Chef Andre Rush Shrugs Off ‘Uncle Tom’ Attacks After Losing 20,000 Followers

Adriana Stone 0 2 min read

Chef Andre Rush Shrugs Off ‘Uncle Tom’ Attacks After Losing 20,000 Followers

Andre Rush has cooked for presidents, served in the Army, and built a public career around food and healthy living. But after appearing in a cooking promotion with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Rush found himself facing a wave of backlash from the left.

The appearance was not about endorsing a partisan policy. It focused on healthy food, healthy children, and better lifestyle choices. Kennedy made that point directly, saying, “Healthy food and healthy children are not Democratic or Republican issues. We need to start loving our children more than we hate each other.”

That message did not stop critics from targeting Rush. He said the video cost him 20,000 followers—but made clear he was perfectly fine with that.

“That video made me lose 20,000 followers,” Rush revealed. “And you know what? That’s perfectly fine with me,” he added.

Rush has worked in the White House under four administrations. He cooked for Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. Even with that record, he faced criticism for appearing alongside a member of the second Trump administration.

“I was getting called words like ‘Uncle Tom,’ sellout, and disappointed,” Rush said.

Rush said the “Uncle Tom” accusation mostly came from other Black people. Rather than backing down, he challenged those making the charge to understand the term instead of simply repeating an insult.

“First off, I smile at that. Know what it actually means instead of going off what everybody else says,” he advised.

He was just as blunt toward people who sent him messages saying they were disappointed in him.

“And as far as all the ones who came to me and said ‘I’m disappointed in you,’ I don’t give a f***,” Rush answered. “I don’t even know who you are, where you are, and it’s the only time you show up in my DMs.”

Rush also put the online criticism in the context of the difficulties he has faced throughout his life. He described growing up in poverty, losing loved ones to suicide, and dealing with mental health struggles of his own. He used those experiences to dismiss unsolicited remarks from social media users.

He made clear he would continue helping people regardless of their race, finances, or personal attacks.

“I don’t care if you’re black, white, how much money you have — even the n-word you call me — I’ll still save your life. I’ll still pick you up. I’ll still uprise you,” he reacted. “It’s just that simple.”

That attitude is consistent with the health mission Rush described in the video. He said he helps people learn to cook healthier food because he believes that work is part of God’s purpose for his life. For him, the goal is bigger than a follower count or approval from people who only appear in his direct messages to criticize him.

Rush ended the video by encouraging people to keep doing what they are doing. “Keep doing what you’re doing. God bless,” he concluded. “God knows I’m not the best person in the world.”

The article originally appeared on The Western Journal.

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