Mr. T had an eloquent response to a reporter who made fun of his 'tacky' shoes
He never forgot where he came from.
Mr. T and reporter Bobbie Wygant.
When Mr. T burst onto the pop culture landscape in the early ‘80s, he was a curious character, to say the least. People had a lot of questions about his name, copious amounts of gold jewelry and West African warrior hairstyle.
His personality was also intriguing. He was a tough guy but also a very thoughtful man of faith.
In 1983, when TV news reporter Bobbie Wygant asked him a rather rude question, Mr. T gave a very thoughtful response that showed that behind his larger-than-life persona, he understood the importance of humility.
"I'm looking at you with $10 million worth of diamonds and gold and everything and then I'm looking at your shoes that are just a disaster,” Wygant said with a smirk. “Now, will you explain to me what's with these shoes? All taped up, looking tacky."
"Some people might see this as tacky, but there's a message in these shoes. You see, these shoes keep me humble, and if you recall, the last time that we met, I had these shoes and they were in better shape,” Mr. T said.
“But these shoes were handed down through my family,” Mr. T continued. “My father wore them, my brothers wore them and things like that. So they keep me humble. Let me remember that I have brothers and sisters back in Chicago. I got a mother and father that I must take care of. So I see, out in Hollywood, and especially all the money I'm making now, it’s so easy for me to be caught up in all this material stuff and forget where I come from.”
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