Well, you look very, very sharp.
Oh, man.
You look good.
Well, thank you, Ellen.
I'm trying to be like you when I grow up.
So what's the reaction at school since you were here?
Well, when I got back, Ellen, it was
like it was a Super Bowl parade waiting on me.
And there was so many people saying, oh, you was on Ellen.
I was like, yeah, was on Ellen.
They said, no, Ellen, Ellen.
I say, yes, Ellen, Ellen.
And it was so--
the love that poured in, and it was
because I was saving lives and not making a jump shot,
so that made it so much sweeter.
And I want to say now I know every time I'm
playing in another country, because I
start getting calls and gifts from all over the world.
Just last week, Hamburg, Germany sent me some stuff
and saying Cook, we love what you're doing.
So it's been amazing.
That's incredible.
Good for them all over the world.
Yes.
Thank you, Germany.
Yes.
So you installed a laundry room, but I
know that you had a fear that the kids would
be too embarrassed to go in there and use it.
Yes, ma'am.
So I had this wonderful thing, right?
But I thought that who was going to be the first ones?
It was going to take those brave students to be first.
And when I got back, it was the complete opposite.
It was so many students.
I mean, we're using the washers and dryers six, seven days
a week, all day long.
And it's all my kids.
It's changed the culture in my building
to where that they know that they love
and they're supporting it.
Like I said, it's been coming from all over the world.
So we once were the school that no one wanted to go to,
and now, everybody is coming.
I'm getting 10 to 15 kids a week,
and it's all because of the love that you've shown
and all the people around the world.
That's amazing.
Well, first of all--
yeah, that's incredible.
The fact that also they're learning
how to do their own laundry is important.
Yes.
That's what a lot of parents would hope
their kids learn how to do.
Yes.
And I know that Senator Cory Booker reached out to you.
Yes.
So just imagine a presidential candidate--
when I first left Ellen, he sent me this beautiful written
letter from the Senate office.
And I was just so happy, I framed it up.
And then I want to say about a month ago,
he had a Twitter feed.
So I said, go to your Twitter, go to your Twitter.
I don't even be on Twitter.
So I went to Twitter and I saw that Senator Booker had
nominated me for Black History Month as one of the folks
that we should look out for.
Yes.
And rightfully so.
All right, we're going to take a break.
More with Akbar after this.
We're back with principal Akbar Cook
from West Side high school, and we just
couldn't be happier for you and for what's
happening to all the students.
And we wanted to bring them here.
We couldn't bring them here, but Jeannie went to them.
So let's say hi to your students right now.
[INAUDIBLE] Get out of here.
Look at that, I think they're happy.
I love that you call them your babies.
They're all like-- well, they seem happy.
They're very happy, very happy.
All right, I understand there's some students that
want to say something to Akbar.
I do, I do.
I've got Anayah and Jakhai?
Anayah, what do you want to say to principal Cook?
Well, I just want to say thank you first.
Over the years I've known you, you've
been somebody I could talk to, always kept me out of trouble.
So you're really like family.
And what about you, Jakhai?
What about you?
Me personally, I feel like even though Cook our principal,
he don't really feel like our principal.
He feel more like one of us, because he laughs with us,
he jokes with us, and like most of all--
I can remember that he told us we're family man, at my school.
Forget about me, I love you.
I just want to say hi to all the students there right now.
And I'm so proud of you, I'm so happy for you.
So I'm just giving a big hello to all of you right now.
[INAUDIBLE]
This guy is something special, and I know you know that.
And because of that, our friends at Cheerios
love that you're continuing this work.
And they want to help you continue
to do the things you do.
They want to give you another $50,000 for West Side
high school.
Oh, my God, again.
Yeah, that's right.
We'll be right back.
Hi, I'm Andy.
Ellen asked me to remind you to subscribe to her channel
so you can see more awesome videos, like videos
of me getting scared or saying embarrassing things,
like ball peen hammer.
And also some videos of Ellen and other celebrities,
if you're into that sort of thing.
[BLEEP]
God [BLEEP].