Meet the Father of Four Who Stayed Calm While a Woman Repeatedly Called Him a 'Racist' Nasty Expletive N-Word in Viral Video
In four days, a video of father of four Narvell Benning of Buffalo, New York, remaining amazingly calm while an admitted stripper and mother, Janelle Ambrosia, repeatedly calling him a "nasty f***ing n*gger" has been viewed more than seven million times on YouTube. But how did he do it?
In a recent interview with NewsOne, Benning, 36, explained how he found himself trapped in perhaps one of the most racist verbal assaults displayed on YouTube ever and why he chose to go public with the May 30 attack.
"Honestly, a lot of this stuff is swept under the rug, and it's rare that you find somebody being as belligerent as she is and forcefully angry toward an individual of another race on tape," Benning told NewsOne.
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"With all of this stuff that's going on, the world needs to know that this is happening in Cheektowaga, in Buffalo, New York. It's happening here. It's happening to an individual who promotes positive stuff. So if you're going to say it to me, say it on camera. And she definitely didn't have a problem doing that."
On the day of the incident, said Benning, he was on his way to work when he realized he forgot to put on deodorant. Rather than returning home, Benning said he stopped at a Dollar General store in Cheektowaga but ended up dealing with a different kind of stink instead.
He explained that after he completed his purchase he got in his truck and soon noticed there were several children near it. He turned on the truck's ignition, the children were startled by it and their mother, who the world later learned is Ambrosia, flew into a tirade.
"So she comes walking down, saying, 'You ignorant f***ing n*gger.' And I said, What did you say? She said, 'You ignorant f***ing n*gger. I said, Wow, I can't believe you said this," Benning told NewsOne.
Amazingly though, instead of responding in kind, Benning said he simply pulled his phone from his pocket and began recording Ambrosia.
"The only thing I was getting upset about was the fact that she was doing that in front of her kids," he said.
"When you do that in front of your kids, you don't give them an opportunity to love. It's all about hate and hating something they have no idea about. I'm a calm individual anyway. I'm only competitive when it's basketball time. I used to play basketball in college and that's when my competitive nature comes out. But off the court, I'm cool, calm, collected, respond when I need to respond. That's my demeanor," he explained.
Ambrosia has since told WBLK's Big Rob that Benning triggered the incident by calling her a "crackheaded cracker," but he denied that allegation as "totally false." She further told WGRZ-TV that she was sorry for the incident.
"I am ashamed and embarrassed by my behavior the other day, especially in front of my children," she said.
"It's not who I am and what I truly believe in. I have been under my doctor's care for mental health issues and was in the process of changing my medication," Ambrosia added. "And I am not using that as an excuse, but to let people further understand my frame of mind at the time. I am deeply sorry for my offensive behavior and the ignorant statements I made."
WARNING: VIDEOS BELOW CONTAIN EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
JANELLE AMBROSIA SAYS SHE'S NOT RACIST:
