The Surprise That Happened after Flavor Flav Punk’d Tyra Banks

TJ Jefferson had a question for Flavor Flav that was not actually a question. It was closer to a thank you twenty years in the making, and it produced one of the better full-circle stories the show has gotten.

TJ used to produce Punk'd. He was at MTV, working on the second floor, when word came down that Flavor Flav was in the lobby.

"Me and a guy I worked with literally jumped out of our chairs and ran down the hall, down the steps to meet Flave," TJ said. He got a picture out of it.

That visit turned into the Tyra Banks episode, which mattered to TJ for a specific reason. Ashton Kutcher was not there. He was off filming a movie, which meant TJ was the one in the chair running it.

Flavor Flav remembered the shoot well enough to correct the record on where it happened. Benihana.

"That was Benihana's restaurant where they had me punk Tyra Banks," he said. Then he told TJ there was a part of the story he did not know.

"God had fixed it to when I was shooting my TV show Flavor of Love. I had to take Tyra Banks on a date."

Flavor Flav paused on that for a beat, because he still cannot quite believe it. "I never believed that I would be taking Tyra Banks on a date. Come on, man. I mean, I went and punked a lady, and it was a great feeling."

Then came the punchline, which Rich saw coming and called out loud.

Same Benihana. Same table.

"We sat at the same exact table that I punked her at," Flavor Flav said. Rich asked the obvious follow-up, whether Banks turned it around and told him he was the one getting punked this time. Flavor Flav did not take the bait. He just closed it out warmly. "I love Tyra, man."

TJ's larger point had nothing to do with the prank. It was about what came after.

"Before that you weren't really doing a lot of TV," TJ told him. "You did the Punk'd and then all the reality stuff started to come after that. So we kind of thought we kind of gave Flave a little push."

For TJ, this was a full career loop closing in real time. He grew up watching Public Enemy. He still considers It Takes a Nation of Millions the greatest hip-hop album of all time. He called Flavor Flav the greatest hype man in the history of hip-hop, on air, to his face.

"To see what you're doing past music, to see what you're doing with women's sports, it's just dope," TJ said. "So it wasn't a question. It was more like a statement."

Flavor Flav took the name down and gave it right back. "Hey yo, TJ. Listen, man, thank you for that, man. You just brought it back for real."

Then he explained why the memory means something to him, too. Punking Tyra Banks was, in his words, one of the greatest feelings he has had.

TJ figured Flavor Flav would never remember him. That part was fine. "I would never forget that moment, man."