Dateline — September 13, 2025. A video of Draya Michele and NBA star Jalen Green arguing outside a New York Fashion Week event went viral on social platforms on Saturday. The clip spread across Instagram, X, and TikTok within hours. The viral footage pushed searches for Draya Michele sharply higher across U.S. trends that same day.
This article explains who Draya Michele is, why the name is trending in the United States, and the key public moments and controversies that shape public interest today. I present recent facts, background, and a clear timeline so readers can follow why attention has returned to her.
Who is Draya Michele? A quick profile
Draya Michele (born Andraya Michele Howard in 1985) rose to fame on reality TV. She first became widely known after appearing on VH1’s Basketball Wives LA. Over the years, Draya Michele built a public profile as an actress, model, and fashion entrepreneur. She founded the swimwear label Mint Swim and later launched other fashion brands. She is active on Instagram, where she has millions of followers and uses the platform to promote her business and lifestyle work.
The viral NYFW clip and immediate fallout
On the night of September 12–13, 2025, footage captured Draya Michele and her boyfriend, NBA guard Jalen Green, in a heated public exchange outside a fashion event in SoHo. The bystander video shows the two speaking loudly and friends attempting to intervene. The short clip was reposted by multiple entertainment outlets and celebrity accounts. The incident quickly became a trending conversation online, partly because it occurred at a high-profile event (New York Fashion Week) and because the couple already draws attention due to their public profile.
Why the searches spiked: the age gap, a famous boyfriend, and a baby
There are three clear reasons Draya Michele often climbs the trending charts:
- A high-profile relationship with an NBA star. Draya’s relationship with Jalen Green — who is more than a decade younger — has been widely covered. That age gap has produced persistent public reaction and commentary. Fans and critics both pay attention when the couple appears in public.
- A recent family milestone. Draya Michele and Jalen Green welcomed their daughter in May 2024. Their becoming parents — and occasional public glimpses of the child — adds human interest to coverage and stokes online conversation. Major outlets have run features on their family since the birth.
- A string of controversies and viral moments. From brand promotions seen as ill-timed to viral social clips, Draya Michele has frequently been in the headlines. Past incidents — such as backlash after promoting an expensive air purifier during wildfire season in Los Angeles — mean new stories are often viewed through a lens of critique, which boosts engagement and search activity.
A closer look at career and business moves
Before the most recent viral clip, Draya Michele made her name in fashion and social media. She launched Mint Swim in 2011 and later added other labels. Her business choices, red-carpet looks, and curated social feed maintain her status as a lifestyle entrepreneur. Coverage of her fashion choices and product drops regularly appears in sports-and-style outlets and lifestyle pages.
Public controversies: patterns and public response
Over the past two years, Draya Michele has made headlines more for two types of stories:
- Personal life news — relationship milestones, family updates, and the age-gap debate. Coverage often mixes fashion and personal reporting, which feeds social conversation.
- Commercial missteps or tone-deaf claims — for example, social media posts promoting premium products during crises have provoked criticism. Those moments draw swift social media reaction and media write-ups that further raise search volumes.
What the public reaction looks like now
Responses to the NYFW video fall into several camps online. Some users criticized the public nature of the argument. Some defended Draya Michele as a private person caught in an emotional moment. Others returned to the familiar age-gap debate about her relationship with Jalen Green. Influencers and sports commentators reposted the clip, which amplified reach and sustained conversation for hours.
Why outlets keep covering Draya Michele
Media outlets — from celebrity tabloids to mainstream sports pages — continue to cover Draya Michele for several practical reasons:
- She intersects multiple interest beats: reality TV, fashion, and sports (through her partner).
- She runs consumer brands, so lifestyle coverage can include product stories that attract clicks.
- Viral moments — short, emotionally charged videos — map perfectly to social platforms and newsroom cycles. That makes any new clip a simple headline generator.
What’s next? Reputation and business implications
Public incidents can be double-edged for public figures like Draya Michele. A viral moment can drive short-term engagement and brand visibility. But repeated controversies may strain relationships with partners, sponsors, and parts of her audience. At the same time, long-time fans and those who follow her businesses may stay supportive. The long-run impact often depends on how the person responds — a calm statement, a clarifying post, or stepping back from the spotlight can change the tenor of coverage.
Timeline: recent public hits related to Draya Michele
- May 12, 2024: Draya and Jalen’s daughter is born. The birth attracted broad coverage and ongoing public interest.
- January 2025: Social media backlash after a promotional post during the Los Angeles wildfires. That moment became a reference point for critics.
- September 12–13, 2025: Viral video at New York Fashion Week shows the couple in a heated exchange. This clip triggered the latest spike in searches and conversation.
How journalists and readers should interpret the viral clip
Short videos do not show the full context. They reflect moments — not all the facts. For responsible coverage, journalists often try to verify timestamps, seek comment from both parties, and place clips within a person’s recent public record. For readers, it helps to watch a full, credited video if available, and to wait for verified statements before drawing firm conclusions.
Draya Michele is trending now because a short public video intersected with her ongoing role as a fashion entrepreneur and the public interest around her relationship with an NBA star. Her past controversies and business profile make the story multiply across outlets. Expect more social posts, possible statements from the couple, and follow-up coverage in lifestyle and sports media in the next day or two.