Shaquille O’Neal’s plethora of philanthropic contributions include the Shaquille O’Neal Charitable Foundation. The organization hosts an annual Foundation Gala aimed at raising money for the Boys and Girls Club. The headliner event hosts a range of celebrities each year, including Jennifer Hudson as well, this year. Speaking to ET Online, Shaq claimed that he had no intentions of performing alongside Hudson.
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O’Neal’s charity gala will include a range of celebrities apart from Hudson, including the likes of Anderson .Paak, Dan + Shay, Ray Romano, and Joel McHale. Set to host the event, Shaq has also been preparing himself physically. Speaking to ET’s Nichelle Turner, Shaq claimed he decided to lose weight once he started struggling on stairs. He went on to reveal that most of the work revolved around eating right:
“I’m probably gonna get between 315 and 330. I was getting chubby and couldn’t even walk up the stairs. I didn’t like the way I looked in the mirror. I was like, ‘I’m gonna lose 20′ and then I was trying to lose 20. I got a couple people involved — it’s all about eating right. I got some blood work done… I didn’t know what the difference between a carb and a protein, at 50 years old I never knew.’ So, he was saying you can’t do this, you can’t do that, more vegetables, my iron’s low. And once I just started changing those certain things, it dropped.”
At the same time, Shaq also spoke about the upcoming gala, claiming that he had no intention of performing alongside Hudson. Nichelle Turner suggested that Hudson’s partner and American rapper Common might also attend the event. In response, Shaq threw a shoutout for common, before refusing to perform:
“I love Common too. What’s up Common? No, not at all.”
Needless to say, with a range of celebrated performers set to headline the charity event, there is little doubt that Shaq’s talents are not needed for the stage!
The Shaq Foundation Charity Gala regularly headlines massive celebrities
This year’s event will not be the first time when some familiar faces will be making their way to the charity gala. Last year, O’Neal thanked a range of celebrities on Instagram for attending his charity gala.
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This included the likes of Snoop Dogg, Justin Bieber, Kelly Clarkson, Imagine Dragons, and Jimmy Kimmel. The event managed to attract a range of top performers who all made the night a memorable one.
The same can be expected from the group of celebrities who will be attending this year. The October 7 event will be held at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, with tickets ranging from $50 to $250.
