Warning: This article contains references to sensitive subjects, including sexual assault.
Rapper T.I. has berated comedian Lauren Knight during a stand-up show, according to an audience video circulating on social media.
T.I., who was attending Knight’s show at Atlanta’s Our Bar ATL on April 4, can be seen directly insulting and heckling Knight during her 30 minute-long standup set, calling for the comedian to remove her wig.
A video shared on Twitter appears to capture part of the recent question:
At the point where the video begins, T.I. is seen holding a wireless mic and berating Knight, telling her to “shut the fuck up” and declaring “when you stop playing with me and mine, I’mma stop saying something. N***a, ain’t no motherfucking case and won’t be no motherfucking case.”
As Knight dances onstage, the rapper adds, “And if you keep on playing with me, n***a, Imma continue to convert you publicly, verbally.”
The DJ then sounds an air horn and begins playing music, as Knight attempts to defuse the situation. T.I. takes the stage, whispers in her ear, and holds the visibly uncomfortable comic in an extended hug.
The video cuts as Knight asserts her right to express herself, as T.I. sits on the edge of the stage and makes a “drinky-drink” motion to someone off-camera.
In a video posted to her Instagram account, Knight told her version of events, saying that she responded to the rapper’s heckles, saying, “Alright, I’ll take my wig off when you speak on the allegations.”
As Spin reported in Feb. 2021, the pair was accused by 11 women of forced drugging, sexual abuse, and intimidation, leading to an attorney seeking a criminal investigation. T.I. and his legal team have denied the charges. He took to Instagram back in Jan. 2021 to address the subject, “vehemently” denying the allegations.
Incidentally, prosecutors in Los Angeles declined to file charges against the duo in one such case; according to the New York Times‘ account in a September 2021 article, the prosecutors cited the statute of limitations expiring in the 2005 incident as a determining factor.
In a follow-up on her Instagram account, Knight reposted a video T.I. recorded offering her a million dollars for proof that he called her a “bitch.” Apparently, the comedian has been receiving death threats from T.I.’s fan base. She writes in the body of the post:
“We ended on a positive note now you lying and saying shit to weaponize your fan base and THAT I’m not here for. Idgaf about how y’all feel I’m here for the truth. I’m getting death threats and harassed cause a n***a wanna lie. That’s lame as hell. This shit is aggy and most importantly I have no reason to lie”
T.I. has been attempting to break into the world of standup comedy with a series of Atlanta-area performances, and last week at the World Famous Comedy Store in Los Angeles. According to multiple audience and comedian accounts, his set at the Store ran over twenty minutes longer than his scheduled ten-minute time. L.A. comic Josh Meyerowitz took to Instagram to share that he had to get the rapper off the stage. When Meyerowitz tapped T.I. on the shoulder, he responded, “I’m not a comedian, I’m a superstar.”
This video, posted to YouTube in February, gives a sampling of T.I.’s comedy stylings — and the comments include some debate as to his future as a comedian.
We Got This Covered has reached out to Knight for comment.