FULL SHOW: Claressa Shields Speaks Out After Slapping With Alycia Baumgardner + Byron Allen Interview

Summary

The Breakfast Club – May 20, 2026

FULL SHOW: Claressa Shields Speaks Out After Slapping Alycia Baumgardner + Byron Allen Interview

Hosts: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God
Special Guests: Byron Allen, Lauren LaRosa, Mimi Brown
Podcast Network: The Black Effect Podcast Network & iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

This jam-packed episode features major headlines and discussions around current events, sports, culture, and in-depth interviews. Key highlights include a critical conversation with media mogul Byron Allen about Black economic empowerment and media ownership, reactions to Claressa Shields' slap controversy and legal fallout, the NAACP's new campaign targeting southern colleges over voting rights, BET Awards nomination debates, and engaging listener calls. The hosts delve into pressing political news, such as Trump's unprecedented tax audit immunity and controversial “anti-weaponization fund.” The episode mixes sharp commentary, humor, and insights on Black empowerment, pop culture, and structural challenges.

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1. Front Page News and Political Headlines

[07:29–14:42, 32:59–41:43]

• Trump’s Tax Audit Immunity Deal ([07:32–14:42])
  President Trump reached a historic agreement shielding him and his family from any future audits on previously filed tax returns. The deal is part of settling his lawsuit against the IRS over leaked returns and saves him from a possible $100 million penalty. The hosts react with frustration over what they perceive as “corruption,” economic inequality, and its impact on regular citizens struggling with IRS issues.

  • “All these Americans out here struggling economically, and he's found yet another way to keep more money in his pocket.” — DJ Envy [09:21]
  • “There is no way you can be okay with this level of corruption.” — DJ Envy [12:17]
  • “Mimi, he should pay whatever he wants in taxes for the rest of his life because there is no audit system.” — Charlamagne Tha God [09:33]

• Trump’s Anti-Weaponization Fund ([10:25–11:49])
  Mimi Brown reports on a $1.8 billion compensation fund, part of the Trump IRS settlement, meant to pay individuals allegedly targeted by the government. The fund’s rules are vague and non-transparent, raising the possibility that controversial groups like the Proud Boys could apply.

  • “The fund is overseen by a five-member commission all appointed by Trump and can be removed by him...not required to publicly release who gets payouts or why." — Mimi Brown [11:49]

• NAACP College Sports Boycott Campaign ([33:00–36:59])
  The NAACP urges Black athletes to reconsider major southern colleges, in response to court decisions undermining voting rights and legislative attacks on Black representation.
  Civil rights and practical barriers—such as weaker facilities and funding for HBCUs—are discussed.

  • "The NAACP says many of these universities, they benefit heavily from black athletes while largely remaining silent as black voter power is being reduced in their state." — Mimi Brown [33:00]
  • “We need more of our community to invest back in the HBCUs.” — Charlamagne Tha God [36:00]

• Georgia & Kentucky Election Updates ([37:59–38:58])
  Keisha Lance Bottoms wins the Georgia Democratic gubernatorial primary; Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie loses after crossing Trump, pledges to go after Trump and the Epstein files before his term ends.

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2. Listener Calls: Community Frustration & Accountability

[15:14–20:31]

• Reactions to Government Corruption ([15:14–16:31])
  Listeners express outrage at continued political corruption; calls for community organizing and real-world action, not just online activism.

  • “You can't constantly keep your foot on the neck of people economically and expect those people not to snap.” — DJ Envy [15:55]

• Conversation On IRS Hardship ([16:31–17:14])
  Charlamagne highlights unfairness: regular people owe a few thousand and get hounded by the IRS, while Trump’s $100 million fine disappears.

• Birthday Shout Outs & Community Vibes ([17:14–18:35])
  A listener celebrates her 50th birthday, highlighting the positive and interactive vibe of the show.

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3. Pop Culture & BET Awards Debate

[25:25–31:43]

• BET Awards 2026 Nominees Announced ([25:51–28:12])
  Cardi B leads with multiple nominations; new categories like the Fashion Vanguard Award and Pulse Award for digital creators—Charlamagne is nominated alongside others.

  • “Cardi B is one of the most nominated artists of the evening.” — Lauren LaRosa [25:51]
  • “Drewski should win that category.” — DJ Envy [28:10]

• Artist Snubs and Award Legitimacy ([28:18–31:23])
  Rapper JID vents at being ignored despite Grammy nominations, sparking debate about how Black artists are recognized by Black-owned and mainstream institutions.

  • “I hate BET. Five Grammy nominations, zero BET nomination, slash acknowledgment. Nothing.” — Lauren LaRosa quoting JID [28:45]

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4. Claressa Shields/Alycia Baumgardner Slap Controversy

[71:15–74:53]

• Incident Recap ([71:15–71:49])
  Boxing champion Claressa Shields is banned by MVP Promotions after slapping Alycia Baumgardner at a public event. The show plays audio of the altercation.

• Public and Industry Reactions ([71:59–74:53])
  Hosts discuss whether the response to Shields matches how similar male incidents are treated, and note the incident's promotional aspect. Shields threatens legal action over “defamation of character" and wants the full context shown, alleging ongoing threats and verbal attacks from Baumgardner.

  • “People are pushing back...they don’t have a fight lined up. This isn’t anything promotional. But...you want to see them in the ring.” — Lauren LaRosa [72:51]
  • “She’s saying that any defamation of character will be handled accordingly with her legal team.” — Lauren LaRosa [74:23]

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5. Interview: Byron Allen—Ownership, Black Economics & Media

[44:05–66:21, 89:34–105:45]

Byron Allen’s Journey from Stand-up to Billionaire Media Mogul

• Early Lessons & Family Sacrifices ([47:45–53:47])
  Allen shares how his mother created the first intern program at NBC, exposing him to TV legends as a teenager.

  • “She said, do you have an intern program where I can work here for free and show you my passion?...They said yes. And that changed everything.” — Byron Allen [48:28]
  • “I sold my first joke to JJ Walker for $25 at 14...to this day, 51 years later, it hangs in my office.” — Byron Allen [53:47]

• Why Ownership Matters ([53:52–55:51])
  Allen discusses growing up near Detroit auto and music tycoons, aiming to be an owner like Berry Gordy.

  • “We have to own something. As Black people, we don’t own anything. America can’t be this wealthy without us.” [55:51]

• Building a Media Empire & Perseverance Through Rejection ([57:19–62:47])
  Bootstrapped company from his dining room, cold-calling stations; rejected thousands of times before success; outlasted major networks to build the largest private TV library.

  • “Sat at my dining room table from sunup to sundown for a year...working through 50,000-plus no’s, I was able to squeeze out 150 yesses.” — Byron Allen [57:51]

• Buying the Weather Channel and Stars Stake ([44:05–47:45])
  Describes acquiring the Weather Channel and a “quiet” 11% stake in STARZ, and his ambitions to own 51% or more.

  • “If you’re gonna go after us, maybe we should own it.” — Byron Allen [45:17]
  • “They took a poison pill to stop me...That won’t stop me, it’ll just delay us.” [46:49]

• Media Representation and Black Narratives ([64:03–66:21])
  On programming 13 hours a day of television featuring Black judges and positive Black role models, changing the narrative away from negative stereotypes:

  • “When these other media outlets had an opportunity...they put shows on with white male hosts and young Black men showing their butts...That’s not the Black men I grew up with.” [64:39]

• Economic Inclusion, Systemic Racism, & The Fourth Chapter ([89:34–105:45])
  Discusses institutional barriers:

  • “The greatest trade deficit in America is...between white corporate America and Black America. Until we close that, we cannot achieve one America.” [89:53]
  • Shares insight from Coretta Scott King:
    • “Number one, end slavery. Number two, end Jim Crow. Number three, achieve civil rights. Number four, achieve economic inclusion.” [93:32]
  • “They brought us here from Africa to build the greatest wealth in the world...but not to compete...Lack of education and economic inclusion—that’s genocide.” [94:17]

• On HBCUs & Black Investment ([98:25–102:30])
  Byron Allen is the largest controller of HBCU sports rights; discusses lack of resources, need for 15% allocation of ad revenue and investment, and strategies for Black economic power.

  • “If you own the game, you own the game.” [102:34]

• Using Public Platforms for Change
  Allen advocates not just playing but owning the game—media, board seats, and corporate structures.

• Notable Quotes:

  • “I’m not here to play the game. I’m here to own the game.” — Byron Allen [102:34]
  • “You have to decode all of that. They kill us in the schoolroom, boardroom, and courtroom long before they kill us in the streets.” — Byron Allen [95:23]

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6. Donkey of the Day: “AI Takes Over Graduation”

[78:30–88:48]

Charlamagne calls out Glendale Community College and President Tiffany Hernandez for using AI to read students’ names at graduation, resulting in numerous errors on a milestone occasion. He criticizes society’s over-reliance on technology at the expense of human connection and tradition.

• “You adults are busy trying to save time, maybe money. But you’re completely missing the point of the moment.” — Charlamagne Tha God [81:47]

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7. Latest: Micro-Drama Boom and Celebrity Gossip

[110:16–112:52]

• Country Wayne’s Facebook Micro-Drama Success
  1.4 billion views, pioneering mobile soap opera-style episodes, and keeping content clean for family audiences.
  • “That man built this empire in front of our very eyes.” — KevOnStage (clip) [110:45]
• Drake vs. LeBron: The Friendship Breakup?
  Speculation over whether they should reconcile privately, after public diss tracks and Drake covering up a LeBron tattoo.
  • “It might not be no reconciliation, and it might be over, man.” — DJ Envy [114:59]

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8. Notable Moments & Humor

• Jess Hilarious’s ongoing bun hairstyle jokes with Envy and Charlamagne [03:41–04:25]
• Running gags about pronouncing difficult and ethnic names [87:08–88:43]
• Playful banter about Byron Allen "buying everything":
  • “Byron got too much going on!” — DJ Envy [98:08]
• Recommendations about practicing name pronunciations for graduation ceremonies [88:16–88:33]
• Playful shade between hosts—“Logan, could you just slam your daddy all summer? He just come up here to be gay.” — DJ Envy [78:39]

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9. Timestamps: Key Sections

• Trump tax deal/Rage at corruption: [07:32–14:42]
• NAACP boycott campaign: [33:00–36:59]
• BET Awards pop culture debate: [25:51–31:43]
• Claressa Shields interview/setup: [71:15–74:53]
• Byron Allen interview—Career, Ownership: Multiple, core segments [44:05–66:21, 89:34–105:45]
• Donkey of the Day (AI graduation): [78:30–88:48]

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10. Final Notes & Tone

• The show maintains its signature blend of honest, sometimes irreverent conversation, cultural pride, and community engagement.
• The Byron Allen interview serves as both a motivational masterclass and a deep dive on Black generational wealth, power, and the importance of “owning the game.”
• Throughout, the hosts balance humor, sharp social commentary, and connection to everyday struggles and victories in the Black community.

End of Summary

Transcript

[Lauren LaRosa]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Mimi Brown]

Guaranteed Human.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes, you can. A five minute quick and easy calorie burning workout.

[Byron Allen]

Give it a try.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Come join our sweat sesh on TikTok. Hey guys, it's us, the Jonas Brothers.

[DJ Envy]

I'm Joe.

[Byron Allen]

I'm Kevin.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called hey Jonas.

[Byron Allen]

We invented a podcast.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Well, we didn't invent it, we. We just contributed to it. The first people to do podcasts, we

[Byron Allen]

get to ask other people questions because

[DJ Envy]

we're sick and tired of being asked questions.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

[Robert Smigel]

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Jim Gaffigan to Bob Odenkirk to to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Who's the worst singer in the group?

[Byron Allen]

The worst?

[Robert Smigel]

Yeah, Me. Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard, you only got in because your parents made a huge

[Byron Allen]

donation to the group?

[DJ Envy]

The Yardbirds.

[Byron Allen]

Right?

[Just Hilarious]

That's the name.

[Robert Smigel]

The Harvard Yardbird.

[Byron Allen]

They're open if you have a name suggestion.

[Robert Smigel]

We're open since you guys are middle age 1 erection. Listen to humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[DJ Envy]

Humor me. I need some jokes to make me seem funny.

[Mimi Brown]

Here's something that should not be as

[Just Hilarious]

complicated as it is getting a racist statue removed.

[Mimi Brown]

And here's something that should be a

[Byron Allen]

whole lot easier than it is getting a new one put up in its place.

[Mimi Brown]

I'm Akilah Hughes and Rebel Spirit Season 2 is about both of those things.

[CJ Toledano]

As I was watching these statues come

[DJ Envy]

down, I was thinking about what it

[Byron Allen]

meant that I grew up in a

[DJ Envy]

majority black city in which there were

[Byron Allen]

more homages to enslavers than there were to enslaved people.

[Mimi Brown]

Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever

[Just Hilarious]

you get your podcasts.

[Byron Allen]

Hold up.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Every day I wake.

[Byron Allen]

Go wake your ass up.

[DJ Envy]

The Breakfast Club.

[Byron Allen]

You all finished or y' all done?

[DJ Envy]

Good morning, usa.

[Byron Allen]

Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo.

[DJ Envy]

Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Just hilarious. Charlemagne, Nicole.

[DJ Envy]

Peace to the planet. Guess what day it is. Guess what day it is. How y' all feel out there? I feel blessed. Black and highly favored. Happy to be here. Another day to serve our beautiful listeners. Good morning.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's right. A couple of days away from a three day weekend. Of course, this weekend is Memorial Day weekend.

[DJ Envy]

Memorial Day.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So we are off on Monday. It's a federal holiday.

[DJ Envy]

I know you're happy about that if you're telling people about that on Wednesday.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, absolutely, absolutely. Three day weekend. Yes, absolutely.

[Just Hilarious]

We just came back from a vacation.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's.

[Byron Allen]

That's okay.

[DJ Envy]

Could you enjoy the moment? Could you enjoy the day? Can we not enjoy being here?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I'm just telling people we know.

[DJ Envy]

I like waking up in the morning, doing whatever.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It's the first holiday season. People are traveling, people are getting excited. They taking off on Friday, making it a four day weekend. So salute to everybody out there.

[DJ Envy]

First holiday season. What you mean?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The first holiday weekend and stuff really starts the summer.

[DJ Envy]

Got you.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That starts the summer. Yeah, Tomorrow.

[DJ Envy]

Like I said, a whole year. God damn.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Martin Luther King Jr. That starts President's Day. That starts the summer.

[Just Hilarious]

Damn.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

All right. Well, how you feeling, Jess?

[Just Hilarious]

I feel good. I feel really good.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You feel really good?

[Just Hilarious]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's all you got?

[Byron Allen]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Right. I'm not mad.

[DJ Envy]

She hasn't really thought about it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

She hasn't thought about it.

[DJ Envy]

See, when you sit down, like when you're therapist, you just. How do you feel?

[Byron Allen]

For real?

[DJ Envy]

How do you really feel?

[Just Hilarious]

I'm tired, yo. But I feel really, really good, though.

[DJ Envy]

Okay. Your hair looks alive.

[Just Hilarious]

Thank.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What do you mean it's up?

[DJ Envy]

It looks alive.

[Just Hilarious]

What does that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What does that mean?

[Byron Allen]

Stuck in the top and it's up.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah, it's a bun.

[Byron Allen]

It's called a bun.

[DJ Envy]

Ye.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

You.

[Just Hilarious]

Oh, thank you. My buttons be. Be given, so don't play with me.

[DJ Envy]

A life of its own. Yes.

[Just Hilarious]

Stop.

[DJ Envy]

Main character energy this morning.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Your butt is good money.

[DJ Envy]

Do it over.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

No, no, no. You good money.

[DJ Envy]

It's just up.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hey, yo.

[Just Hilarious]

He say nothing.

[DJ Envy]

Do it over. No, I don't think you need to do it over. I'm just telling you it looks like it's part of the show is what I'm telling you.

[Mimi Brown]

Okay.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Like it should have his own name, has.

[DJ Envy]

Have his own headphones, maybe a microphone.

[Just Hilarious]

All right, I got to take it down, y'.

[DJ Envy]

All.

[Just Hilarious]

It's too much because I Feel like it looked like a whole nother person. Now you try to come for me out.

[DJ Envy]

You look fine.

[Just Hilarious]

No, my bun looked like a whole nother person is what you said, but that's fine.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Jesus.

[DJ Envy]

What's wrong with that?

[Just Hilarious]

I don't have time.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

All right, well, today on the show, Byron Allen will be joining us. He's a billionaire.

[DJ Envy]

If you don't know, God damn it, why you gotta leave with that? Like, I mean, not the fact that, you know, I was about to get there. I just wanted this great business.

[Byron Allen]

Yes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He started off as a comedian. He's from Detroit. Him and his mother had nothing. Yeah, see, the headphones fits, right.

[Just Hilarious]

It's crazy.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He's a comedy. He was a stand up comedian.

[Mimi Brown]

Yes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Great businessman, entrepreneur. He owns the Weather Channel and he's gonna break down how he did his business.

[DJ Envy]

Not just the Weather Channel. He owns a percentage of Stars now. He owns as well. He owns the Hufferton Post.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Tasty.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah. Byron knows. You say he's tasty?

[Just Hilarious]

No, no, no, no, no. He owns.

[DJ Envy]

What's your problem? You lead with money, but he's rich. Now all of a sudden he tasty. What's your problem? You're a married man. You got sons.

[Just Hilarious]

That's a network Tasty.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What would you do for a billion dollars? Yeah, no, he owns Tasty. So we're gonna be kicking it with Byron. And I've seen Byron Allen last night at the Knicks game, and I was there, but I seen him on tv. Did you watch the next game?

[Just Hilarious]

I didn't. Oh, I see.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, that was.

[DJ Envy]

That's what playoff games are all about.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Knicks won in overtime. They came back. They were down 22 to 7 minutes left. I thought it was over. I was praying. I was like, the Knicks are doing it to me again. And, boy, did they come back. Salute to Jalen Brunson. Yes. I'm excited.

[Just Hilarious]

That's what's up.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Can we start the show with welcome to New York City, please.

[Caller (Knicks fan)]

My whole life is the Knicks.

[Byron Allen]

Everything I did is for the Knicks.

[Caller (Knicks fan)]

What is that?

[Byron Allen]

I was there when we had nothing.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Nothing.

[DJ Envy]

What do you have now?

[Byron Allen]

What you think I do, bro? Yes. Let's go.

[DJ Envy]

I mean, the reality is y' all still have nothing, so that's all right. Kobe Bryant once said, job not done,

[Charlamagne Tha God]

one game at a time.

[DJ Envy]

I'm.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I'm excited, I'm happy. I'm taking it.

[DJ Envy]

It's gamecom. You know what he meant. It was a double entendre. We know he's gay.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

No, it's the Game Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy. Jess. Hilarious. Charlemagne, the guy we are the Breakfast Club. Let's get in some front page news now. Last night, the conference finals game won. The Knicks beat the Cavaliers 115104. They were down 22 points with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. They came back to tie it and went into overtime.

[DJ Envy]

And salute to everybody who listens to us on Real 106.1 in Cleveland. Okay, we salute you, too.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah. Salute you. Yeah. Salute to Andrew and Kara and the Watts family and everybody from Ohio. We bust your ass last night, huh?

[DJ Envy]

His in law.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah. And salute to Jason Kidd. Jason Kidd in the Dallas Mavericks part ways after five seasons. So Jason Kidd is no longer coaching for the Mavs.

[DJ Envy]

You'll never think. You don't ever wonder why your son and your future son in law looks like your actual son?

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

Yes.

[DJ Envy]

Don't you look like he come from your truck?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Just because he's light skinned doesn't mean we all look alike.

[Just Hilarious]

It's not even that. It's the nose. It's all the features, the hair.

[DJ Envy]

Like, yeah, you definitely was a gremlin that got wet and he popped off.

[Just Hilarious]

Literally.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Jesus. All right. Good morning, Mimi.

[Mimi Brown]

Good morning, Envy J. Charlemagne. How y' all doing this morning? Good morning. So we start this morning. We have a lot of news to cover, you guys. We start in Washington, where President Trump has cut a deal that permanently shields him from. From any future IRS audits of his previously filed tax returns. So the one page agreement was posted Tuesday morning and signed by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch. It states that the IRS is forever barred from pursuing audits or examinations involving tax returns filed before this past Monday. So the agreement, it covers President Trump's, President Trump himself, along with his two adult sons. It also extends to other Trump family members, related trusts, affiliated individuals, and. And on the business side, the document covers the Trump Organization, including the family's real estate, hotel, golf, and licensing empire. Now, the IRS itself did not sign the document. And the waiver, though, is part of a broader settlement in which the President has agreed to dismiss his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the leaking of his tax returns. And the New York Times, they previously reported that the audit tied to the President's tax returns could have cost him as much as $100 million. So the Justice Department says the agreement, it applies only to existing tax disputes and does not include future audits. So anything in the past, you know, he can go back. No one can go back and dispute those. But going forward, the President Can. Those can be disputed, but former IRS commissioners from both Republican and Democratic sides say they are unaware of any previous case where the IRS has agreed to advance.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

This is crazy.

[Mimi Brown]

It had agreed in advance to permanently stop examining one specific person and their tax returns.

[DJ Envy]

All these Americans out here struggling economically, and he's found yet another way to keep more money in his pocket. Like, the IRS comes after regular people hard. But the president can negotiate immunity for tax scrutiny.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So, Mimi, he should pay whatever he wants in taxes for the rest of his life because there is no audit system. So if he says, I'm only paying you a million, there's nothing they can do? Is that what you're telling me?

[Mimi Brown]

Well, what the way I understand it is, it goes back to his previous tax return. So he was looking at $100 million for a skyscraper in Chicago, something that. That they wanted to audit. So for an example, they can't go backwards.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I thought they said future, too. Like nothing in the. In the future they can touch either.

[Mimi Brown]

I didn't hear future. I just heard past. So going forward, you know, anything is on the table, but the past is off the table. That's from what I understand it. So we can do a little bit more digging. But, yeah, that's. That's what Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche set up for him.

[DJ Envy]

And they said he was facing a potential $100 million tax penalty from past stuff. And now that's just gone.

[Mimi Brown]

That's gone. And that was out of Chicago. Yep, that's gone. Yes. It's very, very unprecedented, precedented. And also we're learning more about that anti weaponization fund, that nearly $1.8 billion tax, the compensation program that was created as part of that settlement, that President Trump's lawsuit, his lawsuit against the irs. So the administration says the fund, of course, was meant to compensate people who believe they were unfairly targeted or pro prosecuted by the Biden administration. During a Senate hearing yesterday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said there are no restrictions on who can apply for that money. Let's take a listen.

[Byron Allen]

During Police Week, I heard from a

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

number of law enforcement friends who found

[DJ Envy]

it appalling that there was the possibility that folks like the peace, the Oath

[Byron Allen]

Keepers, the proud boys who had assaulted

[CJ Toledano]

Capitol Police officers, could receive multimillion dollar

[Byron Allen]

payouts from this fund.

[Just Hilarious]

Will you commit that?

[Byron Allen]

No one who has been convicted of assaulting a police officer will receive a

[Charlamagne Tha God]

payout from this fund.

[Byron Allen]

Anybody can apply. The commission will set, the commissioners will set rules.

[CJ Toledano]

I'm sure that's not for me to

[Byron Allen]

set that's for the commissioners.

[CJ Toledano]

And whether, and whether an individual oath

[Byron Allen]

keeper, as you just mentioned, applies for compensation is anybody in this country can apply.

[Mimi Brown]

Yeah. So the fund will be overseen, as I said, by a five member commissioner that will be appointed by the attorney general and they can all be removed by President Trump at any time. And so the commission, it is not required to publicly release who receives any of these payouts or even why those claims were approved. And the fund is expected to begin processing those claims immediately. And they will remain active through December of 2028, just weeks before President Trump leaves office.

[DJ Envy]

I don't, I don't care what your race is, what your political party is. I don't care if you got a MAGA tattoo on your forehead. Okay. There is no way you can be okay with this level of corruption. Like, folks are barely getting by financially in this country and they're using your taxpayer dollars to compensate people who committed the crime of insurrection. Meanwhile, he doesn't have to pay taxes. Meanwhile, he's immune from any tax scrutiny. That's crazy. That's insane.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Mimi, let me ask you one question, though, before we wrap next. In the next couple of years, I guess.

[DJ Envy]

What?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Two more years when there's a new president in office, you think there's gonna

[DJ Envy]

be a new president? I really want y' all to start thinking about this. I really want you to. You really think there's going to be.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

When there's, when there's a new president in office, can a new president reverse it? Like he has reversed things that Obama and Biden put into play? Is that possible?

[Mimi Brown]

You can reverse. But do you understand that all the damage that has been done is going to take decades?

[Just Hilarious]

Cleanup is probably going to take two whole two.

[DJ Envy]

But you know, I don't understand when people say that either, because he's done all of this in less than two years.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He just reversed everything the first day

[Mimi Brown]

he had a reverse. But think of the things that all the people he's laid off, all the government agencies that he shuttered, all the things way longer.

[Just Hilarious]

Yeah, it would take way longer to take.

[DJ Envy]

It would take longer to rebuild that. Yes, I understand that. I'm just talking about policy and legislation and executive order.

[Mimi Brown]

I mean, all of that with the executive order and things like that. Yes, he could put. But I still think even with those things, it's going to take some time to put all those, those puzzle pieces back together. I don't think it can be done.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's okay. Overnight, he's allowed to do it. Like this is insane.

[DJ Envy]

I do want. I just. I just do want y' all to know Maggie is playing for keeps. I do want y' all to know that they're not playing like they're planning on leaving anything anytime soon.

[Byron Allen]

Soon.

[Just Hilarious]

Okay.

[DJ Envy]

Well, he kept saying that too bold with it. I just think we're. We're past political solutions, you know, like, we're just going to vote for this type of fascism. We're just going to vote out authoritarian. An authoritarian regime. I don't see that happening.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Wow.

[Mimi Brown]

And just really quickly, before we end this hour, I also want to say that this is all still set on the backdrop that Trump still wants a $1 billion in additional funds for his ballroom that he says is for security.

[Byron Allen]

And he still watches the bill that

[DJ Envy]

taxpayers have to pay that he told us was going to come from private donors, but now taxpayers got to pay for that, too.

[Mimi Brown]

Taxpayer money.

[DJ Envy]

I don't know. I don't. I don't know what's happening, but I don't see how y' all not outraged about all of this type of stuff.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

People are, but what could you do? Like, what could. What could you do? All right, thank you, Mimi.

[Mimi Brown]

Coming up at seven and the fight over voting rights is moving into college. Sports will tell you about a major new call coming from the NAACP in the next hour.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

All right, everybody else, get it off your chest. 800-585-1051. If you need to vent, call us up right now. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning.

[Byron Allen]

This is your time to get it

[Caller (Knicks fan)]

off your chest, whether you a man or blessed.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I hate the way that you walk,

[DJ Envy]

the way that you talk. I hate the way that you dress. Everything with me is blessed.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Call up next, 800-585-1051.

[Byron Allen]

Not just me.

[DJ Envy]

I'm with the culture feeling.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hello?

[DJ Envy]

Who's this?

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

Hi, this is Teresa.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hey, Teresa.

[Byron Allen]

Where you calling from, Teresa?

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

I'm calling from West. Hey, Jess. West Philly. I'm sorry.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hey, West Philly.

[DJ Envy]

Teresa from West Philadelphia, born and raised.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Get it off on the playground is

[DJ Envy]

where you spend most of your day.

[Just Hilarious]

All right, sure.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

Good morning, guys.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Good morning.

[Just Hilarious]

Good morning.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

Yeah, I want to get off my chest the topic that you guys were just talking about with the government. I120 agree with Charlamagne. Like, how can we not be outraged right now with this government? And like he said, what can we possibly do about it?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, I mean, people are outraged, but what's next? Like, what can we do against Donald Trump and his team?

[DJ Envy]

I can tell you what's going to happen. What's going to happen is, you know, a lot of people are going take that hurt and that pain and they're gonna start taking it to the streets. Like, that's just, that's just, that's just what happens in situations like this. You can't constantly keep your foot on the neck of people economically and expect those people not to stop. When they watching your whole administration get fat while they stop, they're going to snap. That's just the reality of the situation.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

And that's what I'm saying. Then I feel like when people can get on the Internet and find people on TikTok in 2.5 seconds, that's what we need to do is come together and have that same energy in the street.

[DJ Envy]

It's going to happen. It's inevitable.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I mean, even the IRS thing, you know, the IRS has really hurt a lot of families. People that didn't file right or had a bad accountant and just owe a little bit of money, a couple thousand dollars and can't pay it and are behind and all that. And to hear that he got his $100 million tax fine. White $100 million.

[DJ Envy]

You also gotta stop comparing everyday working class people to the president of the United States of America. Now, the president shouldn't be abusing his power.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Well, that' like, you know, everyday working

[DJ Envy]

class people don't even have that type of power, Right?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But if somebody owes $2,000 to the IRS and they're paying $100 a month and it's. It's hurting them monthly or even more, and he just wiped out $100 million, how does that make them feel? You know what I mean? It's crazy to me. Hello? Who's this? Hello? Hey, Good morning.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

Good morning. My name is Brina Harris. I just wanted to say good morning to Charlamagne.

[DJ Envy]

Good Morning.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Good morning, Dr. Harris.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

I wish listen to y' all every morning, but Today is my 50th birthday.

[DJ Envy]

Happy birthday.

[Byron Allen]

Where you calling from?

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

I just wanted to announce that I'm so excited I even reached 50. Nowadays, don't do that.

[DJ Envy]

That's right. Where you calling from?

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

I'm calling from Monroeville, New Jersey.

[DJ Envy]

Okay.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Monroeville, New Jersey.

[Byron Allen]

All right.

[DJ Envy]

Happy 50th.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What you doing for your 50th?

[Byron Allen]

Working.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Well, what's your cash app? Maybe I throw a little dollar a little something in your cash app for lunch today.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

Oh, thank you. It's diva all day.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Diva all day.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

Nurse all day. I'm sorry. Diva, nurse all day.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay. Diva nurse all day. I'M assuming you're a nurse.

[DJ Envy]

And she said, doctor, yes, yes. This is a good milestone birthday because all people gotta do is give you $50. That's it. Here you go. Here you go.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I was gonna pay for a slice of two today. And something to drink. I got you today.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

That work? Thank you so much. I love you guys.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And that's your cash app, right? Diva all nurse Diva nurse all day.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

Diva diva nurse all day. Yeah.

[Byron Allen]

All right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I'm throw a little money in there for your birthday. Happy birthday, mama.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

Thank you.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Get it off your chest. 800-585-1051. If you need the vent, hit us up now. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning.

[Byron Allen]

This is your time to get it off your chest. Whether you're mad or blessed.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

800-585-1051.

[Byron Allen]

We want to hear from you on the Breakfast Club.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

Hello?

[DJ Envy]

Who's this?

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

Hey, this is Shay.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hey, what's up, Shay? Get it off your chest.

[Mimi Brown]

Yes.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

Have y' all been keeping up with y' all boy Michael Blackson?

[DJ Envy]

No.

[Just Hilarious]

Oh, my God. Girl, I saw. I didn't see the episode because I. My loving hip by Miami is not my favorite, but I have been seeing, like, snippets or whatever, but him and Rod have been going at it. It's been crazy on there, huh?

[DJ Envy]

Love hip hop still.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

Come on. I think it's what you gotta expect when you give a man all that freedom. He done made a little baby. What she expected, though.

[Just Hilarious]

Crazy.

[Lauren LaRosa]

But look, that.

[Just Hilarious]

Oh, my God. That's what I was saying. That's what we were trying to tell her back when we did the. What was it?

[DJ Envy]

Oh, my God.

[Just Hilarious]

Relationship therapy or something like that. Like, he was literally being, like, straight up with her. And, you know, they had a contract in place where she gave him a certain amount of women per month that he could sleep with as long as it's the same, and then made a baby. It's like you can't, like, give a man that much rope, you know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Well, she gave him enough room to

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

hate himself with the girl for flavor of love crazy.

[Just Hilarious]

Oh, yes. What's her name? It's not Hoops. Is it Hoops or who was it? No, it's not Hoops. It's somebody else, girl. But it was Bucky, because, remember, she used to have a big ass teeth her day. Smaller now, I think.

[DJ Envy]

Bucky still on loving hip hop.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What the hell is going on? What are y' all talking about?

[Just Hilarious]

Well, Michael Black,

[DJ Envy]

I do not want to catch I don't want to know.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Have a good morning.

[Just Hilarious]

All right. And all the houses be looking like Airbnbs. It don't be nothing to show that that is their house. No picture, nothing.

[DJ Envy]

I didn't. I swear I didn't know Loving hip Hop still came on.

[Byron Allen]

Yeah.

[Just Hilarious]

Loving Hip Hop Miami. I'm. I'm still an avid loving hip Hop Atlanta watcher, but New York is off. It's just the two franchises now, Miami and Atlanta.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I didn't know Michael Blacks live in Miami.

[DJ Envy]

I thought he was in Cali.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, or Atlanta.

[Just Hilarious]

No, he. He lives in both. He lives in Cali and he lives in Miami and he does. Him and Rada do the show in Miami. Loving Hip Hop Miami.

[DJ Envy]

All right, what you got in the latest? They said you can report on anything except for Real Housewives. Real Housewives fans say you keep sticking it up.

[Lauren LaRosa]

We not talking about the Real Housewives.

[DJ Envy]

You don't want to hear nothing from.

[Lauren LaRosa]

We are not going there today, but there's a new episode Sunday, so we'll be back. But the BET Award. The BET Award. 20, 26 nominations are here. Cardi B is one of the most nominated artists of the award.

[DJ Envy]

Big body show.

[Lauren LaRosa]

But there is an artist who feels like bet Mr. Mark. So we're going to get into that.

[Just Hilarious]

Always somebody who felt like that.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah, I think it'll open up a conversation a bit. And speaking of Mr. Mark, we're going to talk about Clarissa Shields today too. Cuz she's saying that the reports have missed the mark on her and she's starting illegal action.

[DJ Envy]

Her hand ain't miss that young lady's face though.

[Lauren LaRosa]

We going to get into it. She clarifying all the.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

All right, we'll get into that next. It's the breakfast.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news.

[Byron Allen]

What's the news? Huge news.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

We created our own podcast called hey Jonas.

[Byron Allen]

We invented a podcast.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Well, we didn't invent it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

We.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

We just contributed to it. The first people to do podcasts. Pretty. Yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts, but this one's extra special. So how did we. How do we actually come up with the name hey Jonas? Guys, I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it and well, we were thinking. I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers was. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes, I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing a bit for the podcast where people could call in and say hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad hey Jonas and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that. Guys, listen to hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

[Robert Smigel]

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Jim Gaffigan to Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Worst singer in the group.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The worst.

[Byron Allen]

Yeah, me.

[Robert Smigel]

Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard, you only got in because your parents made a huge donation?

[Byron Allen]

The Yardbirds, right?

[Just Hilarious]

That's the name.

[Robert Smigel]

The Harvard Yard.

[DJ Envy]

But they're open.

[Byron Allen]

Do you have a name suggestion?

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

We're open.

[Robert Smigel]

Since you guys are middle aged, one erection. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio, Apple, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[DJ Envy]

Humor me. I need some jokes to make me seem funny.

[Isaiah Thomas]

What's up, fam?

[CJ Toledano]

It's Isaiah Thomas and I'm CJ Toledano and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds.

[Isaiah Thomas]

Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without

[CJ Toledano]

Luka and Austin Reed and finding ways to win no matter what.

[Isaiah Thomas]

He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before and he knows without Luka and Austin Reaves, I gotta manipulate the game.

[CJ Toledano]

We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.

[Isaiah Thomas]

I think Joker's gonna be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reed, he has to guard Julius Randle and then he has to give us everything. He gives us on a night to night basis on offense.

[CJ Toledano]

And when it's friends stop by like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too.

[Caller (Knicks fan)]

Steve Nash would get that thing, that man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers while he at the bar. Like you go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Oh yeah. Get your ass up and down the court and you gonna get the ball.

[CJ Toledano]

So listen to Point game on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mimi Brown]

This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us.

[Byron Allen]

The United States will not stand by and allow any power, however great, take over another country.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

From iheart Podcast Saigon, please allow me

[DJ Envy]

to introduce Joseph Schumann.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam?

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

I should stop talking so much.

[Byron Allen]

I like hearing you talk.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

One city, a divided country and the war that tore America apart.

[DJ Envy]

This is for Vietnam.

[Byron Allen]

I've taken a hit from Japanese brown fire. Do you read me?

[Mimi Brown]

They're pouring petrol all over him. He's holding matches.

[DJ Envy]

I'm on a landmine for free time.

[Byron Allen]

Let's get out. Freedom from Vietnam.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Saigon. Starring Kelly Marie Tran and Rob Benedict.

[Byron Allen]

Staying here's madness.

[DJ Envy]

The world should hear about this.

[Byron Allen]

There's a fire coming to this country

[Mimi Brown]

and it's going to burn out everything.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Listen to Saigon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Ms. Club, good morning.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah, I'm not dumbing myself down. I'm being myself.

[DJ Envy]

Source is tricked.

[Lauren LaRosa]

I'm the homegirl that knows a little bit about everything and everything.

[Just Hilarious]

Little brown girls look at you and

[Mimi Brown]

go, I want to be like you.

[Byron Allen]

Take me through that. Take me through that. The latest with Lauren Lenos on the Breakfast Club.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Okay, y'. All. So the BET Awards announced their nominations yesterday. The show was going down on June 28th in LA, hosted by Jeruski. Now, there's a lot of people nominated that we know and love. I'm gonna try and just hit some of the bigger one. So Cardi B is one of. She is the most nominated artist of the evening. So she is nominated for album of the year for Amala Drama, best female hip hop artist, best collaborate collaboration for Airtime Remix with Jeezy and Lotto, viewers choice for outside video director of the year, along with Patience, who came up here too, that works with Cardi on her management and creative direction.

[DJ Envy]

Delaware Zone.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Exactly. And then she's also a nominator for the fashion, the Fashion Vanguard Award. Now, this is a new award category that BET is listening in right now. This, they say, is an award that describes. It's a recognition for public figures whose fashion choices continue to influence culture across entertainment, sports and media. Now, Kendrick Lamar is also leading nominations. You know, best male hip hop artist video of the year, a collaboration mentioned for his collaboration with clips. You also have Dochi Doja Cat, the clips again. Tiana Taylor, Olivia Dean, Lotto, who are you know? Four nominations. Mariah Scientists Charlemagne is nominated for a Pulse Award, which is also A new category.

[DJ Envy]

What's that?

[Lauren LaRosa]

So the Pulse Award is basically people who are in the. The our space of, like, digital creators, you know, media creators who are leading the pause.

[DJ Envy]

Whoever else is in that category.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I see Drew Ski in that category. Yeah, I saw Joe and Jada in that category. I seen Cameron and Mace. It is what it is in that category.

[DJ Envy]

Drew showing that.

[Lauren LaRosa]

But is it. I was wondering, is he off limits because he's hosting the show?

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

No.

[Lauren LaRosa]

No. Okay. 8085 south is also in that category. Kiki Palmer for her baby. This is Kiki Palmer show. Don Lemon.

[Just Hilarious]

Hey, Dawn.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Mace and Cam are as well. We mentioned Joan, Jada, Gabe on the radar. R B money.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, R B money, too.

[Lauren LaRosa]

R B money.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

Okay.

[Just Hilarious]

Tank and Jay Valentine.

[DJ Envy]

So two of my partners are in there. 85 South show and R and B Money with the Black effect. But Drew should win that category.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yes. And it's honoring digital creators to keep us talking, sharing, and coming back for more. That's how BET listed it.

[Just Hilarious]

Love that.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Now, I mentioned earlier in the Tease, shout out to bet, I feel like this year is going to be another great year for them. They had a great award show last year. This year I think would be good as well, too, just because of the nominations and the conversations it's causing. But I mentioned that there was an artist who was upset once these nominations dropped. This artist, Jid, we've talked a lot about him up here. He posted to X yesterday once the awards were circulating and deleted it. He says, I hate bet. He added bet.

[DJ Envy]

Oh, Jesus.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He says, that was clear.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Five Grammy nominations, zero BET nomination, slash. Acknowledgment. Nothing. He says N words remix the same people every year at the BET Awards. So. And I mean, I feel like we talk a lot about the artists who don't care about the BET Awards and who don't show up. When I saw this, I'm like, well, his intention is in the right place because he cares about our awards over everything else.

[DJ Envy]

But Jay should definitely have been nominated for that. God does like Ugly album. That album was tough, tough, tough, tough, tough, too. It may not have had, like, crazy commercial success, but it was just a great album.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It was a dope album. And. And I wonder if, if spaces like bet the Hip Hop Awards that they used to have, I wonder if that was the way to recognize more of the hip hop artists and rappers and things like that that they don't have anymore.

[DJ Envy]

But even with that, like Jit said, I was nominated.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He should have been nominated.

[DJ Envy]

I know he was nominated. For five Grammys. I definitely knew he was nominated for a rap album when he made the Grammy Homies, but he should.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, he should have been recognized. Absolutely.

[DJ Envy]

Absolutely. 100.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah. Well, I mean, I don't know. I feel like they. They're. They're getting it right, but, you know, there's always some work that can be done.

[DJ Envy]

Do they have a rap album of the year?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I was gonna say. I don't even know it was nominated for that.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Let me look it up. Hold on. Actually, I have it right here. So album they have. You want to know specifically, they have

[DJ Envy]

a rap album of the year.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Let me see if they only have rap album of the year.

[DJ Envy]

Probably not.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Best group, Best collaboration, Best New Artist, Viewers choice.

[DJ Envy]

No, they don't have one. And they'll have.

[Lauren LaRosa]

I'm not gonna say no if they don't. If I don't see it, I'm gonna look for it first. Post Award. We just talked about that. I do not see the best.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

No.

[DJ Envy]

So J didn't say what category he felt he should have actually been in?

[Lauren LaRosa]

No, he did not. He just said that he was upset. They do have Best Male Hip Hop artists that asap. Rocky Baby King.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's the category we're looking at.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Best Male Hip Hop Art. You said Best Rap Album. No, if you're looking at artists and album, those are different. The Grammys will do Best Male, H Drop and Album. Those are two different categories. Well, then y' all should have been more specific with your words. Exactly, exactly. Like, y' all tell me, don't do that, because there are two separate categories.

[DJ Envy]

But that's what I was saying. So that's.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So what is it? Who's in the category?

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yes, in this category, you have asap, Rocky Baby King, Big X, the Plug.

[Just Hilarious]

Okay, Big X.

[DJ Envy]

Who else?

[Lauren LaRosa]

Maybe the Baby. Don Tolliver, Drake J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, T.I.

[DJ Envy]

jay. Should have definitely been 100 in that category. Absolutely. Just should have been in the category.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, absolutely. Yes, absolutely.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Well, look, I mean, I think it

[Charlamagne Tha God]

opens up away from anything anybody on that in that category, but these. He should have been in there.

[DJ Envy]

God does like Ugly was a phenomenal album. He was nominated for Rap Album of the Year at the Grammys. He should have been in that category.

[Just Hilarious]

Absolutely.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Just Hilarious]

Well.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Well, I mean, hopefully it opens up more conversation for next year. Yeah. Next award season. Well, we have to wrap with that. But in our next latest, we're going to get into the conversation about Clarissa Shields, and she's starting in legal action now as well, too, following the Alicia Bomb Garner slap. And we'll get into why she's threatening that.

[Just Hilarious]

Well, happy birthday to Busta Rhymes. He 54 today, y'.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

All.

[Just Hilarious]

Speaking of bus. A bus, Big bus. Okay.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

All right. When we come back, we got front page news, and then Byron Allen will be joining us, so don't move us to Breakfast Club. Good morning. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious. Charlo ain't the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. Let's get back in some front page news. Now, the Knicks beat the Cavaliers last night, 115, 104. Now, the Cavaliers were up 22 with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, but the Knicks came back to tie it for overtime and then score just to beat the hell out of him in overtime. So they won last night.

[Just Hilarious]

Congratulations, Envy.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Thank you.

[Just Hilarious]

You're welcome.

[DJ Envy]

That nigga wasn't on the court.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I felt like, you know, congratulations the way I was jumping up and down.

[Just Hilarious]

I felt he be so hyped.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yo, with the way it seems when

[DJ Envy]

he text us last night, he talk about, I was screaming so loud, my wife thought somebody was getting slaughtered downstairs.

[Byron Allen]

I didn't say it like that. What voice?

[CJ Toledano]

Did he hear it?

[DJ Envy]

I said, clue must have been over there.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, see that?

[DJ Envy]

See what voice?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Did he hear that?

[Byron Allen]

I just said, I thought you texted me.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You didn't say you was mad seductive.

[Byron Allen]

My wife said that. I didn't say it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I didn't.

[DJ Envy]

I got it right here.

[Just Hilarious]

But the word slaughter is crazy.

[DJ Envy]

Crazy like, come on, Slaughter.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

We were screaming.

[DJ Envy]

Who was we?

[Byron Allen]

Right?

[DJ Envy]

Who is we? Who is we?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It was me and Logan, and we watch a guy.

[Byron Allen]

Me and Logan Jackson.

[Just Hilarious]

You ain't say nah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

No, you just. You know what? What's up?

[Byron Allen]

Mimi? Go ahead.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Go ahead. Mimi.

[Mimi Brown]

Good morning, Envy. Good morning, Charlotte, Jess. How y' all doing this morning, girl? Mimi, good morning. So we start this hour with a major new campaign from the NAACP aimed at some of the biggest, biggest college sports programs in the country. So the civil rights organization is urging black students, athletes to reconsider attending certain Southern colleges and universities following a recent Supreme Court decision that weakened part of the Voting Rights act and sparked new battles over majority black voting districts across the South. So the campaign is called out of Bounds, and it targets schools in eight Southern states, including powerhouse football programs like Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Ole Miss. The NAACP says many of these universities, they benefit heavily from black athletes while largely remaining silent as black voter power is being reduced in their state. The organization is also encouraging fans and alumni to redirect their donations to HBCUs the campaign comes after the Supreme Court. It ruled against the Louis, Louisiana congressional map last month, a decision that of course weakened voting rights. And advocates already saying that this is reshaping black representation across the South. And now the Congressional Black Caucus, they are backing the effort of the naacp. Let's listen to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferson.

[Byron Allen]

This is an unprecedented moment featuring an unprecedented attack on black political representation. And therefore it requires an unprecedented response. We are here standing in solidarity with the NAACP and its call for athletes to boycott institutions within the SEC that belong to states that have unleashed these Jim Crow like racially oppressive tactics. And we believe that the silence of these institutions is complicity, and we will not stand for it.

[DJ Envy]

So are they saying don't go to PWIs in the south, or are they saying don't go to the SEC schools in the South? Like, I'm. I'm trying to. I'm trying to understand what they're saying. Exactly.

[Mimi Brown]

I think they're trying to say a little bit of everything. They want you to redirect your funds, redirect your money. They're calling on student athletes not to play for those schools. And perhaps if you can go to an HBCU or go to a different school that's not in the south.

[DJ Envy]

But majority of HBCUs are in. Majority of HBCUs are in the South.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I think so. PWIs, though.

[Mimi Brown]

PWIs, though. I'm sorry, Shard. PWIs.

[DJ Envy]

Oh, gotcha.

[Mimi Brown]

That I name like Ole Miss. A lot of Alabama, Alabama State. A lot of those schools that have those powerhouse football teams and things like that, but haven't said anything about what's going on. So, yes, they're wanting you to leave those schools and go to HBCUs. HBCUs, which are also in the South.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The problem with that is we need more of our community to invest back in the HBCUs. Right. The reason that a lot of students don't want to go to an HBCU if they're thinking about playing professionally is one, of course, the eyes.

[Byron Allen]

Right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

There are more eyes on PWIs. They're on bigger TV, bigger contractors. And not only that, even like what Master P said with his son at first went to an hbcu. But the facilities, you know, the training facilities, the healing facilities, to make sure that the players can actually rehab better, are better at PWIs and not, as, you know, great. And some HBCUs.

[DJ Envy]

HBCUs have severe systemic funding.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Exactly. So we have to make sure that we can give back to those HBCUs. So they can at least try to get on the same page of these PWIs to kind of, you know, level of playing field, because if not, it's, there's nothing you can do. And for an athlete, they need those facilities. They need those training facilities. And if they can't train the same way of these PWIs, it makes it very difficult.

[DJ Envy]

So, so, and I'm just, I'm just assuming Hakeem was talking about the 16 sec school.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes.

[DJ Envy]

Specifically.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's what he said.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

Yes.

[Just Hilarious]

Okay.

[DJ Envy]

All right. Gotcha.

[Mimi Brown]

Yeah. So, and that's a good point, Emmy. I think that there's something that needs to be looked into because you're asking them to give up one thing. And, and in order to do that, they need to be met at the same level. So maybe that's something that the NAACP and other organizations that are calling for this can invest in. Because either way, HBCUs, they need to be on the same playing field as some of those other PWIs. And speaking of the South Georgia voters, they have set up one of the biggest political showdowns of 2026. So former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is now the Democratic nominee for governor after winning her primary outright Tuesday night. So she avoids a runoff by giving Democrats an early start in the state that they've been trying to flip for decades. So bottom now heads into the general election as the Democrats hope, as they hope to win Georgia's governor's mansion for the first time since the 1990s. And meanwhile, on the flip side of that, Kentucky Republican Congressman Thomas Massie. He lost his reelection primary after President Trump endorsed his opponent opponents, Ed Gowrane. Massie had previously broken with Trump on issues including Iran, the president's tax bill, and calling for the Jeffrey Epstein files. After conceding Tuesday night, Massie warned supporters about what he called the go along to get along politics inside the Republican Party. Let's listen to some of his concession speech.

[Byron Allen]

I would have come out sooner, but I had to call my opponent and concede and it took a while to, to find Ed Gowrine in Tel Aviv. I did get the call through, though. I have, I have called and conceded the race. We've been honorable the whole time and we're going to stay that way. They used a lot of dirty tricks, but we stayed the course. We did not, we didn't bend a knee. We didn't throw a foul ball. We didn't do any of those things. We had lots of opportunities to try a lot of stuff like that and we never did it. We ran a clean race.

[Mimi Brown]

Now, this was the most expensive House race in history with around $34 million spent. A lot of APAC money went into this and a lot of. Of course, President Trump, he backed his opponent. And so Thomas Massey says, though he will use the remaining of his time going after Trump and seeing what's in the Jeffrey Epstein files while he still can. That is shaping up there. And now to an update. We talked about this yesterday just a little bit. That Virginia elementary school shooting, that trial is underway in Newport News. So that's the way or the former assistant principal, Dr. Ebony Parker, she's on trial for failing to act. As teachers warn that a six year old student may have had a gun in their first grade class. Now, during testimony yesterday, Parker's defense team, they pushed back against prosecutors and I think you may have said this yesterday, Jess, arguing that teachers and staff members, they also have the opportunity to stop the child, but failed to act. Now, defense attorneys even questioned Zerner herself, she was the teacher who was shot. About why the child remained in the classroom. If the staff truly believed that she had a. He had a gun. And this is what she had to say. Listen.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay, so if he was on that

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

presented a danger to your students, is that correct?

[Mimi Brown]

Yes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay. So you took no action to separate JT from his other corner classmates, is that correct?

[DJ Envy]

Yes.

[Byron Allen]

All right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And so you allowed him to go out to recess with the understanding that he may have had a gun, is that correct?

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You could have refused to let him go to recess. You could have removed him from the presence of his, his other classmates, is that correct?

[Byron Allen]

In hindsight, yes, I could have.

[DJ Envy]

Okay, what she said, I didn't hear the last part.

[Just Hilarious]

You said in hindsight. Yeah. So that was the teacher who got shot. Right.

[Mimi Brown]

That was a teacher who was, got, who got shot. But the defense attorney was literally trying to prove a point that other teachers, if they knew, they also could have stepped in and they also could have done something. While everyone is saying that, you know, Parker, the teacher, the assistant principal should have done something, her defense is saying, listen, if five, six, seven teachers knew as well, why did you let him go to recess? Why didn't you, you know, clear the backpack? Why didn't you step in and do something?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Basically say she wasn't the only one, there was other authority in there that could have did something.

[Mimi Brown]

There was other authorities, but they also saying that that's her job. She's the one with the authority to search a student. So therefore trying to put it on the teachers is still risky because her job title was literally. And she was trained for things like that. And so that. So as the trial continues today, but that's what happened yesterday. She is facing, if convicted, 40 years in prison for failing to act.

[DJ Envy]

You know what I would like to see? I would like to see what exactly is she trained to do? Like, because I don't think that nobody's training no teacher to search, no first grader for guns. If that's the case. Boy, we got some other problems. I mean, we know we got other problems in America we need to address. But I just wonder, was that actually part of her training, having to search kids for guns?

[Mimi Brown]

I mean, the way they put it is that she went through the training. Like she took some of the courses on how to handle this or how to handle if there's an active shooter situation. So things like that. She particularly went through those trainings and had that expertise, is what I think they're trying to say.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I do have a question. I know it doesn't matter. I just want to know from my own pleasure.

[Byron Allen]

Pleasure.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Was the assistant black or white? My own guilty pleasure.

[DJ Envy]

Like, I want to know.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

She's black.

[Just Hilarious]

And the teacher who was shot was white.

[Mimi Brown]

It's white. And the student who did it was black. Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

So who was the woman with the dreads that. Well, they just had a picture up on. On the screen.

[Mimi Brown]

The woman with the dreads is Dr. Parker.

[DJ Envy]

Gotcha.

[Mimi Brown]

Yes. And that's a whole other back conversation too. You know, if she had been another race, would we still.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And that's my question. Would they still have blamed her if she would have been another race? Because this is the first time I'm hearing anything like this in the fact that she could possibly get 40 years seems crazy, but this is also the same system that locked up Allen Iverson when he got into his situation. Like Virginia in the 757 area has been known to be racist when it comes to our own. It's been a known fact. And I've been to school down there, and I'm sure people are called to say the same thing. So I just hope they're not railroading this woman because she's black and she's

[Mimi Brown]

the first American administrator to ever go to trial for something like this. No other teacher or administrator has ever had to be on trial for something like this. So to your point, envy. It's raising a lot of questions. You're not the only one questioning this. It's an underlying topic right now, which A lot of people are pointing out. All right, well, that's your front page news. We're also talking about this on the podcast. Front page, wherever you get your podcast. So please tune in and follow me Mimi Brown TV.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

All right, thank you, Mimi.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Thanks.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Now, when we come back, we have comedian, business owner, entrepreneur, has a new show called Comics Unleashed. Byron Allen will be joining us. It's a great conversation and we're gonna talk to him next, so don't move. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious. Charlamagne, the guy we are the Breakfast Club. Lorna rules is here as well. We got a special guest in the building.

[DJ Envy]

One of my favorite people to talk to, man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Byron Allen, ladies and gentlemen.

[DJ Envy]

Welcome back. How you feeling?

[Byron Allen]

Oh, my God, I feel great. And this is one of my favorite places to be. So thank you for having me back. I really appreciate you and congratulations on all of your success. Did I hear something about the number one show on Netflix?

[DJ Envy]

We are, well, podcasting, because Netflix got into the podcasting game. So we make up 44% of all podcast viewing on Netflix.

[Byron Allen]

Yes, there it is. Because you bring the truth. Real authentic. You're bringing it.

[Robert Smigel]

All right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Do our best.

[Byron Allen]

No, you're doing it.

[DJ Envy]

I love talking to you, man, on and off air. I like getting you on air, though, because I get longer time. I feel like I'm bothering you when I call.

[Byron Allen]

No, you never bother me. You never bother me. I never say no to you. And remember that.

[DJ Envy]

Absolutely.

[Byron Allen]

You know, cuz I really love and appreciate you. I. I really love and appreciate you.

[DJ Envy]

A billion.

[Byron Allen]

A billion.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[Byron Allen]

All right, what's your Venmo?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You try to say that

[Byron Allen]

even vimo be like, what?

[DJ Envy]

You've had some very, very impressive announcements lately. Like you're buying everything.

[Byron Allen]

Well, you know, this is Stars buzz

[DJ Envy]

feed or 10 of stars. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Byron Allen]

We bought just under 11. 10.7%. I like stars. You know, Stars says that they're going after the underserved. That's cold for black. Don't tell anybody. So. So if you're gonna go after us, maybe we should own it. All right, so if you chasing us, we should own it, right? So Steve Mnuchin used to be my bank banker before he got into politics. He was a treasury secretary. And I saw that he owned 11, just under 11%. And I called him up and I said, hey, do you want to own this stake in Stars? It's publicly traded. And he said, you know, because I said, are you willing to Sell it? He said, not at these prices. And I said, well, I didn't give you a price. I just asked you a question. Are you willing to sell it? He said, let me think about it. He called me back. Back. He said, I'll sell it for 25 million. I said, no problem. Let's do it. We'll close tomorrow. So I bought it, and it was a key move because it's hard to buy close to 11 of a company without driving up the price because you're buying so many shares. So I was able to get it done quietly and under the radar. It was a really good move for us because we ended up being the second largest stockholder instantly, and now we have a seat at the table. And so I've made it very clear I plan to buy the whole company. I want to control that company. My first preference would be to keep it public and to take 52% of it and just control it. But they're. They immediately adapted a poison pill, and they said, hold up. I saw that we do not want you to own this company or control this company. So they took a poison pill to stop me. And I said, that's okay. You know, that won't stop me. You'll just delay us. But we will eventually get what we want. Want. My preference is for it to stay public and for me to control it. 51 or greater. But if I have to, I'll buy the whole company. Fire everybody. Fire the board, not the people working there. Get rid of the board for resisting me, and then take it back public.

[DJ Envy]

Have you reached out to somebody like 50 Cent? Because, I mean, to me, 50 Cent is the person who put stars on the map.

[Byron Allen]

Yes. I have not.

[DJ Envy]

Okay.

[Byron Allen]

I didn't want to put him in a bad place and, you know, have him to, you know, figure out what side, you know, he. You know, just let him stay neutral, which I think is a smart place to stay. Let us duke it out in terms of who's gonna own it, who's gonna control it. But I'm highly confident eventually I will control stars.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Can we.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Can we go back to the beginning? For people that don't know, you started off as a standup comic.

[Byron Allen]

Yes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And you've created such an amazing fortune. Can you start how you started? What gave you the mind frame and what made you think? You know, I love comedy, but I want to go this route as well. So start. Start from this.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

There.

[Byron Allen]

You know what? You know. Thank you for asking that question. Early on, I figured out it's not show business. It's business show. And I started approaching it as a business and that's important to me that we approach things as a business. And so that's how I started, started from my dining room table, you know, first I was a comedian. Started at 14 years old. You know, as you know my story, my mom got pregnant with me when she was 16, had me 17 days after her 17th birthday. So born to a teenage mom in Detroit, Michigan, April of 61. Born with no civil rights and they murdered Martin Luther King in April of 68. And we went, you know, Detroit got lit up like a Christmas tree. And we ended up going to LA for a two week vacation and ended up staying there. And you know, my mom was like, okay, we're here, we're gonna kind of, you know, we stayed on a lot of sofas, slept in a lot of sofas and spare bedrooms because she was a single mom with a kid that she had when she was 17. And I'm really blessed. My mom is not only, you know, she's brilliant and she's beautiful. And she ended up going to UCLA and getting her master's degree in cinema TV production. And because she got her master's degree in cinema TV production from one of the best film schools in the world, ucla, she was able to go ask for jobs. And she went all over the country asking for jobs, all over town asking for jobs. And was a lot of no's. And she got to NBC and she said, you know, you have a job here? And they said no. And she said, do you have an intern program where I can work here for free and show you my passion for the business? And they said, no, we do not have an intern program where you can work here for free. And then she asked a question that changed our lives forever. She said, will you please start one with me?

[DJ Envy]

Wow.

[Byron Allen]

And they said yes. And that changed everything. So my mom couldn't afford child care, so she took her son to work with her. And so I would go to the studio and wait for my mom to get off from work in the summer and after school. And I was standing there just like a little kid, kid wallpaper up against the wall. And I'm watching this guy named Johnny Carson do the Tonight Show. And then I would walk across the hall and I watch Red Fox tape Sanford and Son. This is summer of 75.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Wow.

[Byron Allen]

And then I watch across walk across the hall and watch Freddie Prince and Jack Albertson do Cheek on the Man. And then I would watch Bob Hope do his specials and I would watch George Burns and all of these great comedians. Richard Pryor do the Flip Wilson show. I would watch Flip Wilson tape his show show. And I thought, what a wonderful way to go through life, making people laugh. So Gladys Knight and the Pips had a summer show, summer of 75, and they had a comedian on. And I knocked on his door and I said, sir, how do you become. I'm 14 at the time. I said, how do you become a comedian? And he said, go to the Comedy Store. And I said, okay, thank you, sir. And I go, what's the name of that show that you said is going to be on in the fall? And he said, welcome back, Cotter. And it was Gabe Kaplan. And it's, you know, he was. That's when they introduced John Travolta. And I went to the Comedy Store, called the Comedy Store. And they said, we have Monday night tryout nights. Get here early because people, they get here, you know, we open the doors at 7 o'. Clock. I said, no problem. So I took the bus. I got there at nine in the morning and the doors weren't open, open, of course, right? And I sat there on the curb on Sunset and I just wrote jokes and I just sat with my pad and I wrote and all these thoughts in my head and I'm just writing. And I went on stage. There were literally four people in the club, right? Two couples, four people, 200 chairs. And I thought to myself, I have to figure out how to make chairs laugh right now. I need to figure out how to get these chairs rolling. So I go up there and I give everything I got. Bum, bum, bum, boom. I come off stage and this guy says to me, hey, who wrote those jokes? I said, I did. He goes, can I get your phone number? He says, you know, I know somebody may want to, you know, really be interested in knowing you. I said, no problem. I gave my phone number and like a week or two later, I get this phone call and I go, guy goes, can I speak to Byron? I go, this is Byron. He goes, this is Jimmy JJ Walker.

[Just Hilarious]

Oh, wow, wow, wow.

[Byron Allen]

So this is summer of 75. He's the biggest comedian, television star, planet Earth.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Wow.

[Byron Allen]

Good times. Number one show. Dynamite, right? I know. M. So I walk into Jimmy's. We got to get you the photo of me, 14 years old, I'm sitting in Jimmy Walker's living room. And summer of 75. And I walk in there, right? It's Jimmy Walker, David Letterman, Jay Leno. So when I sold this joke to Jimmy Walker for $25 and I'm like, I've never seen a check before. I take it to my mom. I go, what is this? And my mom's like, it's a check. I go, what is a check? She goes, you're gonna take it to the bank. They're gonna give you the cash. Oh, that's all right. Forget about it. Don't worry about it. And she's like, what do you mean? I said, I don't want to cash it. She goes, are you crazy? Well, this check says to me, I can make it in this business. I want to look at this check every day. And I framed it. And to this day, 51 years later, wow. It hangs in my office.

[DJ Envy]

Wow. At what point in any of those moments did you realize, I don't want to just be talent. I got to own the machine.

[Byron Allen]

As a kid in Detroit, I think coming from Detroit really helped me a lot too. My dad worked at Ford Motor Company for 30 plus years, and my granddaddy worked at Great Lakes Steel for 30 something years. And I watched these guys go to work and get to work an hour early every day. Never late and never called in a day. Sick. That blue collar mentality where they was just. The work ethic was just like a force of nature. Show up every day and give 110%. So I was at that perfect blend of seeing it from both sides. And I remember my mother and my grandmother would put me in the car with my. My uncle, who's really like my brother. He's only four years older than me, Terrence. And they would take us to see where all the rich white people lived. And they were like, and that's where the Ford family lives and used to look at this big mansion. Like, wow, look at that. That place is bigger than my school pool. And they were like, that's where the Dodge family lives and the Chrysler family and the Goodyear family, these industrial families. And they said, that's where Barry Gordy lives. A black man lives over here with this big old nice house? Oh, yeah, he has a swimming pool in his house. Are you kidding me? You mean to tell me I'm walking 30 minutes to get into the community swimming pool? Or I'm waiting around for the fire department to open up a fire hydrant. And this dude has a pool in his house. Oh, yeah, he's got a bowling alley in his house. What? A bowling alley? Oh, my inspiration. Tell me more about this guy. Yeah, his name is Barry Gordy. Motown Records, blah, blah, blah. I said, okay, there it is right there. I'm chasing him. I'm chasing him. And I'll never forget when he sold Motown and he had every right to do it. I cried. I was in the room when they announced it. He was on stage and MCA Records bought it. I was back there. And they had it up at Universal Studios.

[DJ Envy]

How much was it for back then?

[Byron Allen]

I think it was 60 million.

[DJ Envy]

Wow.

[Byron Allen]

And I was like, a lot of money. And he's. And he sold it and he had it, but he kept the publishing. Being the brilliant Barry Gordy that he is. And I thought, my God, we have to own something. As black people. We don't own anything. America can't be this wealthy without us. You can't. Anybody can be very wealthy with hundreds of years of free labor. Anybody can be a gazillionaire, but we don't own it. And I said, we have to own something. And I decided I'm gonna build something that we will own. It has to be owned by us. We have to control the narrative. We have to control how we're produced. We have to control how we're depicted and how we're seen around the world. We can't let others do that. And the key to that is to understand it and approach it as business show, not show business. So what does that mean? I have to get to know everybody who owns and operates a television station. No problem. I traveled the country as a comedian, and what I would do is invite all the people who owned and operated television stations come to my show. And if they couldn't come to my show, I go to their station. Now I have to get to know all the advertisers. So wherever I go, I go sit down with the advertisers. Now I can put the two together. And I started the company from my dining room table and I put on my first show, Entertainers with Byron Allen, fall of 93.

[DJ Envy]

And is this under the Allen Media Group?

[Byron Allen]

Yeah, this is out under Allen Media group. It's a one hour show. There's 14 minutes of commercial to time. I'll keep seven minutes. You TV station, you keep seven minutes. I will sell my seven minutes to national advertisers. You sell your seven minutes to local advertisers. I had a guy say to me, hey, if you was an ad sales guy, he goes, if you clear 75% of the country, I will give you an advance of 400 grand so you can go into production. I said, nope.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

Problem.

[Byron Allen]

Sat at my dining room table from sunup to sundown for a year. Wore holes in My dining room chairs. And I called all 1200 television stations from sunup to sundown, asked them to pick up this once a week show for free, where I would keep half of the commercial time inside the show. And literally, I got 50 to 100 no's from each of them. And after working through 50,000 plus no's, I was able to squeeze out 150 y' all buses. And that was a TV station in every market from New York to Waterloo, Iowa. And I was able to then say to advertisers, look, I can give you XYZ percent of the country. I went to the guy and said, you know what? You tell me If I cleared 75 of the country, you would give me 400 grand. I've cleared 95 of the country. Some far greater than 75, whatever it was. And he said, I changed my mind. I'm not coming to give you the 400 grand. And I thought, my God, I just spent a year of my life building out this lineup. And, and what really, the defining moment for me was back then was my mom was doing my paperwork. And I remember. And she would, you know, whenever I got a station cleared, she would put it onto the clearance list. And I noticed, I said, mom, you didn't put down that. I cleared the CBS affiliate in Wilkes Bear, Scranton. And she's shuffling all these papers around. She's shuffling, and I'm like, mom, you got to be more organized. Like, like this is really hard to get. She goes, byron, they didn't. It didn't send it back. So I called the guy up and I said, bob, it appears as if my executive assistant has misplaced your paperwork. And he said, no, she didn't misplace it. He goes, I know I told you I would do the deal, but I changed my mind. I'm not doing. Doing the deal. I'm not putting you on Saturday night at 11:30. And I said, you're good, man.

[DJ Envy]

You.

[Byron Allen]

I said, I said. I said, are you serious, Bob? He said, I had some sales guys in here, three of them from Paramount Studios, and they came in to sell me a show, and they told me I should give them your time period, the 11:30. He said, they told me you were calling me from your dining room table in your underwear, your pajamas, whatever you're wearing, and that the show is never going to be there. And if it is there, you're going to put it on for two or three weeks and then you're going to cancel the show. So I gave him your time period, and that is what it is. And goodbye. And he hung up the phone. Right. Call him back. Right. I said, bob, the boys from Paramount are right. I am calling you from my dining room table. The show is going to be on the air. And tell the boys from Paramount I'm never going to cancel the show because of what they did. I'm going to leave the show on until the end of time because I'm never going to let the boys from Paramount come into a TV station and cast doubt on me and my abilities. And I never want them to convince anybody in this world, world that I'm not going to do what I say I'm going to do. So let the boys from Paramount know you got this clearance, but you'll never get another one from me based on you telling people I'm not going to come through. I'm going to leave it on until the end of time. I'm never canceling the show. Just tell them that. So Fast Forward kept smiling and dialing, dialing and smiling. Put on another show, another show, another show. Next thing you know we're sitting there with 70 something television shows. 75, 5 plus TV shows in business with every television station in the country and pretty much 700 plus advertisers ended up with the largest privately held television library. And then I realized, hey, I want to go into the linear space. So then I started launching cable networks so we could be 24,7. And then the opportunity for the Weather Channel came along. Guy came to me, he said, hey, can I have dinner with you? I said, sure. I said, let's have dinner. He said, I used to be the CEO of a chief operating officer of the Weather Channel. He says, you don't think about the Weather Channel because you live in LA and it's always 80 degrees and sunny. He goes, but it's a great business and you should buy it. He said, it's owned by two private equity firms that manage like a trillion dollars and NBC Universal. And they're not getting along and they want to sell it and you should get in there and go get it. I got into the process and I bought it. And after that we just started buying other assets. Invested about a billion dollars buying abc, NBC, CBS and Fox affiliates. I bought those affiliates so that I could protect my cable networks. Right. So we can grow that. And then we started investing now in, in digital platforms.

[DJ Envy]

Fast forward now you've just purchased the 11:30 time slot slot on CBS. Yes, with Paramount.

[Byron Allen]

From Paramount, different management, different ownership. It came all around.

[Robert Smigel]

Yes.

[DJ Envy]

That's crazy.

[Byron Allen]

Yeah, it came around. Yeah. The boys from Paramount, that moment, if they hadn't said that to him, it was like, did you just tell that dude, I'm not gonna do what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna do it, damn it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

When do you have the time for all of this? With all the businesses that you run, everything that you're doing, when do you have the time to do all these

[DJ Envy]

suits you got in here? He got three.

[Lauren LaRosa]

And you're still so connected to people. Like, a lot of people get to the point where you are. They. If they. They get in that bubble, but you're still a business for the people.

[Byron Allen]

Yeah, I'm. Look, I am for the people. I mean, I've always been. That's how I. You know, that's my whole life since. Well, I'm 65, 51 years of standing on a stage, connecting with people. I still do stand up, right? I still go to the Comedy Store in the improv and. And hang.

[DJ Envy]

I was.

[Byron Allen]

Dion. I went to go see Dion and Cole. He brought me up on stage, and we had a blast. We have fun. I love Dion. He's one of my favorite human beings on the planet. You know? And it's just. I love being connected.

[Just Hilarious]

And.

[Byron Allen]

And for me, the other thing is, I feel it's so, like, okay, so look, I get into a position to put on television whatever I want to put on tv. Why is it important that we have a seat at the table? What do I. What do I put on television? What did I put on TV?

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

TV?

[Byron Allen]

I have on 13 hours a day of television. 13 hours a day. No human being has ever accomplished that. But nine of those hours are court shows. EBONY K. Williams, nine of those hours. Nine different judges, okay? As legal scholars, I have on two African American men, Judge Ross, Judge Mathis, two Latinas, and five African American women, including EBONY K. Williams, who just got nominated for a Critics Choice Award.

[DJ Envy]

Equal justice.

[Byron Allen]

Equal justice. Okay? So when these other media outlets had an opportunity to put on shows, they put shows on with white male hosts and young black men showing their butts, dancing and screaming, I'm not the baby daddy. The test came back. I'm not the baby daddy. I'm not. And it's like, is that how you're going to depict me? As a black man? That's not the. Those aren't the black men I grew up with. That wasn't my granddaddy, Leroy. That wasn't my granddaddy Charles. That wasn't my daddy, Alvin. Those men, they were all over Me. They were chasing me. Keep my. My granddaddy used to sit up on the porch. And when I went out to play in Detroit, he watched me like a hawk because he knew I could get in trouble because a lot of the kids in my neighborhood ended up getting dead or in prison. So he was straight up. Boom. You can go outside. I'mma sit right here. I'mma drink this beer, and I'mma watch you. When those street lights start to flicker, I want your black butt up on this porch. Those aren't the men I grew up with. So I'm not going to let you depict them like that. I'm going to let you depict them as to who they were. Hard working, brave, kind, generous, loving, protection, protective. So I'm gonna show images of who we really are. That's the power of tv. That's the power of podcasting radio. You're sharing these stories that nobody else is sharing. Nobody's opening up the mic and saying, here's who we are. I'm just gonna paint you as the drug dealer. I'm just gonna paint you as the one robbing people. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. There. And I'm gonna make sure it shine. That's the power of having that seat at the table.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

All right, well, don't move. We got more with Byron Allen actually after donkey of the day.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, man. Byron conversation is an hour and 40 minutes. You can watch the full thing on Netflix in. In a little while, but, you know, the conversation was so long, you know, why not keep buying on for a couple hours?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's right. So we got the latest coming up, then the donkey, then we're gonna get back to our conversation with Byron Allen. All right, so don't go anywhere. The latest Lauren that's coming up is the Breakfast Club. Good morning.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news?

[DJ Envy]

Huge news.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

We created our own podcast called. Hey, Jonas.

[Byron Allen]

We invented a podcast.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Well, we didn't invent it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

We.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

We just contributed to it. First people to do podcasts. Pretty.

[Byron Allen]

Yeah.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Pretty wide range of podcasts, but this one's extra special. So how do we. How do we actually come up with the name Haj Jonas? Guys, I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it, and, well, we were thinking. I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers was. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this we were talking about a thing a bit for the podcast where people could call in and say hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad a jump Jonas and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that. Guys, listen to hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

[Robert Smigel]

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Jim Gaffigan to Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My my guest SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Who's the worst singer in the group?

[Byron Allen]

The worst? Yeah, Me.

[Robert Smigel]

Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard you only got in because your parents made a huge donation?

[Byron Allen]

The Yardbirds, right?

[Just Hilarious]

That's the name.

[Robert Smigel]

The Harvard Yard.

[DJ Envy]

But they're open.

[Byron Allen]

If you have a name suggestion. We're open.

[Robert Smigel]

Since you guys are middle aged one erection, listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[DJ Envy]

Humor me. I need some jokes to make me seem funny.

[Isaiah Thomas]

What's up fam? It's Isaiah Thomas and I'm C.J.

[CJ Toledano]

toledano. And our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds.

[Isaiah Thomas]

Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without

[CJ Toledano]

Luka and Austin Reed and finding ways to win no matter what.

[Isaiah Thomas]

Smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before and he knows without Luka and Austin Reaves, I gotta manipulate the game.

[CJ Toledano]

We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.

[Isaiah Thomas]

I think Joker's gonna be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reed, he has to guard Julius Randle and then he has to give us everything. He gives us on a night to night basis on all offense.

[CJ Toledano]

And when it's friends stop by like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too.

[Caller (Knicks fan)]

Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court licking his fingers while he got the ball. Like you go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Oh yeah. Get your ass up and down the court and you gonna get the ball.

[CJ Toledano]

So listen to Point game on the IHEARTRADIO app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Mimi Brown]

This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us.

[Byron Allen]

The United States will not stand by and allow any power, however great, take over another country.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

From iHeart podcasts, Saigon, please allow me

[DJ Envy]

to introduce Joseph Sherman.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam?

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

I should stop talking so much.

[Byron Allen]

I like hearing you talk.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart from this is for Vietnam.

[Byron Allen]

I've taken a hit from Japanese ground fire.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Do you read me?

[Mimi Brown]

They're pouring petrol all over him. He's holding matches.

[DJ Envy]

I'm on a landmine for freedom.

[Byron Allen]

Let's get out. Freedom for Vietnam.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Saigon. Starring Kelly Marie Tran and Rob Benedict.

[Byron Allen]

Staying here's madness.

[DJ Envy]

The world should hear about this.

[Byron Allen]

There's a fire coming to this country

[Mimi Brown]

and it's going to burn. Burnout's everything.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Listen to Saigon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[DJ Envy]

You'll talk LL Cool.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah. I'm not dumbing myself down. I'm being myself. I'm the homegirl that knows a little bit about everything and everything.

[Just Hilarious]

The little brown girls look at you

[Mimi Brown]

and go, I want to be like you.

[Byron Allen]

Take me through that. Take me through there.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Where she going?

[Byron Allen]

The latest with Lauren on the Breakfast Club. Talk to me.

[Lauren LaRosa]

So Clarissa Shields is now responding to the ban that was placed on her by by MVP Promotions following her slapping Alicia Baumgartner at the Ronda Rousey fight. But for those who don't remember, let's take a listen to the altercation that got us here. First,

[Byron Allen]

I was.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Y' all added some extra sauce to that slap.

[DJ Envy]

I don't understand. No, I don't understand why people are upset about this situation. Two combat fighters in each other's face, arguing, going at it. One fighter threatens the other fight. Another fighter slaps. That's the way the game goes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Like, yeah, but it's not in a ring, right? You're not supposed to do that.

[DJ Envy]

But we see it all the time with the guys. These guys be jumping each other and entourages be fighting.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's what I'm saying. If the guys are suspended of band, I understand, but if the guys. If the men are not suspended of banned, I don't know how. You just do the women.

[DJ Envy]

And I hate to say it, that situation is much, much lighter than what happened in Detroit. Detroit. When they got into each other's face even though they was fighting, and she shoved her and then There was a whole melee.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Melee.

[Just Hilarious]

Get physical. And I feel like at all the weigh ins or whatever, although it's not their fight, like they, the fighters, they hit each other at the weigh in.

[Lauren LaRosa]

So the issue with this was that

[Charlamagne Tha God]

wasn't even a fight. There's nothing signed.

[Lauren LaRosa]

That was the issue. Is that right? That's what people are upset or not upset about. But people are pushing back on. Like even with Charlamagne said up here yesterday when he said. Said that this should be fine because they're saying they don't have a fight lined up. This isn't anything promotional. But they've been going back and forth. It is promotional because just because they're

[DJ Envy]

fighters now you want to see them in the ring.

[Just Hilarious]

Yeah, because I did. I really want to see what Alicia Baumgartner is about.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Well, Clarissa Shield spoke out yesterday. She posted another angle, more closer up of the video because she. She says that this is being talked about unfairly and she's threatening legal action. She says she's dedicated her life to the sport of boxing. Through the grace of God. She's been blessed. Blessed. And she says what circulated online does not tell the full story until now. She says she doesn't condone violence. She never has. But also she doesn't condone. But she's not somebody who that will stand in silence as she's being verbally attacked, threatened, discriminated against and assassinated when it comes to her character. And she says she's not going to allow the reality of disrespect to turn into a narrative or talk about colorism or envy, which is which. Some people try to turn this into the way that the women look. And she says that there are 10 attacks. She alleges that there are attacks by Alicia Baumgartner that are documented in history. She said there's been threats over the past four years that led up to this moment.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So history between conversations and actually putting hands on somebody.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, yeah.

[Just Hilarious]

No, for sure.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You just say that all the time. I can say whatever I want to you. If you hit me, that's assault, right?

[DJ Envy]

No, but what if you threaten me?

[Just Hilarious]

She threatened her.

[DJ Envy]

You telling me you gonna beat my ass right now? Let me defend myself right now. Then y' all keep playing like Clarissa don't got top dog law on speed dial, y'. All.

[Byron Allen]

Top dog law. Yeah.

[Lauren LaRosa]

And she's also threatening anyone who is, you know, covering this inaccurately and having conversations about this inaccurately. Shut up. She's saying. She's saying that any defamation of character will be Handled accordingly with her legal team because. And. And, you know, on the other side, Alicia Baumgartner, there is conversation about whether she will move forward legally with any action because of the slap as well, too. So, you know, she's just clarifying some things here.

[DJ Envy]

This is all good promotion. For once they decide to actually get in the ring.

[Just Hilarious]

God damn it.

[Lauren LaRosa]

We'll see what happens following this.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, like you said, it's all good promotion. I agree.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Now, going down to Atlanta, speaking of promotion, so Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans were at the scary movie premiere that they did in Atlanta, and they were axed on the carpet about Kevin Hart's roast in the George Floyd jokes. Let's take a listen.

[Byron Allen]

Find the right joke. Is going to war. There's going to be casualties. And unfortunately, some of the jokes didn't land the way that they. They possibly could have. And so, you know, the. The consequences in the. The quietness of the laugh.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[Byron Allen]

We can't have controversy every time somebody tells a joke.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Every time someone tells a joke, we. We killing our own culture.

[Byron Allen]

It's not good. One part comedian, one part black man. So, you know, the other part of it is, if you're gonna go there, make sure that joke is really worth it. But for us as comedians, you know, we got to keep trying. You got to keep diving in these dark waters and looking for some like, you know, there's things in the movie that we decided not to put in because it was like, we felt like it hurt the temperature of the movie. We're trying to do a movie to make everybody feel good. And so some things, if it's gonna make people go, ugh. That, ugh. It stays with you. I don't want that.

[DJ Envy]

I want people to go, ha.

[Byron Allen]

And Kevin, stop doing dumb because I

[Charlamagne Tha God]

gotta walk this line.

[Byron Allen]

Instead of talking about scary movie, I gotta give a. About your dumb ass little roast.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

I just don't. I don't think nobody funny enough to turn the George Floyd situation into something that gonna make people laugh. No, not at all.

[Just Hilarious]

No.

[DJ Envy]

It's a violent, tragic death at the hands of the police.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Nothing funny at all.

[Just Hilarious]

Absolutely not. But what I did think about yesterday after seeing that video, because I saw that yesterday too. Yo, what if they did a roast? I don't know who they would roast. But what if all the Waynes were doing the roasting? Yo, I'm talking about all of them, Marlon.

[Lauren LaRosa]

You just want to see all of them on stage together so bad.

[Just Hilarious]

Yening and the sister, sister, sister. Low key. Funny than Everybody Kim.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Just Hilarious]

Like, stock Kim is low key. Funnier than everybody. Like, yo, can we. Can we. Can we imagine that?

[Lauren LaRosa]

But people would have to, like, joke back with them. Who's gonna want to go? All of them versus.

[DJ Envy]

It would have to be another comedian.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah. But, like, you know what? I'm sending them together. I feel like that's kind of a bit.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Unless they roast Keenan or they.

[DJ Envy]

Rose.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, one of the older ones.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[Just Hilarious]

I mean, they should. Oh, they should roast Keenan.

[Byron Allen]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Keenan.

[Just Hilarious]

All of the brothers in. In Ken them. Rose Canaan. That'll be funny.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Well, Scary Movie comes out on June 5, and the point of Scary Movie is to wait to attack or fight back at Cancel Culture. So we'll see what they. What conversations they cause in this new film. Yes. And in the next latest, we'll be talking about Drake. And if Drake and LeBron should sit down for a conversation.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He started touching his breast as soon

[DJ Envy]

as you said Drake. I don't know what you talking about. What kind of waffle cup it. You know, fantasies you having over there, but don't know. Okay.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Since you want to touch your breast, who you give me a donkey to, sir?

[DJ Envy]

Damn, you just nasty, man. Logan, could you just slam your daddy all summer? He's just nasty. He just come up here to be gay. Okay? It's just like, you got an animal instinct to want to flirt, man. And no, you can't flirt. Don't do that. Is he on drugs?

[Just Hilarious]

I. I don't know. He's usually me.

[DJ Envy]

He's tripping waffle colored Negroes.

[Lauren LaRosa]

He's just in a good spirit today. His team won last night. He got a lot going on.

[DJ Envy]

Anyway, before. After the hour, we need President Tiffany Hernandez of Glendale Community College to come to the front of the congregation. I'm trying to tell y' all right now, AI cannot replace everything, and it only can if we let it. We'll discuss.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

All right, we'll get to that. Next, it's the Breakfast Club. Good morning.

[DJ Envy]

That was donkey up the table maybe.

[Just Hilarious]

Damn. The Hee Haw again.

[DJ Envy]

It's time for Donkey of the Day.

[Caller (Knicks fan)]

I'm not trying to be donkey today no more.

[DJ Envy]

They should be embarrassed by what they already did. I'm not making these people do these things called Donkey of the Day.

[Byron Allen]

And it really caught me off guard.

[Just Hilarious]

Damn Charlemagne. Who got the donkey of the day today?

[DJ Envy]

Well, just hilarious. Donkey today for Wednesday, May 20, goes to President Tiffany Hernandez of Glendale Community College and Glendale Community College as a staff, staff, record label, and mother effing school. Okay, I'M telling you right now that we are about to experience what I call the great Disconnect. You are going to have a large swath of society that completely submits to the robots. They're going to completely submit to AI. Those are going to be the people who are proud citizens of a techno feudalist society. If you don't know what techno feudalism is, please read a great book called Techno Feudalism what Killed Capitalism by Yannas Varufakis. I think that's how you pronounce his name. I can never pronounce it, but the name of the book is Techno Feudalism what Killed Capitalism. But the rest of us are going to disconnect because nobody wants to spend the rest of their life going on social media questioning what's real or not. Okay? I'm not doing it. Swiping constantly, asking yourself, is this real? Sending links to people and they hitting you back like that's not real. I don't have the mental and emotional bandwidth to live like that. And also in our line of work, work the radio industry, there are already some things being done by AI, technical stuff, and I hate it, okay? Because AI is not a human. And when it comes to the details, nothing beats a human touch. All right? AI does not micromanage. Okay? I'm not even sure AI does the basic macro stuff good yet, but I don't want people using AI to cut clips for Breakfast Club. I don't want people using AI to title things and create descriptions because AI gets a lot wrong. And that is why Tiffany Hernandez and Glendale Community College need to be at the front of the congregation today. Because they decided to use AI for something that absolutely 100% needs a human touch. And that's a graduation ceremony. Yes. Someone at Glendale Community College thought it would be a great idea to have AI announce the students names. And this happens. Let's go to WRAL for the report, please.

[Mimi Brown]

What a mess for everyone involved here

[Lauren LaRosa]

at Glendale Community College. Students work so hard to get to

[Mimi Brown]

to this point to get their diploma and graduate.

[Byron Allen]

And they say the school should have been better prepared. Michael D. Gonzalez.

[Lauren LaRosa]

The names being read during GCC's commencement didn't appear to match who was walking

[Byron Allen]

across stage India Hall.

[Mimi Brown]

Then the names at the bottom of

[Lauren LaRosa]

the screen stop changing. Azusina Demesa Jimenez. Then the screen on the left goes blank. I was honestly just proud to be

[Mimi Brown]

there in the moment. It was only after Grace Reimer crossed

[Lauren LaRosa]

the stage and returned to her stage seat that she realized something was off. Here's the photo that's her on stage. That's not her name, but I also

[Mimi Brown]

didn't hear a lot of cheering, and I know that my family is a pretty loud family.

[Byron Allen]

Several minutes later, Grace Marie Reimer.

[Lauren LaRosa]

She finally heard her name.

[Mimi Brown]

Yeah, that's not right. And it definitely made me feel uneasy.

[Byron Allen]

Here's what's happening. We're using a new AI system as our reader. So that is. That is a lesson learned for us.

[DJ Envy]

Damn. This story is the perfect example of people using AI because they're lazy for no reason. Okay? I mean, what is the point of using AI for these kids? Graduation. Is it really too much to ask to have a couple of people stand up and read names? Okay, are we really just gonna let the robots have everything? We concerned about AI guy taking jobs, but we giving away the easy ones like this? Okay, you adults are busy trying to save time, maybe money, I don't know, but you're completely missing the point of the moment. Graduation isn't just some assembly line event. You can't treat these kids like products on a conveyor belt. Some fall off, some don't. Some get labeled wrong, some get labeled right. Some get stamped, some get thrown away. This is a once in a lifetime ceremony for these kids. Families drove into in, okay? Students spent years and thousands of dollars hustling. And you turned the most personal part, hearing your name called so you can do a little dance. Some pomp and circumstance, y' all turn that to just a glitch in the Matrix, okay? And the irony of this story, what really bothers me, these schools spend years telling students, don't use chat GPT, okay? Don't use AI to plagiarize. Do the work yourself. Don't let AI do it for you. Then as soon as it's time for the administration to do their work, they bring in RTD2, RTD2, R2, R2D2. What's the thing name? R2D2. Okay? They bring in Wally, all right? They bring in Optimus Prime. They bring in a Terminator, okay? To do all the work for them. What would you do if you found out your fitness trainer was secretly using Ozempic and Zepbound, but was always speaking to you about the dangers of weight loss drugs. Would you trust him? No, you wouldn't. Okay, hey, Young World Generations Z, where does AI rank in your top five in regards to your growing list of resentments? Okay, I know y' all got. I know y' all hate hustle culture that's up there. Climate change, capitalism, America being beholden To Israel. Where does rapid unchecked integration of AI into your lives and workplace rank? All right? You have a whole generation who already feel like technology is replacing jobs, creativity and human connection. And this incident at Glendale Community College. College is just another example of that. Okay? Glendale Community College, you have proven that common sense is now an elective course. Okay? Using AI to announce human names at a graduation. And the robot was skipping people like. Like Spotify skipping songs on shuffle. This is the problem with society, okay? Everybody wants efficiency over expense. AI can't guarantee efficiency, but happy, well paid humans can't. Okay? I'm not even sure AI knows what efficiency is. I damn sure know that AI doesn't understand empathy or the importance of a moment. And when this robot messed up these kids names, all president Tiffany Hernandez and the administration could offer is the corporate classic, we apologize for the inconvenience. Man, skipping someone's name at graduation is more than an inconvenience, okay? Imagine being the first person in your family to graduate college and your old grandma sitting there waiting to hear your name. And she. She doesn't. And she thinks she's losing her hearing because she never heard your name, but she knows she saw you walk across stage. Got that old lady thinking she going crazy and it's your fault. This is why people are scared of AI not because the technology exists, but because humans keep using it to replace moments that require actual humanity, okay? Some things require soul, and that's what AI will never have. Please give president Tiffany Hernandez of Glendale Community College College the biggest HE Hawk. I see your dumb ass beige wheels turning. I see them stupid ass waffle colored wheels turning.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I'm just saying.

[DJ Envy]

What is your brain thinking? Man, that is the color of dirty urine.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Remember when Webby was up here and Webby couldn't pronounce those names?

[DJ Envy]

Now listen now, now some of those names. I see what you're doing.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Some of those names, that's the different.

[DJ Envy]

Now if I had to. If I had to choose who to say the names, okay? If it's Webby, if it's me, because I can't really pronounce that. Well, if it's just hilarious, then maybe you think AI okay, if it's you, I'm going AI. Maybe I just got to see who else is available first. What other humans are available?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Some of them names.

[DJ Envy]

What other humans are available?

[Just Hilarious]

Pronouncing people's names. I'm really good with pronouncing people's names. Yes, I am.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Then when you go to other coaches,

[Just Hilarious]

I'm Real good with pronouncing.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's not your American name. Not your Thompsons and your Jacksons. When it goes to the. Like, the name you.

[Just Hilarious]

You started with the African guy that you. You named the author with the book.

[DJ Envy]

African.

[Just Hilarious]

You. You said. What was it?

[DJ Envy]

He's not African. He's like, oh, my God, he made a sound.

[Just Hilarious]

African dog.

[DJ Envy]

Yanas Varufakas.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Exactly. That is definitely wrong.

[Byron Allen]

That's not right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So now you're a professor. Ararufakas. That sounds like you cursed at somebody. Mad. Spit everywhere. So I get why they did it. Then we go to the Asian African name.

[DJ Envy]

But you scraped the bottom. You scraped the bottom of the barrel, Webby. All right.

[Just Hilarious]

Me?

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, Jess. Hilarious. Like, why do you keep saying Jess?

[Just Hilarious]

Hilarious.

[DJ Envy]

Boy, ain't no. We know nothing.

[Just Hilarious]

I know how to.

[DJ Envy]

You know people can hear you, right? You know they can hear you every day.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Hello.

[Byron Allen]

Hello.

[Just Hilarious]

Yeah, I don't mess people names up. I may mess up other things, but not people's names.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Names. Here we can't even say Spanish names right? Like, it be Riviera.

[DJ Envy]

Hold on.

[Just Hilarious]

Riviera. Like, what are we talking about? Okay, stop playing with me.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Give her a name. Okay? Give her name. All right. Give her a name.

[Mimi Brown]

Right.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Okay.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, this going to be good. This going to be good. Pronounce that good.

[Just Hilarious]

Techno Feudalism.

[DJ Envy]

No, girl. Oh. See what I'm saying?

[Byron Allen]

Yes.

[Lauren LaRosa]

No.

[Just Hilarious]

Shut up, Giannis Faruk.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, exactly.

[DJ Envy]

Now you're on stage.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Now they mad because you said that name wrong.

[DJ Envy]

The radio. You cursed on the radio three times already. Stop cursing.

[Just Hilarious]

And he African.

[DJ Envy]

He's not African. All right.

[Just Hilarious]

What is he?

[DJ Envy]

He's not African.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Exactly.

[DJ Envy]

So that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

See, I. I can't see. We just made the point. We can't say any names to that Professor Go up there sounding like us either.

[DJ Envy]

Yes, you don't. And I know AI is messed up.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yesterday, I posted a picture of AI and cut my arm up. I didn't even see my arms off. Only had one arm, but, you know. But.

[DJ Envy]

But once again, for a graduation ceremony, that needs a human touch, bro. Yeah, okay. Even if you up there mispronouncing people's names, you know, you got to make sure you get the names right. But that's why you practice. If you know that you're doing a college graduation, you practice beforehand and make sure you have the pronunciation names. I don't care.

[Just Hilarious]

I don't care. You ask everybody that name. You gotta make sure that you pronounce their names right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

2000 names.

[DJ Envy]

It's a Graduation kiss. It's a college graduation. That's how important a day like that is.

[Just Hilarious]

X, everybody. Name. Yes.

[DJ Envy]

You pro. You. You practice pronouncing the names. If you're the person pronouncing the name.

[Just Hilarious]

That's right.

[DJ Envy]

By the way, that's what I would do. I could do it if I. I'm like Batman. You give me some time to prepare. I'll get it done. Okay. I just need it.

[Just Hilarious]

Varufakis. Yes, that is his name, y'.

[Byron Allen]

All.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Just took you four times to figure it out. You only got one shot.

[Just Hilarious]

I said it right all times, but you gotta read that name. Slough.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Thank you for that donkey today. Now, when we come back, Byron Allen was with us last hour. We're gonna play some more of that interview. He. We spoke to him for about an hour and 40 minutes. And if you don't know who he is, he's the owner of the Weather Channel, the owner of. Of BuzzFeed, BuzzFeed, Huffington Post.

[Just Hilarious]

He's tasty.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Tasty. And he also comedian. He has a new show, another name to read. Here we go.

[Just Hilarious]

Comics Unleashed.

[DJ Envy]

What's this word phonetically?

[Just Hilarious]

Don't ever play with me.

[DJ Envy]

Don't. She did go to.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

She did go to. She went to Baltimore Community College. All right.

[DJ Envy]

It's the Breakfast Club.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Come on. Morning, everybody. It's DG Envy. Just hilarious. Charlamagne. The guy. We are the Breakfast Club. Lauren Laros is here as well. We're still kicking it with Byron Allen. Charlemagne.

[DJ Envy]

I know you've been. You've been here for a while, so I got a couple more questions.

[Byron Allen]

No, no.

[DJ Envy]

You fight a lot of corporate fights, right?

[Byron Allen]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

And I know you reached a settlement with McDonald's over the 10 million dollar lawsuit that you filed in 2021. You said that they discriminated against black owned media companies. Why do you think corporate America is comfortable profiting off black culture but hesitant to invest in black ownership?

[Byron Allen]

Obviously, I can't speak on the McDonald's settlement because that was a $10 billion lawsuit. And part of the settlement is don't ever speak about it again. Here's what I would say. Here's what I would say about white corporate America in general. The greatest trade deficit in America is the trade deficit between white corporate America and black America. And until we close that trade deficit, we cannot achieve. Achieve one America, which is what Martin Luther King died for. He was attempting to achieve one America. You know, Coretta Scott King was a friend of mine, and I wanted to learn a lot about Martin Luther King and I really wanted to learn through, from her point of view. And she said to me, byron, they didn't kill my Martin over the I have a Dream speech. They killed him over the speech that he gave at Stanford University in February of 16. They murdered him two months later in that speech. He gave that speech, which was the other America. And he said, in that speech, there are two Americas. One America has access to opportunity and economic inclusion, and two Americas will not survive. We must achieve one America. At that point, he had already achieved civil rights. He was pushing for economic inclusion and education for all Americans, especially. Especially poor white Americans. And they were like, if this dude pulls together poor white people and black people, we got a problem.

[DJ Envy]

That was the next model, the Poor People's March.

[Byron Allen]

That was. Yeah, he was going to deliver half a million poor people to the nation's capital. And I am. I'm making a movie about that right now. And that they said, the generals said if he delivers half a million poor people to the nation's capital, capital, this. There could be an overthrow, that. He could overthrow the. There could be an uprising. He could overthrow the country. He cannot deliver half a million poor people, mainly white people, to the nation's capital. We must kill him where he starts. So, you know, Avery DuVernay and I, we're working on a. She's right. She's written an amazing screenplay, and we're writing about the whole trial of what happened and how 70 people walked into a courtroom room and testified as to what they did to organize the murder of Martin Luther king. And after 12 jurors, six men, six women, six blacks, six whites, listened to this testimony, a case no one knows about, that actually happened in 1999, the verdict came back that the United States government murdered Martin Luther King.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Wow.

[Byron Allen]

That's the verdict. That's a trial nobody knows about. About. So Ava has written an amazing screenplay. We're making a movie about it. But in that speech, he said, there are two Americas, and we have to achieve one America. And that's the issue. And I. And I remember Coretta Scott King telling me that. And I said, you and Martin, you know, because they murdered him at age 39. I said, you and Martin, you did more than enough. It's our turn, this generation, to achieve the fourth and final check chapter. Because she said, byron, as black people, we have three major challenges. Number one, end slavery. Number two. Right. Number one, that's a big one. Achieve, you know, end slavery. Number two, achieve civil rights. Number three, she said. And she starts to, like, she Starts to tear up. You know, she gets. She got really emotional, you know, when she said. Said, you know, these. Because she grew up with this part that really she was born picking cotton. She picked cotton as a little girl, and she used to sit on the porch and listen to them talk about who got hung that she knew. So it was number one. I'm sorry, it was number one in slavery. Number two, end Jim Crow. That was really personal because as a little girl, she worried every day about her father being living avenged. Number three, achieve civil rights. And then she choked up again, like she choked up about her father. She said, number four, achieve economic inclusion. And I said, we will deal with the fourth and final chapter, economic inclusion. So she said, she laid it out. Slavery, Jim Crow, civil rights. And it was simple. It was clear as day when she laid it out to me.

[Caller (Teresa/Shay/Brina)]

Me.

[Byron Allen]

It's never been black or white. It's never been black or white. We've always thought black and white. It's always been green. Green was the color. Not black, not white. Why did they bring us here from Africa? They brought us here from Africa to build the wealth, the greatest wealth on planet Earth. Why did they start the genocide against us? Because we were freed and they did not want to compete with us for the green. So what did they do? They started the economic genocide by using. You will not have access to education. No education. You won't have access to economic inclusion. Bank loans, money. That's not predatory economic inclusion. You won't have it. That's genocide. That's economic genocide. I will squeeze you out through lack of education and lack of economic inclusion. It's economic genocide. And I've always said this country did

[DJ Envy]

base that overrates, though. I mean, there was a caste system in this country.

[Byron Allen]

Oh, absolutely. But it was about. The whole thing is money, money, money.

[DJ Envy]

Don't.

[Byron Allen]

Don't compete with me for the money.

[DJ Envy]

Absolutely.

[Byron Allen]

And if you don't have an education, you're not going to compete with me. And if you don't have access to capital, that's not predatory. You're not going to compete with me. So it's just. It's real. I brought you here to make me rich, not to compete. Why would I bring you here to compete? I'm not giving you any of this great American economic pie. You are here to make me rich and to be a consumer. So you have to decode all of that. And I've always said they kill us in the, you know, in the. In the. In the school room by making sure we don't get a proper education. And they kill us in the boardroom by making sure we don't have economic inclusion. And they kill us in the courtroom by making sure we don't have equal justice long before they kill us in the streets. More brothers and sisters are taken out in that school room, in that boardroom and in that courtroom room than you can ever imagine. Far greater than the ones taken out in the streets. Those are the ones we see and those that we. We witness. And that's horribly violent. But it's equally as violent when you say, I'm gonna make sure you don't have a proper education and then go, oh, look at that. I got all these young brothers and sisters doing smash and grabs and running into stores and stealing bags for 50 cents. Made for China. Made in China for 50 cents. And I'm like, I don't want to hear about your crime. Don't talk to me about crime until you lean in and you invest in education and you make sure each and every one of these kids get a proper education. And then you make sure each and every last one of these kids have a pathway to be integrated into corporate America. And you make sure each and every last one of these kids. Kids are not getting 30% longer sentences than their white counterparts. Do that, and then we can talk about crime. But you and I both know you have designed the system for us to fail. You and I both know you make more money off of incarceration than education, and you have structured it so that we fail and not succeed and don't complain, compete. So let's talk about crime. When you educate every kid in this country to the fullest extent.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

We're still kicking it with Byron Allen. Yes, he was on last hour in this hour. We spoke to him about an hour, 40 minutes. He's very long winded, but he has a lot of knowledge.

[DJ Envy]

But he's got so much going on. So he is long winded. But it's good information.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It is.

[DJ Envy]

But he also has a lot going on. Like, you know, this Friday, he. He replaces Stephen Colbert's late show with comics un unleashed. He just bought buzzfeed. He just bought the Huffington Post. He just bought a percentage of stars. Byron got too much going on.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's right. So let's get back into that interview. So what is your. What is your outlook on. I know you got to go. Your outlook on.

[Byron Allen]

I don't have to go anywhere. I'm hanging out with you.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What is your outlook on HBCUs then?

[Byron Allen]

Well, I'm a big investor in HBCUs. I am one. I am the largest. You know, I control more HBCU sports than anybody. I control like 97 of all HBCU sports. What I did was, is I looked at the HBCU sports.

[DJ Envy]

HBCU go, right?

[Byron Allen]

Yeah. I started HBCU go. And so I went and started buying the sports rights from these colleges and I said, look, this is crazy, like we are the best talent out out there. But you know, Deion Sanders said to me, byron, I'm mowing the lawn at Jackson State. I'm mowing the lawn. We have rat infested practice facilities, okay? And I'm like, okay, this is ridiculous. So I went and bought the Sportsworth rights, started producing the games, putting them on broadcast television, putting them on our cable network, the Griot, putting them on our streaming platform. And I'm investing more and more in HBCUs. I want everything commensurate with what we represent. I want 15 of your ad budgets to go to black owned media. I want 15 of those chairs in these schools to go to black students. Okay? This is what, what, you know, when I went to Obama and you know, and people, you know, and I, and I really do love Obama, right? I do love the brother and I have enormous respect for him. And I didn't say a word when he was first term, when he became second term, I said, listen up, brother, I need a couple of things from you. This is when I became critical of him and I said, look, you control two things that are easy to, to do. All you have to do is say to the banks, hey banks, you're not lending money to black people. And I'm going to audit you and I'm going to see if you're lending money to black people. And you will see that black people can't get home loans, car loans, business loans, student loans. That's important. Just say that. Just say you're going to audit and make them live up to the laws that are on the books. And I said, I only need one other thing from you. The government has a $1 trillion government worker pension fund, a pension fund of government worker money. I said, I want 15% of that money allocated to African American investors. And I said, if you take that $150 billion that should be allocated to the African American community for investment and marry it with banks overnight, the black community has the ability to buy a trillion dollars worth of businesses. That puts us. That changes the game. That, that's the fourth and final chapter of black America. Economic inclusion and we can't do it without education. We can't do it without access to capital. That's not predatory. We have to be owners. The way we were in Africa. We owned it. We have to be the same owners here in America.

[DJ Envy]

You know, I know what you're saying is true. I mean, I know why you're saying it's true, because it's true. But, you know, when you look at the Supreme Court. Court ending affirmative action in college admissions in 2023, and then you see, you know, black students at top schools, the percentage of black students at top schools dropping because of that. Yeah. You know, they want to keep us out of.

[Byron Allen]

Absolutely.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Byron Allen]

Absolutely. Because that's the pathway to success and economic inclusion.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's it.

[Byron Allen]

You know, it's like. It's a game changer. Look at my cfo. He went to a hbcu. He went to an hbcu.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You.

[Byron Allen]

He went to Hampton.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's the best one.

[Byron Allen]

Okay, so he went to the best one. You went there. There you go.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

To my little Hampton.

[Byron Allen]

Yeah, there you go.

[Just Hilarious]

So he.

[Byron Allen]

So Chris Malone went to an hbcu, but he also went to Harvard and got his mba. But I met him when he was at a private equity firm managing billions of dollars. He loaned me the money to buy the Weather. Weather Channel. Now, would he have gotten that job if he didn't have that Harvard as well? So it was great that his pedigree and his foundation is an hbcu Hampton. But it's also great that that MBA is from Harvard. Boom. He's ushered into a private equity firm. He's sitting in a room where they're talking about moving billions of dollars, just

[DJ Envy]

giving people the game. Byron, it is a game. You're just telling them how to play.

[Byron Allen]

I don't. And this is how you. And you can't play the game. I'm not here to play the game. I'm here to own the game. That's right. If you play the game game, it's rigged for you to lose. If you own the game, then you own the game. Every day I wake up, I'm about owning the game. What can I buy today? Because when I buy it, I control it. And when I control it, then it's gonna go the way it should go. Black images will be better. Black images will be. Will be elevated in a powerful, uplifting way. Right when I trusted my white counterparts to do it. I'm dancing around talking about, look at this DNA test. Check this out, baby. Check out this DNA. All right, baby. I Got away with this one. Alrighty. Yeah. I never heard of a condom, so that's why I'm worried right now. Oh, yeah, baby. No, that's not right. That's not it, baby. That's not it. We own the game. This is our moment to invite invest. I'm like, I'll sit there. And I said, you know, I know if I buy a publicly traded company, others in our community will start thinking publicly traded. And they're going to grow them and they're going to. They're going to invest in them. And it's a pathway for us to own a piece of something as a community, whether it's a publicly traded company I control or it's a publicly traded company you control or another one that you like. You know, you'll wake up one day, you'll be the largest stockholder in Iowa Heart. It's a different feeling when you walk in this building and you say, I own 10 of this place. It's a different vibe. Next thing you know, like, I wouldn't mind sitting on the board. It's a different vibe. God knows they're making a bunch of money off of you. Why not have a seat on the board? Why not have equity?

[DJ Envy]

You should be on the board of Black Effect. Byron Allen, already. No, never mind. We'll talk about that.

[Byron Allen]

I'll do it. Anything to support you. But I just want us to think that way. We have to beat education. And then we can have one America. And then when we have one America with education and economic inclusion, guess what? You have to turn all those prisons into warehouses for boxes and not humans. Release all the black men and women. Because now you've educated them, now you've given them access to capital. Capital. And now we're part of the American fiber. And now the great American tribe is even greater because every American is positioned to bring their excellence.

[DJ Envy]

Byron Arlen. Yes, sir.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

We appreciate you for joining us. You got to come back more often, though, brother. I know you got a lot to do now.

[DJ Envy]

I like these State of the Unions.

[Byron Allen]

I love you guys. I love your success, too. I'm going to tell Everybody. Netflix, Netflix. $20 billion. I want 10 billion to go to them. Damn it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

There we go.

[Byron Allen]

20 of your 20 billion dollar budget. I want 10 to come here.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

There we go.

[Byron Allen]

I know where you gonna invest it in the community.

[DJ Envy]

Comics Unleashed starts this Friday, May 22nd at 11:35 on CBS.

[Byron Allen]

You don't laugh your butt off. I'm gonna tell you right now before you watch the show, put on your Adult diapers because you're gonna pee on yourself.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Well, it's the Breakfast Club is Byron Allen.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news.

[Byron Allen]

What's the news?

[DJ Envy]

Huge news.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

We created our own podcast called hey Jonas.

[Byron Allen]

We invented a podcast.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Well, we didn't invent it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

We.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

We just contributed to First People to do Podcasts. Pretty. Yeah, Pretty wide range of podcasts, but this one's extra special. So how did we. How do we actually come up with the name hey Jonas? Guys, I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it and, well, we were thinking. I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers was. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes, I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing a bit for the podcast. People could call in and say, hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, hey Jonas. And offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that. Guys, listen to hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

[Robert Smigel]

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Jim Gaffigan to Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My guests, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel helping acapella band with their between songs banter. Who's the worst singer in the group?

[Byron Allen]

The worst?

[Robert Smigel]

Yeah, Me. Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard, you only got in because your parents made a huge

[Byron Allen]

donation to the group? To the group.

[DJ Envy]

The Yardbirds.

[Byron Allen]

Right?

[Just Hilarious]

That's the name.

[Robert Smigel]

The Harvard Yard.

[DJ Envy]

They're open.

[Byron Allen]

Do you have a name suggestion? We're open.

[Robert Smigel]

Since you guys are middle aged, one erection, listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[DJ Envy]

Humor me. I need some jokes to make me seem funny.

[Isaiah Thomas]

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas and I'm C.J.

[CJ Toledano]

toledano. And our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds.

[Isaiah Thomas]

Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without

[CJ Toledano]

Luka and Austin Reed and finding ways to win no matter what.

[Isaiah Thomas]

He's the smartest player to ever play play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luka and Austin Reaves, I gotta manipulate the game.

[CJ Toledano]

We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.

[Isaiah Thomas]

I think Joker's gonna be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reed, he has to guard Julius Randle, and then he has to give us everything. He gives us on a night to night basis on offense.

[CJ Toledano]

And when it's friends stopped by like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history, too.

[Caller (Knicks fan)]

Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers while he got the ball. Like you go through a training camp with that. Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Oh, yeah. Get your ass up and down the court and you gonna get the ball.

[CJ Toledano]

So listen to point game on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mimi Brown]

This is Saigon, the story of my

[DJ Envy]

family and of the country that shaped us.

[Byron Allen]

The United States States will not stand

[DJ Envy]

by and allow any power, however great,

[Byron Allen]

take over another country.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

From iHeart podcasts, Saigon, please allow me

[DJ Envy]

to introduce Joseph Sherman.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam?

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

I should stop talking so much.

[Just Hilarious]

I like hearing you talk.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

One city, a divided country and the war that tore America apart.

[DJ Envy]

This is for Vietnam.

[Byron Allen]

I've taken a hit from Japanese ground fire. Do you read me?

[Mimi Brown]

They're pouring petrol all over him. He's holding matches.

[DJ Envy]

I'm on a landmine for freedom.

[Byron Allen]

Let's get out freedom. Bomb it now.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Saigon. Starring Kelly Marie Tran and Rob Benedict.

[Byron Allen]

Staying here is madness.

[DJ Envy]

The world should hear about this.

[Byron Allen]

There's a fire coming to this country

[Mimi Brown]

and it's going to burn out everything.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Listen to Saigon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Good morning. Let's get to the latest with Lauren.

[Just Hilarious]

Lauren becoming a straight face.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

She gets them from somebody that knows somebody.

[Lauren LaRosa]

I'm the homegirl that knows a little bit about everything.

[DJ Envy]

She be having the latest on the

[Byron Allen]

Latest with Lauren LaRosa.

[DJ Envy]

Sometimes you have facts. Sometimes you have details. Sometimes you have a little bit of everything. Oh.

[Byron Allen]

It's the latest brought to you by Top dog Law on the Breakfast Club.

[Lauren LaRosa]

All right, so congratulations goes out to country Wayne. He has generated over 1.4 billion views across his Facebook. He does these vertical micro dramas on his Facebook which have become a really popular thing, by the way.

[DJ Envy]

He's done this before, right? It's not his first time hitting that type of number.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah, but so now he's having a conversation about it because, you know, you're seeing this in Hollywood a lot. Issa Rae has a micro drama series. I believe it's across Tik Tok as well. Well, and it's becoming a thing. But I saw a video that Kev on stage did biggin him up. Let's take a listen.

[DJ Envy]

Country Wayne generated 1.4 billion views last month with his verticals show on Facebook. Do you know how many companies would kill seven random foxes to generate 1.4 billion views? The watch time, the watch hours, however you measure content, 1.4 billion views should used to be the goal to like, I have reached 1 billion lifetime. This is the fourth month. He's done over a billion views in the last six months. I think he did it last month. The first one I think I saw was in January and he also did it in December. That's 4 billion views in four months.

[Byron Allen]

Do you understand?

[DJ Envy]

The behemoth of an enterprise for a young black man to do this independently. This is insane. Paying actors and producers like crazy. That man built this empire in front of our very eyes. Kudos to you, Country Wayne. If you don't know what verticals are, they're like these, these mobile. They're for your phone. And they're like these one to three minute. Like soap opera dramas. Yeah, like these episodes. But it's like 1 minute, 2 minute, 3 minute.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes, but it's dope. I just want to tell. It's not a reality show. So it's not based on him and his life. Because that's what I thought it was at first, but when I dove into it, like he has actors and actors. It's a soap opera, but it seems like he tapes it with 1, 1, 1, 1 camera. It's not like different cameras. It's just dope the way he does

[Just Hilarious]

it, by the way, you know, actual production team. He has a production team that he does that with. Wayne been doing this though, for years. He was way ahead of his time with this. He started doing this like what, five, six years ago? Well, yeah, trying to get other comedians to do it too.

[DJ Envy]

These micro dramas started in China. Like it's a billion dollar industry in China and country.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Wayne says that like Hollywood, because they know he got the recipe to all of this. They're coming to him, trying to work with him, but he's telling him he want like 500. Like he. He want a good amount of money.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Congratulations to him.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Once you start watching. I was watching for hours yesterday, I was just into it.

[Lauren LaRosa]

But people are like that. With a lot of his content, though. Like, people really dive into his content.

[DJ Envy]

He got the audience, and he's proven he got the audience, so they should pay him for his audience.

[Just Hilarious]

And it's clean, too.

[Byron Allen]

Is his.

[Just Hilarious]

All his content is clean. So that's dopest for everybody.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Well, speaking of content, there is a conversation that is starting to pick up. So Rich Paul was on his podcast Game over with Max Kellerman, and they were having a conversation a day that Drop Drake dropped iceman about whether LeBron and Drake should sit down and have a conversation. Let's take a listen.

[Byron Allen]

Drake drops the album last night at midnight.

[DJ Envy]

Of course, you know, the big publicity on the record is he goes at your guy because he's mad that.

[Byron Allen]

Yeah, you know, look. Yeah, I don't get into that stuff, man. Like, at the end of the day, I think it's important for adults really reconcile down the road. Stay out of that. Because the nature of hip hop and

[Robert Smigel]

competition in hip hop is you're actually

[DJ Envy]

talking about the person in a certain way and trying to diss them. Right.

[Byron Allen]

I don't get involved in any of that. For me, it's just about allowing time to pass and hopefully people can reconcile. Yeah, they usually do if they're close their differences. I do think in any situation, it's important to remove the middleman because over time, you have to let two people have adult conversations if it's able to get there, and hopefully people reconcile their differences.

[Lauren LaRosa]

That was Rich Paul, LeBron's agent.

[DJ Envy]

He. Right. They just need to have a conversation to see where they went wrong. Because, you know, has Drake covered the tattoo up yet? Oh, my God. If he hasn't covered the LeBron tattoo up yet, then, you know, it's. It's still real.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You say that, but this is the

[Lauren LaRosa]

thing, like, covered up.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And you were my bestie. Like, you my best friend.

[Byron Allen]

Right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

They used to. They used to have a group chat where they put bars in the group group. Chad, you know, LeBron would come and stay at Drake's house. We were friends then. The guy that's dissing me, you on stage, you rapping his lyrics.

[DJ Envy]

I would feel away. It's not real until Drake covers up the LeBron James tattoo. When he covers the tattoo.

[Byron Allen]

I thought he did.

[DJ Envy]

He did.

[Just Hilarious]

I think it was like a video or something. Maybe that was enough. Somebody else.

[Byron Allen]

Name me. It was.

[Lauren LaRosa]

It was who he cut.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, he covered it up.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah. So he covered it up and then he. Yeah, he put Michael Jordan.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Michael Jordan.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Jordy Shay on there.

[Just Hilarious]

Oh, another basketball player, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Lauren LaRosa]

It was LeBron's high school jersey, and he replaced it.

[DJ Envy]

Oh. It might not be no reconciliation and it might be over, man.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Charlamagne, you don't understand this. Like, you don't understand why he feel this way. It's not just like a shut your

[DJ Envy]

big head ass up.

[Byron Allen]

I don't.

[DJ Envy]

I don't care. How about that?

[Lauren LaRosa]

You do care. Give a damn.

[DJ Envy]

I don't. I'm just here making content for the radio mean about it.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Like

[DJ Envy]

you don't care that LeBron and Drake broke up.

[Byron Allen]

Forever.

[DJ Envy]

Hey, man. Hey, man. Won't y' all unblock each other, man, so y' all can get back in y' all circle jerk? That's what it sounds like to me. That would it sound like you said you, you, you, you. You're not sad that this is happening? I don't give a damn.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yo, friends, they will be FX forever. All right, well, that's.

[DJ Envy]

The lady had a tattoo of LeBron on his body.

[Byron Allen]

Makes it even worse if I put

[DJ Envy]

a tattoo of you and then documented him covering it up.

[Just Hilarious]

Right, Right.

[Lauren LaRosa]

He did.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He sure did.

[DJ Envy]

That Tommy in your face when he did that McDonald's commercial. Play the McDonald's commercial commercial in here.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Who was it? Brought to you by the latest brought

[Lauren LaRosa]

to you by weeks ago. The latest is brought to you by Top Dog Law. Any accident bigger small called Top Dog Law. You got me doing this. Why did I just do that?

[DJ Envy]

Shake, wait. That's what this is. Sound crazy as hell.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Now you don't got it. All right, all right. Let's get to the mix.

[DJ Envy]

Man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I wish. Do we have a Can we have. Do youtape all those videos?

[Lauren LaRosa]

Why did you just do this, Envy? Why did you just put in?

[DJ Envy]

Sir, you did it earlier when you was talking about my sock on the game Cox, you was like, if it was your co, you'd be so. You need to shut up. All right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You're right.

[DJ Envy]

Okay.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning, DJ Envy. Just hilarious. Charlemagne the guy. We are the Breakfast Club and salute to the Radio hall of Fame. Now they revealed their 2026 class of people that's going to be inducted into the Radio hall of Fame.

[DJ Envy]

Who we got? Who got in this year, peoples?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Helen Little.

[DJ Envy]

Dropping the clues. Bombs for Helen Little.

[Just Hilarious]

That's my girl.

[DJ Envy]

Long overdue. Helen Little should have been in the Radio hall of Fame. Actually, Helen Little is one of the best to ever do it when it comes to this radio thing. Helen used to be the program director of Power.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes, she was. Yes, she was.

[DJ Envy]

When they first launched, right? No, not when they first. When they first launched. I think when they first.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I think after the. I think she was the second one.

[DJ Envy]

Second one, yeah.

[Byron Allen]

Yep.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So salute to hell a little. Also Ricky Smiley. Ricky Smiley made it as well.

[Just Hilarious]

Uncle Ricky.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Also Bob Pittman. Bob Pittman is in the Radio hall of Fame.

[DJ Envy]

Just getting in the Radio hall of Fame.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, Bob Pittman, that's right.

[DJ Envy]

The CEO and founder of iHeartMedia. Well, I don't know if he's the founder, but. CEO. Yeah. He is the founder of our. I'm bugging.

[Byron Allen]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How many. He is the founder.

[DJ Envy]

He's just getting into the Radio hall of Fame.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes, he is.

[DJ Envy]

Bob Pittman, who founded mtv.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes.

[Just Hilarious]

Hey, yo, that's crazy.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That is crazy.

[DJ Envy]

Hall of Fame. How we get in before Bob Pittman got in before Bob Pittman and.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And if you want to know how that happens is selected by votes for more than 950 radio industry professionals. So that's how people vote to see who gets in there. And I don't know how we. Because we got anywhere four or five years ago.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, we got in six years.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

20, 20. 2020.

[DJ Envy]

It was cool. Of fame.

[Just Hilarious]

Congratulations. Helen Little Bob Pittman and Ricky Smiley.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, man. All our people right there.

[Byron Allen]

That's right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

All right, now we also got a salute to Byron Allen for joining us this morning.

[DJ Envy]

The legendary Byron Allen. Is Byron in the Radio hall of Fame? You better put him in there before you buy it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He gonna buy the Radio hall of Fame. All right. Salute to Byron Allen. All right, when we come back, you can see that full interview on Netflix, by the way, as well. I want to salute to everybody again that's been supporting and getting tickets for my car show July 25th in Hampton, Virginia. Of course, all types of car. Old cars, new cars, exotic cars, cars, games and rides, carnival stuff for kids. Kids 5 and under are free. It's gonna be a family fun day. So if you're looking for something to do with the kids, bring the kids. Bring the family. Kids five and under free. Now, I've been asking Charlemagne for weeks for the number so I can get the Black Effect NASCAR into.

[DJ Envy]

Oh, yeah, a couple of the car shows.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And he's not giving me the number.

[Just Hilarious]

Like he's crazy.

[DJ Envy]

I don't have the numbers.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He's a gatekeeper.

[DJ Envy]

No, no. To my guy, Raja Karuf. I'm gonna hit up Dolly today and see how we can get it? Because we had the simulator at the, at the Black Effect Podcast festival. But I also saw they had the Black effect car at 7:04 day in Charlotte. My guy B dot posted that. So I just got to hit, I got to hit Roger and see where it's at.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Well, hopefully he's not racing that day, so I can't use it. No, cuz I just think it's dope for people to see. It's monument to the fact that Charlemagne is sponsoring a brother that's driving. I think that'll be great for people to see.

[DJ Envy]

I'mma find out right now.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

All right, now, you going to be in Rhode island this weekend?

[Just Hilarious]

I am going to be in East Providence, Rhode island at the Comedy Connection this Friday and this Saturday. I got two shows on Friday, two shows on Saturday. So meet me there. And then also Saturday early afternoon from 1 to 2pm you can meet me at Riff Raff and Bar, that's a bookstore in East Providence, Rhode Island. I'll be doing a book signing event there for my new book, my co parenting memoir, Till Death do We Parent. So get your book, come and get it signed, come talk to me. Got a live Q and A, take your pictures, do all of that and do. And then meet me at the show at Comedy Connection that Saturday night.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

All right Now, Charlamagne, you got a positive note.

[DJ Envy]

I do, man. And it comes from Henry Ford and I think it's great. You know, this quote is when everything seems to be going against you. Remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.

[Byron Allen]

Breakfast Club finish or y' all done?

[DJ Envy]

Wake you up, wake you up.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Wake that ass up.

[Byron Allen]

Program your Alarm to power 105.1 on iHeartRadio. Dish has been connecting communities like yours for the last 45 years, providing the TV you love at a price you can trust. Watch live sports news and the latest movies, plus your favorite streaming apps all in one place. Switch to Dish today and lock in the lowest price in satellite TV starting at $89.99 a month with our two year price guarantee. Call 888-t dish or visit dish.com today

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

hey guys, it's us, the Jonas Brothers.

[DJ Envy]

I'm Joe.

[Byron Allen]

I'm Kevin.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast, Jonas.

[Byron Allen]

We invented a podcast.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Well, we didn't invent it.

[DJ Envy]

We.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

We just contributed to it. People to do podcasts.

[Byron Allen]

We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it but you know. Tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

[Robert Smigel]

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy. Not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and Frank Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Jim Gaffigan to Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Who's the worst singer in the group?

[Byron Allen]

The worst? Yeah. Me.

[Robert Smigel]

Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard you only got in because your parents made a huge donation?

[Byron Allen]

The Yardbirds, right?

[Just Hilarious]

That's the name.

[Robert Smigel]

The Harvard Yard.

[DJ Envy]

But they're open.

[Byron Allen]

Do you have a name suggestion?

[Lauren LaRosa]

We're open.

[Robert Smigel]

Since you guys are middle aged one erection. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[DJ Envy]

Humor me. I need some jokes to make me seem funny.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life?

[DJ Envy]

That is not the look of an innocent man.

[Mimi Brown]

Is everyone lying to me about who they are?

[Byron Allen]

I felt such desperation.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I felt it was what I had to do.

[Jonas Brothers (Joe, Kevin, Nick)]

Listen to Deep Cover the family man on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Lauren LaRosa]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Mimi Brown]

Guaranteed Human.