They say you should never meet your heroes because they can disappoint you—but there’s also the chance that you might disappoint them. Just ask Jill Scott.
While promoting her upcoming album ‘To Whom This May Concern,’ on Saturday, January 3, the 53-year-old R&B star stopped by the ‘R&B Money‘ podcast, hosted by Tank and J. Valentine, where she shared a painfully awkward moment when praise was received as something entirely different by a major icon.
During the show’s “I Ain’t Sayin’ No Names” segment—where guests recount industry stories without identifying the other parties involved—Scott recalled running into one of her heroes on an awards show red carpet. Overcome with excitement, she rushed up and poured her heart out.
“‘Oh my God, I love you so much. I listen to you all the time. You inspire me so much. You are a beast,’” Scott said.
According to Scott, the unnamed luminary just glared at her in response.
“She kind of just looked at me,” Scott recalled. “And I was like, ‘Oh, okay. I might have did too much.’”
She added that she tried not to take what seemed like a snub personally. It wasn’t until later—through the artist’s assistant—that Scott learned what went wrong. The word “beast,” meant as the highest praise, had been interpreted as a comment about physical size.
“I say, ‘Hey, what did I say?’ She said, ‘You called me obese,’” Scott recounted. “What the hell I look like calling somebody obese?”
@tankforeverfanofficial Jill Scott’s “I Ain’t Saying No Names Who do you think she’s talking about?🤔 #jillscott #tank #jvalentine #rnbmoneypodcast #podcastclips ♬ original sound – tankforeverfanofficial
Even after Scott explained her intention, the unnamed artist reportedly remained “mad” and “fuming.”
The candid anecdote arrived just a day after Scott announced her first album in a decade. After teasing fans with a countdown at the end of December, she revealed that “To Whom This May Concern” is set for release in February.
“PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE and THANK YOU for your patience and your listening ears,” Scott wrote on Instagram.
In a follow-up post, she added: “To Whom This May Concern (my new album) had and has a bevy of thoughtful, talented, and focused folk to assist me on my work. Sometimes musician, sometimes just a releasing friend to laugh with. We had fun!!! This 1st song is called ‘Beautiful People.’ Creating takes a village. I’m sharing my beautiful people most literally.”
