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Fans think Usher is 'hiding something' as he struggled to answer an awkward interview question

Usher's response to a personal question on 'Baby, Its Keke Palmer' podcast has fans speculating over his troubled past

Usher Raymond is a household name in the music industry, celebrated for his smooth vocals and chart-topping hits. The R&B icon skyrocketed to fame in the late 1990s with his sophomore album 'My Way, ' but few truly know about the experiences that shaped his early years. In a recent interview on 'Baby, It's Keke Palmer, ' Usher took a rare moment to open up about his past, shedding light on a period of his life that many fans may find surprising. At just 14 years old, Usher found himself under the mentorship of none other than Sean "Diddy" Combs, per Unilad. During the podcast, host Keke Palmer casually asked, "How old were you when you had your first kiss? And who was it?"

 Usher's response was anything but straightforward: "How old was I when I had my first kiss? Erm, that I intended to have? You know, I had, you know... there was a couple of, you know..." His hesitation was palpable, and Palmer, sensing the energy shift, quickly steered the conversation in another direction. Per the aforementioned outlet, fans on social media picked up the tension and hinted at troubling experiences while the rapper stayed with Diddy. One said, "This clip is….hm. Very sad and telling. But Keke is very sharp and socially/emotionally intelligent. I see why she has gone so far in this industry. Very good interview." Another added, "I love how she pivoted. With the way he answered, it’s possible that the question triggered him a bit or, at the very least, made him uncomfortable. It takes emotional intelligence to notice that and act on it."

The speculation was rooted in one of Usher's previous interviews, where he spoke about his time in Diddy's world. Per Yahoo, in a 2016 interview with Howard Stern, he gave a glimpse into what life was like as a young teen living under the rap mogul's roof. When Usher told him that he came to New York City and lived with Sean Diddy, Stern immediately exclaimed, "Now, that's a crazy thing." He also added that was L. A Reed's idea, American music executive and producer, who sent you over to "Puffy Flavor Camp.". Usher promptly responded, "In the '90s! Do you understand what it's like?"  Further explaining to Stern, Usher said, "I saw many things, I was there to see the lifestyle. But I didn't know if I could indulge and understand what I was looking at. It was pretty wild." 

Following these remarks, fans took to the comment section of YouTube, voicing their thoughts and concerns. One viewer commented, "The gulp he took at 15 seconds in when repeating the phrase 'flavor camp' was everything you need to know. Doesn't look comfortable recalling it." Another added, "Looks like Diddy has to change his name yet again. From "Puffy" to "Puff Daddy" to "P. Diddy" and now it should be "P. DiditAll." One even went on to say, "Thats crazy that a kid is just left unattended with them rich adults." 

Surprisingly, after Diddy's arrest for allegations of sex trafficking, Usher deleted around 7000 posts on Twitter that involved anything to do with now a disgraced rapper, per Page Six. While there was a huge speculation that it was an intentional deed, Usher clarified that his "account was hacked," reported the aforementioned outlet. Usher also took to social media and posted jokingly, "Account got hacked and damn y'all ran with it!"