Stephanie Mills wants a Chaka Khan rematch and defends Diana Ross

Her long sit-down with Jason Lee covers The Wiz, Michael Jackson, a Lady Gaga encounter and a visit from her son Farad.

Channel: BETNetworks Story of October 15, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 122,959 views a day, 23 times a normal first day on this channel (5,318).

Stephanie Mills Holds NOTHING Back on Michael Jackson, Diana Ross & Chaka Khan | The Jason Lee Show

A full-length interview on BET's channel usually opens its first day with a few thousand views. Stephanie Mills's conversation with Jason Lee had about 75,000 within ten hours. The comments moved even faster: a usual first day brings a handful, and this one gathered hundreds before the day was half over.

The hour starts with The Wiz. Mills was a teenager when she played Dorothy on Broadway, and "Home" became her signature song. That is where she met Michael Jackson. She describes a close friendship from before either was famous, admits she playfully thought of him as her boyfriend, and makes clear she will always protect his name. The most liked comment says simply that she does not play about Michael.

She also takes on the old story that she resented Diana Ross for playing Dorothy in the film version. There was never any feud, she says: "I love the ground Ms. Ross walks on." With Chaka Khan she wants a contest, and says so plainly: "I'm challenging Chaka to do a Verzuz with me." Later she confirms plans for one, along with a solo headlining tour.

The moment BET pushed hardest was a less friendly one. Mills says she was invited to surprise Lady Gaga by singing "Home," was met coldly, and then her team was told to delete every photo they had taken together. "I feel like Lady Gaga is a culture vulture," she says. Two Shorts built on that clip also started many times faster than the channel's usual Shorts, and a third took up her criticism of Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King.

The gentlest stretch comes at the forty-minute mark, when Mills brings out her son Farad. He has Down syndrome, which the episode's description says she never saw as a limitation. He talks about his writing, his rapping and his loyalty to the Dallas Cowboys.

One viewer suggests Lee make "Stephanie Mills Time" a monthly segment. Mills herself insists, "I don't consider myself an icon."

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More from BETNetworksVideo taking off 29x its usual first dayIyanla Vanzant denies Tamar Braxton's "sex-shaming" accusationThe Jason Lee Show guest emphasizes that she was invited onto the Braxtons' show, as BET's interview excerpt draws an unusually fast start.Channel: BETNetworks · Story of October 22, 2026 Also in TV networks and streaming servicesVideo taking off 30x its usual first dayMark Coleman calls sobriety his greatest achievementThe second season of Dark Side of the Cage follows the first UFC heavyweight champion from Olympic disappointment to an overdose, rehab and the 2024 fire at hi…Channel: VICE TV · Story of October 22, 2026 A different discovery todayVideo taking off 57x its usual first dayNew Mexico's attorney general wants Epstein's estate in survivors' handsRaúl Torrez announces a federal civil suit against the estate's co-executors, whom C-SPAN's title identifies as Epstein's attorney and accountant.Channel: C-SPAN · Story of October 22, 2026

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The numbers

The full interview and the clips cut from it all started far ahead of what BET's channel usually sees on a first day.

the video's first day

usual first day here

5,318

this video

122,959

subscribers

5,440,000

no significant change in the last 7 days

total views

1,922,396,334

views per day

166,656

typical day: 649,171

the video

views

75,263

likes

3,061

comments

460

days online

1

subscribers: this channel and similar channels

Discovery

6,520,000

Netflix K-Content

6,420,000

BETNetworks

5,440,000

GameofThrones

4,880,000

BuzzFeed Celeb

4,280,000

60 Minutes

4,210,000

As of October 15, 2026 · Data source: Trari Social News, Trari Traffic Trends and Ranking Platform, Google YouTube

Subscriber, view, like and comment counts are YouTube's. Rates, usual days, rankings, comparisons and categories are Trari's own calculations.