Actress and former Soul Train dancer, Rosie Perez, has always admitted that she had serious anger issues back in the day. She recalled one heated incident when things got way out of hand on the set of Soul Train. One such situation apparently got ugly between Rosie and her then-boss, the late, great Don Cornelius…and let’s just say that neither Don, nor Rosie didn’t play that!
In her book, Handbook For an Unpredictable Life, Rosie Perez told the story of how she went through a LOT of torment as a child and was a ward of the state of New York by the age of 3. Her experiences of physical abuse at the hands of her Mother, the nuns at the Catholic children’s home she was sent to, and having to fend for herself, is what lead her to make the decision to do what she did to respond the way that she did when Don Cornelius made her angry. She says in hindsight, she thinks she overreacted, and this is what she said happened in a prior interview with Soul Train:
Interviewer: You didn’t just fight kids at school. You fought back against the nuns. Then you got into a fight with Don Cornelius when you were on “Soul Train.” Can you tell us that story?
Rosie Perez: That was a clue that I needed help. I thought, “I’m so together. I’m in college. I’m going for my major in biochemistry. I’m fantastic,” you know? “I’m on ‘Soul Train.'” And if you just pressed the wrong button, it was, like, just a nuclear explosion would occur in me.
That’s what happened with Don Cornelius. He touched me, and pulled me, and yanked me inappropriately. I freaked out, and I just started swinging, and started grabbing things. The first thing I grabbed was a two-piece Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was a low point. I was beyond embarrassed. I was still walking out with this pathetic bravado like, “So? I don’t care. I don’t care.” By the time I get in the car, I start crying. I felt like an idiot.
Interviewer: You threw a chicken wing at Don Cornelius’ forehead?
Yes. It’s embarrassing, and it was so wrong. I thank goodness that we were able to make up before his passing. But that’s what I mean it’s like, “Am I really enjoying my life? If I am this person holding on to this anger from the past, am I really enjoying my life?” No.
Geesh…Rosie was no joke back then! I guess Don didn’t have time for a feisty 5’1″ woman hurling chicken wings at his forehead every time she got mad about something.
Seriously though, if a man puts his hands on a woman inappropriately, by all means she has every right to react however she sees fit. We don’t condone anyone “pulling, touching, or yanking” anyone, but I think what Rosie is saying is that the extent of what Don Cornelius’ action was, was not as extreme as what she processed it as in that particular moment. So, it seems like that’s probably why she’s now saying her reaction to him was wrong.
Nevertheless, the good news is that Rosie says her anger issues are under control now. Like we mentioned earlier, her anger management issues come from a deep place of childhood pain and abuse from school nuns, according to her book. So to her credit, she didn’t just come here that way…but she had to do a lot of inner soul searching and healing to overcome her past struggles. Props to her for doing the work.
