Patti LaBelle is wasting no time capitalizing on the newfound viral video fame she's received, thanks to pie-loving James Wright, whose YouTube tasting video went viral to the tune of over 10 million views. This week, the two visited the Steve Harvey Show to give him a taste of what all the fuss is about, and then appeared in their own Cooking Channel special, just in time for the holidays.
If you've been following the story, you know by now that after Wright's video went viral, demand for the pies skyrocketed, and the delectable desserts were impossible to find at Walmarts across the country, where they are exclusively carried. Walmart has promised that a new shipment of the sweet treats are coming shortly, and meanwhile, Patti and her new BFF have been making sure to promote the pies via a new pie-baking special airing on the Cooking Channel, as well as on the Steve Harvey Show.
"Get your Patti ready," Wright warned Harvey, who, upon tasting one of the now famous "Patti Pies," performed a hilarious impression of Wright's initial reaction when he first got a taste, wildly flailing his arms while singing a rendition of one of Patti's biggest hits, "If Only You Knew." Wright made sure to get in on the action, adding a signature note that he teased Harvey for forgetting. An amused Patti watched from the sidelines, announcing that with Harvey and Wright singing for her, "I don't have to do my show."
LaBelle did do her own Patti LaBelle's Holiday Pies show on the Cooking Channel, however, as her sous chef, Wright, described as a "social media celebrity" and sporting newly-dyed green hair tips, helped her along in making a selection of both savory and sweet pies, with the crowning glory, the Patti sweet potato pie, saved for the grand finale.
While cooking, the two sang and danced together, as Wright taught the legendary 71-year-old diva to whip, "nae nae" and "get crunk." LaBelle seemed a bit overwhelmed with Wright at times, at one point exclaiming, "call the cops" as Wright crushed rose petals over her head while screaming her name. By the show's end, however, the singer shed some tears while thanking Wright effusively for taking her "over the rainbow with his viral video that received 10 or 11 million hits" and used the lyrics of her biggest solo pop hit to declare that she now indeed has "got a 'New Attitude,'" as we had suggested in our prior report on the pie frenzy.
You can catch clips from the Steve Harvey Show and Patti LaBelle's Holiday Pies below, and for a longer look at LaBelle and Wright on their Cooking Channel special, head here.
