Shaquille O’Neal Renounces his Celebrity Status: ‘Don’t Call me That Anymore’
Shaquille O’Neal Renounces his Celebrity Status: ‘Don’t Call me That Anymore’
Outspoken TNT host and Hall of Fame basketball player Shaquille O’Neal has declared that his official status as a celebrity is over.
According to The New York Post, the former Los Angeles Lakers legend is done with being called a celebrity.
“These celebrities are going freaking crazy and I don’t want to be one. I denounce my celebrity-ness today. I’m done with it. I don’t want to be in that category. Celebrities are crazy, they really are. Don’t call me that anymore. These people are out of their freaking mind with how they treat people, what they do, what they say. That’s never been me. I never want to be looked at like that.”
He then speaks of the stereotypes associated with being labeled a celebrity.
“All my life, everyone probably gets stereotyped, but us celebrities, we get stereotyped because most of these celebrities are out of their mind. I don’t do that. I’m a regular person that listened, followed his dreams and made it. I came from nothing,” Shaq continues. “But, just because I made it doesn’t mean I’m bigger than you, smarter than you — just because I have more money doesn’t mean I’m better than you. I’ve never been that way and I never will be that way. So I don’t want to be in that category of people.”
O’Neal was also speaking about his partnership with Kellogg’s.
My new cereal is helping kids play sports with #MissionTiger! Thanks @GMA for talking with me about my dream of being on a box of @Frosted_Flakes: https://t.co/nNsmDU5PYp #FrostedFlakesPartner pic.twitter.com/pVL1TCGGxG
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) September 25, 2021
Earlier this year, Kellogg’s had announced that O’Neal teamed up with the cereal company back in 2020 to surprise middle schoolers in Philadelphia with a Mission Tiger donation to assist in helping build an on-campus sports court. They then announced that they have a mutual goal to help 1 million middle school kids get better access to sports by the end of this calendar year.
Shaquille O’Neal Renounces his Celebrity Status: ‘Don’t Call me That Anymore’
