DONKEY: Professor Caught On Hot Mic Making Racist Remarks About Black Students

Summary

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The Breakfast Club: DONKEY – Professor Caught On Hot Mic Making Racist Remarks About Black Students

Date: February 24, 2026
Podcast: The Breakfast Club (The Black Effect Podcast Network & iHeartPodcasts)
Hosts: Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious

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Episode Overview

This episode’s "Donkey of the Day" segment, hosted by Charlamagne Tha God, spotlights Hunter College professor Allison Friedman, who was caught on a hot mic making blatantly racist remarks during a virtual Community Education Council meeting. The hosts dissect the incident, criticize institutional protection like tenure, and call for accountability and allyship in the face of racism in education.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introduction to the Incident (02:24–02:58)

• Charlamagne introduces Allison Friedman, associate professor at the CUNY School and Hunter College, as the recipient of "Donkey of the Day" for making racist remarks about Black students during a virtual school meeting.
• The concept of "coprolalia" (involuntary utterance of obscene or socially inappropriate remarks) is defined, questioning if it applies or is merely an excuse.

2. Breakdown of the Racist Remarks (04:22–05:39)

• During a meeting discussing potential school shutdowns, an 8th-grade Black student spoke up about concerns.

• Unaware her mic was live, Friedman made derogatory comments:

  • “They’re just too dumb to know they’re in a bad school.”
    — Allison Friedman [04:33]
  • “Apparently Martin Luther King said it: if you train a Black person well enough, they’ll know to use the back. You don’t have to tell them anymore.”
    (Charlamagne later clarifies this was a misattributed Carter G. Woodson quote)

• Charlamagne emphasizes the gravity and clarity of her remarks, replaying the clip for listeners.

3. Context, Reactions, and Defending Students (05:39–08:57)

• Charlamagne contextualizes the misquoted reference, clarifying that the actual quote is Carter G. Woodson’s, not Martin Luther King, about systemic oppression teaching marginalized people their “place.”
• He calls out the lack of vocal opposition from bystanders, particularly white allies:
  • “I want to hear white folks on the Zoom saying, ‘Allison, you racist bitch,’ and I want to see Black people on the Zoom go to hell!”
    — Charlamagne Tha God [07:09]
• He stresses collective responsibility to defend young Black students and not remain silent.

4. Satirical Critiques and Social Commentary (06:35–08:57)

• Charlamagne uses sharp humor to deride Friedman's views and appearance, mocking the archaic and out-of-touch nature of her worldview:

  • “You can tell her that her worldview and her hair looks like it stopped updating in the 1950s. Racism isn’t an opinion, it’s a failure to learn.”
    — Charlamagne Tha God [07:41]

• Playfully offers a list of colorful insults: “milk cricket,” “human jar of Hellmann’s,” “cracker ass cracker,” and quips about “coprolalia.”

• Kathy Griffin and Chelsea Handler’s comedic “hee haw” soundbites are invoked as audio punctuation, intensifying the ridicule.

5. Institutional Protection and Listener Engagement (09:20–10:36)

• The hosts question whether tenure should shield educators from consequences for racism.
• Charlamagne calls for educators and academics to explain the tenured system, directly soliciting audience feedback:
  • “Please, please call up right now and tell me what [tenure] means.”
    — Charlamagne Tha God [09:44]
• The need for systemic change is reiterated, with pointed questions:
  • “Can she do that at all with the way that she’s thinking?”
    — Radio Co-Host [09:53]
• Listeners are invited to call in and discuss whether Friedman should lose her job, reinforcing community dialogue.

6. Final Thoughts and Accountability (10:09–10:52)

• Charlamagne doubts Friedman’s “accidental” mic gaffe, suggesting indifference or entitlement.
• The idea is raised that tenure may insulate individuals from accountability, a problematic dynamic in education, particularly for those shaping young minds.
• The hosts reinforce the call for both Black and non-Black listeners to actively confront racism.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Charlamagne Tha God [05:39]: “She said that Black students, they’re too dumb to know that they’re in a bad school. Well, Allison, you’re too dumb to know your mic wasn’t muted, but honestly, I don’t think she cared.”
• Charlamagne Tha God [07:09]: “When we hear blatant acts of racism like this, we have to meet the devil—in this case, the white devil—at the door. And it’s not just Black people, okay? White people who aren’t racist, when you hear these blatant acts of racism, you have to check it, okay? You must use your privilege to fight prejudice.”
• Charlamagne Tha God [07:41]: “Racism isn’t an opinion, it’s a failure to learn. And clearly, Allison, you don’t know a damn thing.”
• Charlamagne Tha God [10:09]: “You knew your mic was on. You didn’t care. She didn’t care.”

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• 02:24: Start of “Donkey of the Day” segment and introduction to the incident
• 04:22–05:39: Audio replay and analysis of Friedman’s racist remarks
• 05:39–08:57: Contextual critique, historical references, and satirical commentary
• 09:20–10:36: Discussion on tenure and accountability; listener phone lines opened
• 10:09–10:52: Final thoughts and closing discussion

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Episode Tone and Style

• Direct, fiery, and satirical—typical of Charlamagne’s “Donkey of the Day” delivery
• Emphasis on community dialogue and holding individuals accountable
• Candid and unfiltered language, using humor as critique and rallying call

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Summary Takeaway

Charlamagne Tha God and The Breakfast Club hosts use the platform to call out both individual and systemic racism, spotlighting the urgent need for allies and institutional accountability. The episode leverages biting humor and unflinching honesty to energize listeners and generate public discourse about the realities of racism in education and the dangers of complacency.

Transcript

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

with the Donkey it's time for Donkey of the Day. A bunch of donkeys around Here with the he. Yes, you are a donkey. What the hell? What the hell? Some donkey. Today's just sell himself.

[Radio Co-Host 2]

Charlemagne.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Give it to him. Breakfast Club all day. Give it to him. Oh, man. Charlemagne. Who you giving donkey to do tonight? Well, Rob 49, Donkey of the Day for Tuesday, February 24th, goes to a Hunter College professor named Allison Friedman. Now, Allison might have coprolalia. Okay, Coprolalia. Okay. We heard. We learned about this. What is it? Say it again, Corporal Alia. There you go. It is the involuntary outburst of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks. We heard about this this weekend because of the BAFTA awards. And according to the nypol, she has sparked outrage after she was caught making a blatantly racist comment during a New York City public schools video meeting. Listen, man, at some point, we are just gonna have to realize that there is racist and bigots amongst us. It just is what it is, okay? You know, some are open, some are closeted, and we keep making excuses for racist behavior. There are some people who will listen to me give Alison Donkey of the day right now and say that I'm creating division. No, actually, I'm just reporting the news now. Let me tell you what happened. Allison Friedman is an associate professor of biology at the Manhattan School, Manhattan CUNY School. And there was a young eighth grader, black, of course, who was raising concerns about her Upper west side school possibly facing a shutdown during a Community Education Council meeting. Well, Allison Freeman thought she was on mute, and she wasn't. And she had some things to say about black students. Would you like to hear what she had to say? Let's listen to Alison Friedman.

[Student/Caller]

I've been receiving speech services since first grade. I attended the Goldman and two other students. On Fridays, he delivers lessons and helps us fit those skills into our lessons

[Radio Co-Host 2]

that, like, they're just. They're too dumb to know they're in a bad school.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I mean,

[Radio Co-Host 2]

apparently Martin Luther King said it, like, if you train a black person well enough, they'll know to use the back. You don't have to tell them anymore.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Allison Freedman, what you're saying is absolutely hearable here. You've got to stop, you big dummy. Well, if you didn't hear what Allison said, she said they're too dumb. Talking about black students. They're too dumb to know they're in a bad school. Let's play it one more time. She's talking in the background. So the student is talking, and Allison doesn't know that she's, you know, unmuted.

[Student/Caller]

Let's Listen, I've been receiving these services since first grade. I attended GO and two other students on Friday. He delivers lessons and helps us fit those skills into our lessons.

[Radio Co-Host 2]

Schools that like, they're. They're just too dumb to know they're in a bad school.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I mean,

[Radio Co-Host 2]

apparently Martin Luther King said it like, if you train a black person well enough, they'll know to use the back. You don't have to tell them anymore.

[Student/Caller]

They.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Justin Freedman, what you're saying is absolutely hearable here. You've got to stop. She said that black students, they're too dumb to know that they're in a bad school. Well, Allison, you're too dumb to know. Your mic wasn't muted, but honestly, I don't think she cared. Okay, these people know they can be openly racist right now, and nothing will happen. Right now, as I speak, they are saying Allison is being reviewed by her employer, but may keep her job thanks to her cushy tenure. I need my. I need my college professors and people in this world to help me out with this, because as far as I know, tenure is an employment status commonly in teaching that provides security against dismissal without just cause. Racism, not a just cause. Okay? Like Allison said, if you train a black person well enough, they'll know to use the back. You don't have to tell them anymore. She's basically saying, we will know to sit in the back if we listen to Massa. And she was replying to a comment made by Reginald Higgins, who is the school's district interim acting superintendent, who was quoting Carter G. Woodson. Allison, not Martin Luther King. If you make a man think that he is justly an outcast, you do not have to order him to the back door. He will go without being told. And what bothers me about these situations is I know Michelle Obama says, when they go low, we gotta go high, but what's wrong with taking things to hell? Okay? My therapist told me that's healthy. Okay? It's not that you matching energies, you just venting, too. Sometimes not replying to things like this is like holding in a fart. Now, uncomfortable, that is. Now, I don't fart in my clothes, so I know how it feels to hold in the fart. But when we hear blatant acts of racism like this, we have to meet the devil. In this case, the white devil at the door. And it's not just black people, okay? White people who aren't racist. When you hear these blatant acts of racism like this, you have to check it, okay? You Must use your privilege to fight prejudice. I'm looking at y' all on the zoom sitting in shock. No, I want to hear white folks on the zoom saying, allison, you racist bitch, okay? And I want to see black people on the zoom go to hell. Okay? You got slurs. We got slurs, too. You got disrespectful things to say about us. We got disrespectful things to say about y', all, okay? I don't even expect the little 8th grader to have anything to say. They only in 8th grade adults. The village are supposed to come to the defense of that youngin in that moment. All right? You have to tell Allison Freedman that contrary to her wishes, we are absolutely freed, men and women, and we have the right to tell her. Okay? For a person with no lips, you sure got a lot to say. Okay? You can tell her that her worldview and her hair looks like it stopped updating in the 1950s. You can tell her that racism isn't an opinion, it's a failure to learn. And clearly, Allison, you don't know a damn thing. Or you could just call her a milk cricket, okay? Or you can just call her a human jar Helmans. Or you can just do this old people goody cracker ass cracker and say you got copra lalia. Whatever. Whatever works. There you go. All I know is, when it comes to people like Allison, her worldview is dying, and she's mad she can't take the rest of us to hell with her. Please let Kathy Griffin give Allison Friedman the biggest hee Haw. Please give this giant jar of mayo the biggest hee haw. Does Chelsea Handler want to give her the biggest Hee haw as well? Hee haw. Hee haw.

[Podcast Host]

That is way too much.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Dan Mayonnaise has Chris Rockman taking his medicine. Or he still got copa lalia. Oh, what about my girl that work at the diner? She got Corporal Lily in, too. Yeah. Man, them ticks, man. Them ticks, man. That's the ticks. It's copa lilia, man. That's crazy.

[Radio Co-Host]

Well, thank you for the donkey today, sir.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes, indeed.

[Radio Co-Host]

So the question is, should she lose her job?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah. Because she's under review. That's right.

[Radio Co-Host]

Let's open the phone lines, huh?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And I don't even know what that means. It says she's under review, but because of her cushy tenure. That's what the New York Post is saying. Because of her cushy tenure, she's not going to lose her job. I don't know what cushy tenure means. So all the educators and everybody in. In the world of academia, please, please call up right now and. And tell me what that means.

[Radio Co-Host]

Yeah, 800-585-1051. Should she lose her job? I mean, she's a teacher, right?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And.

[Radio Co-Host]

And yes, she's supposed to be helping the youth. Yes, she's supposed to be helping them grow and be better people and better young adults and all this other stuff. Can she do that at all with the way that she's thinking? Let's discuss 800-5851.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

She knew her mic was on. I don't care. I. She knew. I make. So you're a teacher. You do zooms all the time. You knew your mic was on. You didn't care. She didn't care. I don't know why he left you.

[Radio Co-Host]

I don't know why.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I don't know why he didn't respond. I. I hate on zoom. I don't know why he didn't do that, but.

[Radio Co-Host]

800-585-1051. Let's discuss.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

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