Keith Lee’s emotional Thanksgiving plans include little brother’s first holiday home after prison

Food influencer Keith Lee opens up about his holiday plans, Small Business Saturday, and welcoming his brother back to his table.

This year, there’s going to be an extra chair at Keith Lee’s Thanksgiving table — for his little brother, who will be joining the family for the first time since spending eight years behind bars.  

The 29-year-old food influencer and internet personality opened up in a new interview with People magazine about his plans for the holidays and Small Business Saturday (Nov. 29) and how he’s been looking forward to finally sharing Thanksgiving with his little brother.

“He was my best friend growing up,” he told the publication about his little brother. “Now to have a piece of us that I felt like was missing, I think it’s going to be extremely important.” 

On Nov. 13, Lee’s older brother, mixed martial artist Kevin Lee, uploaded footage to TikTok of him picking up their younger brother. In the video, which Kevin notes he may not have been fully allowed to capture, the brothers have a joyful and playful reunion before the younger requests they “hit the gas” and get up out of there. 

Later that day, Lee shared footage on the same platform of his younger brother’s first meal request after prison: Wingstop. In the video, the brothers sample a few flavors and give their review with footage of his tearful reunion with their parents interspersed. 

Lee told People, while he’s partnering with American Express for Small Business Saturday, on Nov. 29, he’s gearing up for an “intimate” potluck-style Thanksgiving this year with him preparing the mac & cheese along with the greens. What his brother plans to cook remains a mystery — “we’re going to find out together” — but Lee is certain it’ll be memorable and make an appearance on his TikTok. 

While his wife, Ronnie, usually finds her way into the holiday cooking lineup, she’s sitting this Thanksgiving out after welcoming their third child, Kardigan Marcus, on Sept. 24. The internet personality joked that her contribution this year is already spoken for. “She’s making milk for the baby… that’s what she’s bringing to the table.”