There is healthy living, and then there is cultural treason. While preaching the gospel of clean eating on Kandi Burruss’s Speak On It podcast, Kirk Franklin dropped a confession that stopped the room cold: he has never, in his entire life, eaten a lemon pepper wing. It’s no secret that gospel legend has been in the gym and changing his lifestyle to keep himself in shape, but fans think he’s gone too far with this recent admission.
The “Love Theory” singer recently divulged the information in a new interview with Kandi Burruss for her “Speak On It” podcast. During their conversation, Franklin shared that he hasn’t eaten fried food, sodas, or fast food in over 20 years.
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Burruss said she usually cuts out those types of foods for one month every year, but couldn’t imagine depriving herself of her favorites for years – especially lemon pepper chicken wings, an Atlanta staple.
That’s when Franklin dropped a bombshell confession: he’s never had a lemon pepper wing.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a lemon pepper chicken wing. I know! Don’t take my Black card! Don’t take my Black card! I love being Black,” he said.
While Burruss remained surprised, Franklin eventually shared that he has cheat days once or twice a year. But it usually consists of a hamburger and French fries, the latter of which he doesn’t really consider real fried food like fried chicken, fried pork chops, and the like.
Once his clip began making the rounds on social media, however, Black folks couldn’t decide where they landed on it. While some people praised him for his discipline, others were skeptical of his admission, expressing that while it’s admirable, eating like that doesn’t mean you’ll be free of health issues.
“First, let’s celebrate Kirk Franklin for being intentional about his health! That deserves recognition, especially in the Black and Gospel communities. We’re doing better, but there’s still work to do!” one user said in part on Instagram.
“He has great discipline in the area of Health & Wellness. That is why he is successful and able to keep up the travel regimen he has,” said another.
One other user wrote: “Come on Kirk, I can see you stop eating fast foods. But no soul food like greens, Neck bones, Dressing, baked yam, Ham ole Turkey wings. Sorry, I can’t invite you to dinner at my house.”
Added another, “He the people who say they don’t eat pork but eat bacon & pepperoni, lying azz.”
Some users also defended his decision to say no to soul food, arguing that it’s the preparation that makes it unhealthy, not the foods themselves.
One user wrote: “Soul food is not unhealthy. If you use unhealthy ingredients, then yeah. You don’t have to have Mac and cheese. Everything else is all about how you cook it.”
Noted another user: “Burgers typically make their own grease, so grilling it doesn’t mean it’s fried. Fries can be baked. It’s all in how you prepare your food…healthier vs unhealthy.”
