Girl Got a Pack of Slim Tea as a Gift and Her Parents Thought It Was Hilarious — CPS Didn't
Updated Jan. 23 2024, 1:24 p.m. ET
As TikTok continues to achieve global domination, it’s no surprise that families worldwide are trying to be the next D’Amelios or Kabs family. TikTok fame is addicting and, if done correctly, it can set a family up for the rest of their lives. Or, at least, until the next popular app comes along.
One family hoping to hit it big online is a channel called NFL Lee (@nofakelove_lee).
The family channel, which can also be found on YouTube, often includes prank videos and vlogs of a couple’s young children doing kid things like attending school and opening presents. In January 2024, a video from the family’s channel left TikTok viewers disgusted. The video also sparked extra attention to the channel’s content, as it looks like the family patriarch uses it to single out and poke fun at one of the children.
Keep reading for the full scoop!
A video of a child opening a pack of Slim Tea as a gift went viral on TikTok.
Many successful TikTok families found their following by finding an angle that works for them and doing it as often as the algorithm allows. In the Lee family’s case, the father, Ernest Lee, enjoys showing his and his partner’s four children — Jaleel, Jada, Jeremiah, and Jayden — engage in shenanigans around the house.
Ernest, seemingly not the children’s biological father, often comments as he watches the kids engage with the audience. One of the kids, a girl named Jaleel, is the one Ernest seems more willing to expose than the others.
On Jan. 2, 2024, Ernest recorded a 1:06 TikTok of the kids opening packages sent by fans. The camera turned to Jaleel, unwrapping one of her gifts from Amazon. As Jaleel struggles to open the package, Ernest asks her what she got as the other children watch. Jaleel initially thought it was an iPhone, like her sister Jada's gift. However, the child soon discovered her gift wasn’t one to brag about.
Jada eventually helped Jaleel unwrap the package. Once she realized what it was, Jaleel immediately became upset as she realized the gift was a pack of Slim Tea. For those unaware, Hyleys Slim Tea, available on Amazon, is tea dedicated to promoting weight loss and boosting metabolism.
Jaleel is a child of a bigger size, which was likely why someone gifted her the tea bags. As her siblings clicked their mouths at the insensitive gift, Jaleel sadly fed into the prank by saying at the end of the video, “It’s something that I needed.”
NFL Lee’s TikTok caused controversy on the app.
While NFL Lee’s video of Jaleel opening a pack of Slim Tea wasn’t long, it greatly impacted those who watched it, including me. Jaleel doesn’t deserve to be the butt of her family and the public’s jokes just because of her size. Her “father figure” is also disgusting for exploiting all of the children, but primarily Jaleel, for a few clicks and laughs. The thirst really is real.
Underneath the initial TikTok, multiple commenters expressed their distaste for the video, with many people sympathizing with Jaleel.
“Do y’all not think that it is absolutely insane that somebody sent this child slim tea??” one user asked. “She’s like eight or seven. BLAME THE PARENTS!”
“That’s so cruel, omg,” another said.
TikTok channel Nosy Bystanders (@nosybystanders) also discussed the controversy on their channel. The woman who often reports on the TikTok gossip site frequently called Ernest “dusty” and blamed Jaleel’s mom for allowing him to joke about her daughter’s weight for public fodder.
In addition to the Slim Tea video, the NFL Lee account is riddled with videos of Ernest judging what Jaleel eats and having her tell storytimes about getting in food fights. The posts are childish and fatphobic but likely won’t stop after the Slim Tea video’s traffic.
CPS took the kids away from their parents following the Slim Tea controversy.
A few weeks after the NFL Lee account shared the distasteful gift their daughter received, they posted several follow-up videos claiming that Child Protective Services (CPS) took their kids. In one video, Lee shows off an empty house and an emotionless Jazz while explaining to TikTokers that their kids have been taken. Apparently, the kids were taken by CPS, presumably after being released from school while still wearing their uniforms.
Lee posted several more videos in which he used to blame the internet, calling it "lame," for having Jazz's kids removed from their household. While some are questioning whether the whole thing is just another prank, Lee's distressing tone has plenty convinced the kids are no longer in his and Jazz's custody.
We'll be sure to update you with any new information as it becomes available.
