DONKEY: Students Forced to Sit in Torrential Downpour During High School Graduation

Summary

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The Breakfast Club — "DONKEY: Students Forced to Sit in Torrential Downpour During High School Graduation"

Air Date: May 26, 2026
Hosts: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God
Network: The Black Effect Podcast Network & iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

This episode’s main theme revolves around the "Donkey of the Day" segment, in which Charlamagne Tha God criticizes Centennial High School and Franklin High School in Franklin, Tennessee. The schools went ahead with their outdoor graduation ceremonies despite a forecast for torrential rain, resulting in students, families, and faculty being soaked and enduring hazardous conditions. This situation touched on themes of leadership, planning, and the once-in-a-lifetime significance of graduation events.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Graduation Season and Personal Reflections

• Charlamagne opens by acknowledging graduation season and the importance of this life milestone.
• He shares his personal connection as his own daughter is graduating soon:
  • “My oldest daughter will be graduating high school in a few weeks, so I'm in that mood as well. Okay. I personally never put on a cap and gown and walked across the stage in my life, okay? So I am living vicariously through my daughter...” (03:35)

2. The Incident: Graduation in a Downpour

• News Clip Recap [04:54]:

  • Students at Centennial High School walked the stage in pouring rain.
  • Administrators stuck to a "rain or shine" policy (an email said graduation would proceed no matter what).
  • Elderly and kids were exposed to danger due to slippery conditions.
  • Some key graduation moments were lost, e.g., a planned moment of silence for a deceased classmate.

• Student Experiences:

  • “I was wearing my prom shoes. My shoes were so ruined. Like they were the puddles.” (05:13, Brooklyn Broadnax)
  • “I knew he was gonna graduate with us. We could at least do a moment of silence.” (06:17, Brooklyn Broadnax)
  • “I was really upset because I've been so excited for my graduation since freshman year, and it's always been like, sunny and a cute sunset.” (06:36, Brooklyn Broadnax)

• The ceremony was overshadowed by the weather: “Brooklyn says it's a moment where the rain didn't just fall on graduation night. It overshadowed it.” (06:44, News Reporter)

3. Critique of School Administration & Lack of Backup Plan

• Charlamagne’s main rebuke:

  • “Dear administration, faculty, staff and mother effing crew at Centennial and Franklin High School, what are you teaching these kids about? Leadership. Because, see, preparation is part of leadership. You all didn't prepare.” (07:30)
  • Criticizes lack of emergency contingency: “Your emergency weather plan cannot be. Let's just hope for the best, okay? No, no, no.” (08:00)

• Angela and Charlamagne lampoon the decision-making:

  • “Why would you hold a graduation in the middle of a tropical depression? Okay?... Why would you want these kids looking like they just participated in an episode of Naked and Afraid?” (07:11, Angela Yee)
  • “This graduation turned into a baptism. This is how you get pneumonia in your ass.” (07:41, Charlamagne Tha God)

• The schools are dubbed "Donkey of the Day" for gambling with “lightning and lace fronts” and failing to protect students and their families.

4. Larger Conversation: Outdoor Events & Planning

• DJ Envy shares comparable situations, like when his child graduated at Yankee Stadium in bad weather:

  • “They say, rain or shine, the graduation must go on, right?... We had torrential rain too. Torrential rain in Yankee Stadium to the point where it was nasty and disgusting...” (09:33)
  • “You had to get ponchos for those kids. I couldn't say, hey, let's reschedule it. Cuz they have speakers. They have people flying in, people driving in. So the graduation must go on.” (09:45)

• Angela pushes back:

  • “I don't like that. They tell you they need to have a plan B.” (10:00)
  • “They should plan for the weather outside.” (09:32)
  • “You can't control the weather. You never know.” (11:11)
  • “You gotta have a backup plan.” (11:06)

• Charlamagne suggests even a tent or move to a school building:

  • “There needs to be like some type of tinted — you know, place where they just in case the torrential rain.” (10:05)

5. Memorable Quotes & Humor

• On the absurdity of the situation:

  • “This graduation turned into a baptism. This is how you get pneumonia in your ass.” (07:41, Charlamagne Tha God)
  • “Why would you want these kids looking like they just participated in an episode of Naked and Afraid?” (07:11, Angela Yee)
  • “You mean to tell me a whole school district looked at the forecast and said, you know what? Let's gamble with lightning and lace fronts, okay?” (07:50, Charlamagne Tha God)

• On the need for leadership:

  • “Preparation is part of leadership. You all didn't prepare.” (07:30, Charlamagne Tha God)

• Angela ribbing DJ Envy:

  • “You are a Karen at heart.” (09:22, Angela Yee)

• On poor planning:

  • “You gotta have a backup plan.” (11:06, Angela Yee)

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Notable Segment Timestamps

• 03:10: Charlamagne introduces the “Donkey of the Day” segment.
• 04:54: News report about the rainy graduation and family/student reactions.
• 06:36: Brooklyn Broadnax shares personal disappointment.
• 07:11 - 08:20: Hosts lampoon school decisions; Charlamagne delivers the core “Donkey of the Day” rebuke.
• 09:24 - 10:48: Hosts debate outdoor graduations and compare with their own experiences.
• 11:06: Angela hammers in the importance of backup planning.

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Summary Flow and Tone

The discussion is lively, candid, witty, and slightly irreverent—typical for The Breakfast Club. The hosts express empathy for the students and critique the systemic failures with humor and a dose of personal experience, ensuring the listener feels both the gravity and the absurdity of the situation.

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Takeaway

Lesson: Large milestone events like graduations require thoughtful contingency planning—especially for unpredictable weather. The emotional and practical consequences of neglecting such basics can overshadow what should be a joyful, once-in-a-lifetime event.

Final Word:
Charlamagne, Angela, and DJ Envy agree: outdoor graduations should always have a backup plan. Otherwise, as Charlamagne puts it, “You are the ‘Donkey of the Day.’” (08:20)

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Transcript

[Charlamagne Tha God]

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

Bam. The Hee Haw again.

[Angela Yee]

It's time for donkey of the day. I ain't trying to be donkey today no more. They should be embarrassed by what they already did. I'm not making these people do these things. Call donkey. And it really caught me off guard. Damn Charlemagne. Who got the donkey of the day? That's why you gotta answer the phone. I was just telling Jess that God gave me a whole word to get her yesterday, and she said that it expired. Yes, it's gone now. I don't even remember what it was. I had my kids out yesterday. I'm lying. I remember it. I'll tell you later. All right, doggy. Today for Tuesday, May 26, goes to Centennial High School in Franklin High School in Franklin, Tennessee. Now it's graduation season. Salute to everyone who has a loved one graduating this year. Drop on the clues bombs for everybody who got a loved one. Gradu. My oldest daughter will be graduating high school in a few weeks, so I'm in that mood as well. Okay. I personally never put on a cap and gown and walked across the stage in my life, okay? So I am living vicariously through my daughter, and I can't wait to act a damn fool at her graduation. Okay? And you know it's an event, right? The grandparents come up from South Carolina, the cousins, the aunts. Like, graduations are huge, okay? Once in a lifetime thing. People rearrange their whole lives, go out of their way to make sure, you know, they're at graduations. You've been to high school and college already, right?

[DJ Envy]

That's right.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah, man. Graduations are a thing, okay? And I believe, you know, they are an event that should never be outside, okay? I. I really believe that because of mother Nature, all right? Mother Nature is very unpredictable. And the last thing you want is for a graduation to get rained out. Well, that's exactly what happened at Centennial High School and Franklin High School, and rightfully so. People are pissed. Okay, let's go to News Channel 5 for the report, please.

[News Reporter]

Students here at Centennial High School walked the stage in the pouring rain. Parents are now asking why the plans continued despite the rain and if they could have made a different call. It was the announcement Brooklyn Broadnax had waited for since her freshman year.

[Angela Yee]

Brooklyn Michelle Broadnax.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I was wearing my prom shoes. My shoes were so ruined. Like they were the puddles.

[News Reporter]

Brooklyn's family says the graduation ceremony plan at Centennial High School was already set before the first drop fell. An email from Williamson county schools said graduation would go on Thursday, rain or shine. But as conditions shifted, Brooklyn's godmother, Michelle Wyatt's concern shifted from celebration to safety.

[DJ Envy]

My concern is you had elderly who, number one, were now put in danger because of the weather. There are puddles of water they can't see. Now you run the risk of people falling.

[News Reporter]

Brooklyn says she sang the Star Spangled Banner with her poncho, offering little protection. Then what were you gonna do with

[DJ Envy]

a football field full of people? And you have lightning that's coming down.

[News Reporter]

And beyond the weather, Brooklyn says parts of the ceremony itself never happened, including a moment of silence planned for a classmate who died last year.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I knew he was gonna graduate with us. We could at least do a moment of silence.

[News Reporter]

Williamson county school says administrators monitored weather conditions throughout the day and said they would adjust timing based on forecasts and radar. But clearly downpours came well before the ceremony was over.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I was really upset because I've been so excited for my graduation since freshman year, and it's always been like, sunny and acute sunset.

[News Reporter]

Brooklyn says it's a moment where the rain didn't just fall on graduation night. It overshadowed it. In Williamson County, Kim Rafferty, News Channel 5.

[Angela Yee]

The forecast called for torrential rain. Torrential? I don't even know what that means. I don't even know if I'm pronouncing it right. Okay, the rain was Boosie's government name. Okay? And y' all still had the graduation outside? They said it was a tropical depression. If the weather is depressed, why would you not take this inside? Okay? Why would you hold a graduation in the middle of a tropical depression? Okay? I don't trust meteorologists either, but if they tell you that a tropical depression is coming, if they tell you that the rain is torrential, then why risk it? Okay? Why would you want these kids looking like they just participated in an episode of Naked and afraid. Okay? Kids are supposed to remember this for the rest of their lives and they will remember this for all the wrong reasons, okay? I mean. I mean, four years of hard work, parents crying, grandparents smiling, everybody dressed nice, taking pictures, okay? That's what graduation is supposed to be about. Instead, this graduation turned into a baptism. This is how you get pneumonia in your ass. Okay? And what pisses me off if they knew the rain was coming. They was monitoring it and there was no backup plan. What about the gym? What about the auditorium? Cafeterias? Hell, at least a tent from party city. Okay? You mean to tell me a whole school district looked at the forecast and said, you know what? Let's gamble with lightning and lace fronts, okay? You had grandma sitting on wet bleaches. I don't know if the Depends. You know, she was probably wearing can handle that much moisture. Can they? I don't know. Depends. Yes, they can. Yes. All right. I don't know. Okay. Dear administration, faculty, staff and mother effing crew at Centennial and Franklin High School, what are you teaching these kids about? Leadership. Because, see, preparation is part of leadership. You all didn't prepare. And as a leader, your emergency weather plan cannot be. Let's just hope for the best, okay? No, no, no. These kids already survived group projects, standardized testing, accusations of using ChatGPT. The least they earned is a dry graduation. Please give Centennial in Franklin High School the sweet sounds of the Hamiltones. Oh, now you are the doggy of the day. You are the doggie of the day. And we. Don't even give me that dumbass look because you would be the first person complaining if they had your kids out there in that graduation.

[DJ Envy]

I'm just saying.

[Angela Yee]

You are a Karen at heart.

[DJ Envy]

I'm just saying.

[Angela Yee]

Knock it off.

[DJ Envy]

When they have graduations, they plan for things, right? They plan for security, they plan for speakers, they plan to put the chairs out or the blue.

[Angela Yee]

They should plan for the weather outside.

[DJ Envy]

So they say, rain or shine, the graduation must go on, right? Madison graduated from nyu. It was at Yankee Stadium. Yankee Stadium is not closed. And we had torrential rain to.

[Angela Yee]

Torrential rain.

[DJ Envy]

Torrential rain in Yankee Stadium to the point where it was nasty and disgusting. And those kids. You had to get ponchos for those kids. I couldn't say, hey, let's reschedule it.

[Angela Yee]

No.

[DJ Envy]

Cuz they have speakers. They have people flying in, people driving in. So the graduation must go on.

[Angela Yee]

I don't like that.

[DJ Envy]

Rain or shine, it is what it is.

[Angela Yee]

They tell you they need to have a plan B.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

There needs to be like some type of tinted.

[Angela Yee]

Absolutely.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You know, place where they just in case the torrential rain.

[DJ Envy]

It rained and. And parents got wet and people got wet.

[Angela Yee]

You know what's crazy about Yankee Stadium? They got backup plans for when it rains at games.

[DJ Envy]

They cancel the games. Well, I'm sure NYU rented out Yankee Stadium and they had to play pay to rent it out. So they had to do it. I mean, I had a game plan.

[Angela Yee]

Plan B.

[DJ Envy]

My game plan was Salute to CC Sabatha. He was playing, and I asked him if he got me and could get me in the suite, and he got me in the Sweet.

[Angela Yee]

So I didn't give it up for everybody else.

[DJ Envy]

Huh? I didn't get.

[Angela Yee]

You don't care if you're Beijing run all down your neck. Everybod.

[DJ Envy]

I appreciate you that day, Amber. Thank you so much. I really appreciate. I held me down, but that's what it is.

[Angela Yee]

Torrent, hatchery, torrential, whatever. If there's Torrance Hatchery, then you should not be having the graduation. But they tell you at least have a backup plan.

[Bethenny Frankel]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

And then the sad thing is when they don't let you have umbrellas because it blocks everybody. So you got to get poncho. That's horrible. It happens. It's messed up, but they spend so much money, a lot of time they can't read.

[Angela Yee]

You gotta have a backup plan.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I'm with y'.

[Angela Yee]

All.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

They shouldn't be outside. You can't control.

[Angela Yee]

You can't control the weather. You don't. You never know.

[DJ Envy]

All right, well, thank you for that. Donkey of the day.

[Angela Yee]

Yes, indeed.

[DJ Envy]

Now, when we come back, Kevin Hart joined us last hour. We're gonna get it back on. Spoke to him for over an hour and 30 minutes.

[Angela Yee]

We did. And I know, you know, last hour we talked a lot about the roast, you know, but on the day of the roast, I don't know if y' all saw. There was a story that came out that talked about potential trouble at Kevin's Heartbeat Company. Heartbeat Production Company.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I saw that. Yeah.

[Angela Yee]

So we'll be talking about that this hour.

[DJ Envy]

All right, we'll get. Get back to that next.

[Angela Yee]

So don't move.

[DJ Envy]

It's the Breakfast Club.

[Angela Yee]

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[Angela Yee]

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[DJ Envy]

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

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