, he spoke about the egregious statements he said in the video and how many weren’t true. He recalled claiming that Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith had gifted him $5 million during his divorce proceedings.
“My wife kept the news away from me ’cause I’ve been on with lawyers all day, but our family and our sister Jada Pinkett-Smith and my brother Will Smith just sent us 5 million dollars to help keep us afloat…The Smiths and their whole family has always shown up for The Gibson’s [sic]. Uncle Will you’re an uncle for real,” he said.
During the interview with Sway, he admitted that wasn’t the case.
“Will Smith is gonna give me $5 million? I never even talked to Will Smith. I was out of my mind,” he said.
He shared that his use of his prescribed depression medication, Rexulti, could have been the culprit behind his breakdown.
“For someone who doesn’t use drugs, you put some s**t like Rexulti in my system, it’s gonna have the worst adverse effects ever,” he said.
Now, six years later, Gibson is “thanking God” for the response from others and added that he’s happy with representing overcoming the moment.
Watch the full interview below:
