Protesters confront Jake Lang outside the BET Awards in viral video

Video shows demonstrators challenging the Jan. 6 defendant outside the awards show, sparking widespread reactions and debate across social media.

Jake Lang was met by protesters outside the BET Awards in Los Angeles this week, with video of the confrontation quickly spreading across social media and drawing widespread reactions online.

Footage shared on Instagram shows demonstrators confronting Lang as tensions escalated outside the event venue. During the exchange, a cone-shaped hat was placed on Lang’s head while protesters shouted insults and challenged him. According to the Instagram video that first circulated the confrontation, the protest was intended as a public demonstration against Lang’s presence at the event.

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The video also captures Lang responding to the crowd. In the footage, he can be heard telling people to “control your emotions” before making a broader remark about Black people that prompted immediate backlash from those gathered nearby. The exchange then devolved into profanity from multiple people involved.

As reported in the Instagram post documenting the incident, the confrontation has since generated thousands of reactions online, with many users expressing support for the protesters while others debated the heated nature of the exchange. The post’s caption also accuses Lang of racism.

Lang has remained a controversial public figure because of his connection to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Lang’s presence, which brought renewed attention to the incident, has fueled discussion well beyond the confrontation itself, with many commenters questioning why Lang was present near the BET Awards and using the moment to revisit broader debates about his public profile. As of publication, Lang has not publicly responded to the viral protest or the criticism stemming from the incident.