Keith Lee Directly Addresses Sushi Controversy: ‘I Am Okay’

After many fans have shared their concern over popular TikTok food critic Keith Lee‘s recent review of FOB Sushi Bar in Seattle, Lee has shared his take on the controversy.

In his original review shared on November 9, fans noticed something moving in his sashimi that looked like a possible parasite or worm. Lee didn’t notice it when he ate the sushi and didn’t speak on fans’ speculations and worries until Sunday evening.

Lee’s most recent video on TikTok shares his take on the sushi controversy and hopefully puts fans at ease that he’s “okay.”

Lee shared his point of view on the sushi issue heard ’round the internet in a video on TikTok that has since gone viral with more than 13 million views in less than a day.

He began his video by explaining he went to FOB Sushi Bar in Seattle and that someone slowed down his review video to capture what appears to be a worm moving in one of the sushi pieces that he consumed.

“It did appear that something moved. A thousand percent transparency, I didn’t see anything until someone pointed it out,” he said. “I can’t confirm or deny what it was, but I can confirm I am okay.”

He said he appreciates everyone who reached out and has been worried about him.

“Only reason I’m making this video is because I saw a video of somebody who went the day after us, and now they’re hospitalized,” he continued. “Just me and my character and who I am as a person, I’m gonna come out and I’m gonna say something about it.”

Lee’s video explanation continued with him explaining that while he doesn’t “believe in tearing down any business,” people’s health is on the line. He said that somebody is in the hospital and there’s footage of “something moving in food,” so he believes that “accountability” should be taken by the restaurant.

“For the restaurant to post a statement indicating that me holding a sushi or me holding a chopstick a certain way is why the sushi moved, I personally don’t agree with it,” he continued. “Because I’ve had sushi a thousand times and I held sushi a thousand different ways, and never once have I seen sushi behaving that way. Again, that’s not me saying it was a worm or it was a parasite, I’m just saying, it was nothing that I did on my end.”

He added that, “as a customer, I shouldn’t be the one getting blamed for if it was something moving in the food.”

Lee concluded his video by reminding people that eating sushi can come with “risk, and stuff that comes with eating raw food.” And while he said he understands that risk, he wishes the restaurant would take more accountability in this situation.

While many commented on his original video with concern over what was moving in his sashimi, there were plenty of comments on his new video that agree with his take on the situation.

One viewer shared, “Sushi does NOT behave that way,” and nearly 234,000 people liked that comment. Another viewer said, “The restaurant’s response was even more WILD than the movement.”

One viewer shared an update about the restaurant, “Update: they’re closing their restaurants to ‘investigate’ and stated ‘our safety is their #1 priority’ the switch up is crazy.”

Two days ago, FOB Sushi Bar shared a carousel of photos on Instagram captioned, “We want to directly address a false statement about our sashimi. At FOB Sushi, we follow strict FDA and HACCP standards to ensure the highest quality and safety in every dish. The movement in the video is due to natural elasticity in the fish—not worms.”

The caption concluded with, “Rumors like this can harm small businesses, so we’re addressing it head-on. Thank you for trusting us and supporting FOB Sushi.”

Now, after Lee has spoken out about the situation, they’ve changed their tune.

“In response to recent food safety concerns, we have decided to close our FOB Sushi locations in Seattle and Bellevue until further notice,” the newest photo reads. “Your health and safety are our highest priorities. We are conducting a thorough investigation to address the situation and will take all necessary measures to present it from happening again.”

They have turned off the option for viewers to comment on their recent posts, including this one.

TikTok content creator, Joshua M Rivera, shared a video of his girlfriend in a hospital bed after eating at FOB Sushi Bar. In a follow-up video, Rivera shares more of the story.

“We’re currently in the hospital as we speak because of the FOB sushi,” he said as he was addressing a comment that called him “rude” for sharing his story “whether or not this is real.”

He then showed the receipts – a photo of the full FOB Sushi box – and said he had the sushi on Monday around 2 p.m. The following day, his girlfriend texted him saying she has “some type of food poisoning.”

“She got a stool test on her poop and basically to see if there’s any bacteria, which brings us here today,” he said as he showed he was in a hospital room. “Basically, she doesn’t have a due date to go home, because it’s still to be determined cause she’s still pooping and she’s still having stomachaches. But she did have a CAT scan, and it did say that her colons were inflamed and that there’s a lot of bacteria in her stomach area.”

He also said that his girlfriend was told that there is a form of E coli in her stomach.

“We’re not posting this as a lie to gain clout or anything,” he said. “We actually did have FOB Sushi. She did get E coli from it. No hate toward FOB Sushi. We did see Keith Lee’s video. We saw about the whole worm controversy, and we’re just telling you guys to be careful.”