Who doesn’t remember the cute dancer with pig-tails in Missy Elliott’s “Work It” music video? At nine years old, Alyson Stoner, who uses they/them pronouns, stuck out in the rapper’s music video as Stoner held their own against a group of older dancers and did it with a whole load of sass.
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Now, Stoner, 32, is using TikTok to explain that even though they did dance in the music video 23 years ago, that doesn’t mean that they are friends with Missy Elliott. Putting a personal own spin on a current TikTok trend, Stoner acted out a scene that happens to them all too often.
The trend uses the song “I Have One Daughter,” by TikTok creator Lewky. The song is about a real conversation where a woman is asked how many baby daddies she has, even though she said she only has one daughter. TikTok creators have begun using the song to reenact their own confusing conversations that they’ve had with a person.
In Stoner’s video, the convesation startswith a fan coming up to ask if they still speak to Missy Elliott, to which Stoner explains that they were nine in the “Work It” video, and it was 23 years ago. The fan then asks, “Yeah, so can’t you just call her up?’
“…I was nine,” the former child star responds. “It would’ve been inappropriate.”
The fan continues with their line of questioning, “So you weren’t friends?”
“I was nine, a literal child,” Stoner answers.
Ignoring everything Stoner just explained, the fan then asks Stoner if they can get Missy Elliott to perform for the fan’s wedding.
The video has gotten over 5 million views and over 450,000 likes, with fans cracking up and praising Missy Elliott for establishing firm professional boundaries with a nine-year-old.
“This makes me so happy. I love Missy Elliott,” wrote one user in the comments.
“This makes me like her even more. I don’t want any adults, celebs, or not, friends with kids,” commented another.
“Let’s normalize just accepting an answer we get from a stranger and not challenging it with 4 follow up questions,” wrote another user.
One fan in the comments questioned, “What would she even sing at their wedding? “Get Your Freak On?””
Alyson Stoner might be most remembered for their dancing in the “Work It” music video, but they also featured in “Gossip Folks” and “I’m Really Hot,” two more music videos by Missy Elliott. Stoner also filmed a Missy Elliott tribute in 2015, which they posted on their YouTube Channel, and they reunited with the rapper in 2019 for Missy Elliott’s performance of “Work It” at the 2019 VMAs. Though they may not be friends with the rap icon, the pair have a good professional relationship.
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