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TikTok creator reacts after her dance is used without credit on Jimmy Fallon show: ‘That should’ve been my time’

‘We are very good creators that are very overlooked in what we do’

Clémence Michallon
New York City
Thursday 01 April 2021 22:24 BST
Jimmy Fallon and Addison Rae on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon and Addison Rae on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (YouTube/The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon)

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A TikTok creator has spoken out after a dance she created was used without credit in a broadcast of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Mya Johnson (@theemyanicole on TikTok), who created a viral choreography to Cardi B's “Up” with fellow creator Chris Cotter, told PopSugar she would have “loved” to be on the show, or received on-screen credit.

The segment, which aired last week, is titled “Addison Rae Teaches Jimmy Eight TikTok Dances”. It features influencer and singer Addison Rae performing a series of choreographies which are popular on TikTok, along with host Fallon.

The sequence was criticised for failing to display the names of the creators of each dance on the air. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon provided a list of credits highlighting the creators of the choreographies when sharing the segment on YouTube.

“I was very surprised because it's like, ‘Wow, I made a dance that's made it all the way to TV,’” Johnson told PopSugar of the moment she saw the Tonight Show segment. “Of course, I was happy and everything.”

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But she added: “My mom always tells me, ‘When it's my time, it's my time.’ I felt like that should've been my time and Chris's time, because we created the dance.”

Highlighting the need to make sure Black creatives are properly credited on the platform, Johnson said: “I feel like it is very important for us to get our credit because we are very good creators that are very overlooked in what we do.”

Rae told TMZ that she supports all of the creators of the dances featured in the segment, and that all of them can one day meet up with her and “dance together”.

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