Aaron Pierre, that’s Mufasa, has become a household name thanks in large part to his now viral “Jennifer Hudson” show spirit tunnel walk back in December. But, in the weeks that have passed, the actor has been mostly quiet about his meme-worthy moment—until now.
Speaking with Extra at the American Black Film Festival Honors awards over the weekend, Pierre finally gave his reaction to his wildly popular video and expressed how grateful he was that the internet has embraced him in that way. For context, the “JHud Show” video has amassed six million likes at the time of this articles writing and nearly 500,000 saves on TikTok and over 37 million views and over three million likes on Instagram.
“I feel nothing but love and joy whenever people greet me with that, whenever people share that with me. It was a beautiful moment and I’m so grateful and joyful that it resonated with people and they enjoyed the moment...it’s a beautiful thing,” he told Extra.
Speaking in a separate interview with People—where he was informed that the “Jennifer Hudson Show” had to turn off the comments for the first time ever on his video on social media due to overwhelming (and uncouth) comments , Pierre further expounded upon his feelings regarding the matter, saying:
“That’s the first time I’ve heard that and I don’t know what to say... I really believe it’s all very joyful...I receive that and I’m grateful for that. You know, it’s a special thing. So, thank you.”
Regardless of Pierre’s humility, what’s abundantly clear is that his video and song has taken the internet by storm and people all over really can’t get enough of this pop culture moment.
“What should have won a Grammy was the Aaron Pierre song ‘Aaron Pierre that’s Mufasa,’” one user wrote on X/Twitter.
“Idc how many ppl walked down that hallway. Nothing will compare to “Aaron Pierre, that’s Mufasa,” said another.
“I found myself singing ‘Aaron Pierre, that’s Mufasa’ while I was typing away today. Definitely the best of the J Hud spirit tunnel jingles. Simple but effective,” wrote another.
Even the children couldn’t help but get in on the fun as evidenced by TikTok users TTo.la. and Plaitxapp.
Honestly, as far as this author is concerned, this song has been stuck in my head ever since the video debuted, and I wouldn’t be mad if it stayed there. It’s a catchy song about an insanely fine and talented man. It’s #BlackBoyJoy personified. If there’s no harm in it, let people enjoy things!