WhereTheyAtNow: Before we officially entered 2020, Black Twitter was going down memory lane and reliving some of the most classic moments of the decade. One of those moments was Hazel London’s (@mshazellondon) memorable interview outside of Bella Noche nightclub in Baton Rouge.
It has been almost 5 years since Hazel London has gone viral for her classic Bella Noche interview, and there is no doubt that the interview went down as one of the many classic viral moments.
I caught up with Hazel to see what life was like for her after she went viral following that interview. If she ever went back to turn up at Bella Noche after that shootout, her friendship with her homegirl Jerhonda Henderson and much more.
Check out what she had to say below:
Q: Many people know you from the viral Bella Noche news interview from 2015. What were your initial thoughts when you sparked instant popularity from that news interview?
A: The amount of people that have spotted me from the interview was more than I thought would be possible because I wasn’t thinking it was gone go viral. Well, it was actually funny to me, because the night of the interview I had been drinking and the next morning it was like you are all over the internet, and I was like why what happened? So I really didn’t believe it. I saw it the next day on my own.
I continue to be myself, I didn’t do anything different from just being me, because only a few people ran up to me about it and some people only knew it was me if I opened my mouth and said something.
Q: Have you received any amazing opportunities because of your viral moment?
A: I’m not gone say amazing because the only people who were trying to make any opportunities happen is some local people here in Baton Rouge. It wasn’t like big opportunities to get my face and my name out there. I was willing to travel to places to see what other opportunities that could have been out there.
Q: What happened to your homegirl Jerhonda Henderson? Are you guys still cool today?
A: As of now I’ll say me and my homegirl are still speaking to this day, but we aren’t as close as we were when the interview went viral. Like me and her were best friends, we have known each other for over 13 years. Over the years we have gone in different directions doing different things in our lives. We still go out to the same places so when we see each other, we still speak to each other.
Q: Did you guys ever go back to Bella Noche after the shootout happened?
A: Of course yes! When I said Bella Noche was like the only club we partied at. It was like the only one even though there were other clubs to party at. But it was the only turned up club in Baton Rouge to us at the time because that’s the only place we went if we wanted to have a good time.
Q: Years have gone by, and so many people still talk about your interview. Many people have recreated that viral moment for Halloween, and other occasions. What are your thoughts about people recreating your viral moment?
A: Lots of people still come up to me and want to take pictures with me and when I’m in different places and state’s people look at me and say, “are you that girl in that video?” I’ll say, “what video?” Then they’ll say, “well damn if you can’t go to Bella Noche were the hell you could you go video.” I’ll laugh and “yes that’s me.”
All the people who recreated the video from the YouTube videos and the iPhone heads made me feel special. I was thinking like Hazel maybe you are famous girl. Then when people started telling me about the Halloween costumes I said it took the cake I was so amazed about them. It made me feel like damn Hazel you really somebody girl, it made me feel special that people still liked the video and wanted to make me their Halloween costumes and for the ones who just posted it on their pages and who quoted my quote.
Q: What would you want people to know about Hazel London that they didn’t know before?
A: I’m a very free spirit person. I’m down to earth. I love to have fun I enjoy my life to the fullest. I speak what’s on my mind I speak the first thing that comes to my mind. I’m just me, and I keep it 100 % real, I don’t fake it for no one. People who do and don’t know me will tell you these things about me with no questions asked.
TSR STAFF: Jade Ashley @Jade_Ashley94