Keith Lee Seemingly Breaks Silence About Sushi Controversy

Days after Keith Lee’s viral review of FOB Sushi Bar in Seattle sparked fans’ concerns about his health, with many commenting and sharing their own videos, Lee appears to be subtly addressing the issue.

Lee, who’s currently spending the weekend at ComplexCon in Las Vegas, took to his Instagram Stories Saturday night to put fans’ minds at ease with a short and simple message.

About a week ago, the wildly popular TikTok food critic shared his review of Seattle’s FOB Sushi Bar. It didn’t take long before viewers noticed something fishy about the video and began sharing their concerns for Lee’s health.

The video in question quickly went viral and currently has more than 16 million views and 15,000 comments; many of which are sharing concern and speculation over what they saw halfway through the video.

“The food in this bag is sushi, but sushi done in the most unique way that I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” Lee started his video. “I spent $15. The name of this restaurant is FOB Sushi Bar. And it’s one of the most recommended places.”

Lee explained that what makes it unique is that the sushi is sold by the pound and is “buffet style.”

“They have over 30 different options, but the only thing for me is that I have a shellfish allergy, so most of the options that they had was fully contained with shellfish,” he said. “But I still managed to get like 10 pieces.”

All was going swimmingly until about halfway through the video when he got to a sashimi that many claim they saw something concerning sticking out of it.

When Lee held up the sashimi with his chopsticks before diving in, many viewers claim to have seen something moving on the right side.

“Your favorite one had a worm on it,” one viewer commented. Another said, “At 1:50, the end of your sushi was moving.”

And there were many other similar thoughts filling the comment section.

“The piece that moved, who else saw the piece with the worm out the tail end?” another viewer chimed in to say. One other added, “Keith please tell us you’re okay this is my biggest fear.” 

Up until Saturday night, Lee stayed silent about everyone’s concern, but seemingly broke that silence with a quick message.

Lee hasn’t commented on his original video, or any other videos that claim he ate a worm in his sushi, but we can only imagine that he’s seen and heard all about them.

On Saturday evening, he shared a subtle nod to the controversy to hopefully put everyone’s minds at ease.

“I’m healthy, thank you,” he wrote in an Instagram Story. “God bless y’all.”

(FYI: The Blast ran into Lee at ComplexCon not long before he shared that Instagram Story. Our observation? He looked happy and unbothered. It seemed apparent that he’s not letting this “sushi controversy” disrupt his life negatively, and we wish him the best of health!) 

While Lee was staying tight-lipped about the controversial take that many others were sharing until recently, FOB Sushi Bar entered the chat with an Instagram post.

“We were honored to recently welcome Keith Lee to FOB Sushi and are incredibly grateful for his visit and the support from everyone who has stopped by,” they began their statement on claims that Lee ate a parasite in one of their sushi rolls.

“Recently a video has been circulating online that claims worms were found in our sashimi. We want to address this claim directly and assure you that it is entirely false.”

Their carousel of photos continued to share their take on the moving part in the sushi as Lee ate it, claiming that they follow “stringent safety standards.”

“Regarding the video, the movement observed in the fish may result from natural elasticity or the pressure of chopsticks when applied to its structure,” the statement continued. “We want to assure our customers that this is not indicative of worms or any health concerns.”

Many TikTok content creators shared their thoughts in their own videos that showed the sushi and the “worm” in slow motion.

One TikToker, @goojiepooj, caught unknowing viewers up to speed on the controversial take of Lee’s video, also sharing FOB Sushi Bar’s response.

“Claims?! It WAVED at us,” one person shared in the comment section. Another added, “If my sashimi sashshimmys I’m gonna have questions.”

She was far from the only creator to share a video about Lee’s sushi review. One thing is for certain, Lee’s fanbase is concerned for him and only wish him the best, and many will now be checking their sushi before eating, just in case.