The internet was never the same after Aaron Pierre sauntered down the spirit tunnel at “The Jennifer Hudson Show” on Jan. 6. Now, the actor is sharing his thoughts on the viral moment.
In a walk fit for royalty, the “Mufasa: The Lion King” actor was filmed strutting down the hall backstage while the show’s crew sang “Aaron Pierre, that’s Mufasa.” After the video was posted, Hudson revealed that her social media team had to “turn off the comments,” a first in the show’s history.
“He was too hot for all y’all to handle,” Hudson joked.
During an interview with People on Monday, Pierre was “nearly left speechless” after learning that his moves had closed down the comments, according to the outlet.
“Well, that’s the first time I’ve heard that and I don’t know what to say,” Pierre told People. But he later added, “It’s all love.”
“And I really believe it’s all very joyful,” he continued. “I receive that and I’m grateful for that. You know, it’s a special thing. So, thank you.”
According to the official “Jennifer Hudson Show” website, the spirit tunnel is a beloved ritual on the show that consists of “two lines of people hyping up the guest with chants and dance moves before they hit the stage.”
While discussing his role in his recent film with HuffPost, Pierre reflected on his character Mufasa’s journey of overcoming adversity to become his true self.
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“He was an orphan, he was separated from his family, he was dismissed, he was labeled in a particular way and he was othered and ostracized,” the actor said.
“How does one work through that and become what we meet in the 1994 original? This gets to show that, and I think that is something that is inspiring and very energizing,” he said. “Certainly, I imagine if I were a young person watching this, I would say that there’s a way I know what I want to be, and there is a way to get there, and that’s a really beautiful thing.”