JASON LEE IS BEST KNOWN in Stockton as a leading player in local politics and the city’s vice mayor. But in his professional life, as the interviewer of top Hollywood celebrities, Lee is having a big moment this month.
He landed a massive music-industry scoop when rapper A$AP Rocky, longtime companion to singing superstar Rihanna, told Lee on his podcast that she is in the studio, potentially working on a new album. It would be her first in a decade.
The interview showcases Lee’s parallel universe of hobnobbing with Hollywood’s elite.
Hanging with rappers and other artists is a sharp contrast to how Lee spends his time in Stockton politics. Some 350 miles from the bright lights of Tinseltown, Lee is known in his hometown for sharp elbows and a feisty approach when carrying out his duties as vice mayor and representing District 6 in south Stockton.
But when he’s not enmeshed in City Council debates about the merits of establishing police substations or defending the need for diversity in city hiring, Lee is behind a microphone interviewing celebrities.
For his most recent edition of BET Network’s “The Jason Lee Show,” he traveled to New York to sit down with A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Athelaston Mayers.
More than an hour and a half into the interview, Lee asked whether Rocky was the reason that Rihanna hasn’t produced another album since 2016’s “Anti.” The rapper and Fenty brand founder share three children, ages 4, 3 and 11 months.
‘Nobody wants to hear us together, bro’
“Yo, she in the studio right now,” Rocky said, the kind of admission that can set the music world — and her fan base — on fire. Rocky instantly realized his slip, adding, “Yeah, I said it. Sorry, babe.” A few seconds later, he mused, “Damn, I’ma get in trouble for this.”
Lee went on to enquire whether the two would ever put out an album together — an idea that Rocky immediately shut down.
“Nope,” he quickly interjected. “I would hate Rocky and Rihanna if they both did that. That’s trash. Nobody wants to hear us together, bro.”
The two-hour conversation with Rocky isn’t the first time Lee’s interactions with a celeb have included an eye-popping revelation. Lee recently credited Grammy-award winning artist Lizzo with saving his life. The off-hand comments, posted on YouTube, came as Lee interviewed Lizzo on the red carpet at the BET Music Awards 2026 in Los Angeles.
Lee said she came to his aid when he became overheated and light-headed at a club. He later indicated to Stocktonia that he may have been a little overdramatic in recounting the incident: “It was a joke — not much more there,” he said.
This story originally appeared in Stocktonia.