INTERVIEW: Ashley Allison On Acquiring 'The Root', Cultural Impact, The Root 100 List + More

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Breakfast Club

Guest: Ashley Allison

Episode Title: INTERVIEW: Ashley Allison On Acquiring 'The Root', Cultural Impact, The Root 100 List + More
Date: November 6, 2025
Hosts: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God

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Episode Overview

This episode features a lively and insightful interview with Ashley Allison, the new publisher and owner of The Root via her company Watering Hole Media. The discussion covers Ashley's acquisition of The Root, her vision for its future, the launch of The Root 100 list (with The Breakfast Club named as honorees), challenges facing Black media, the cultural significance of Black storytelling, and strategies for sustainability and growth in a changing media landscape.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Announcement: The Root 100 List & The Breakfast Club's Recognition

• Ashley announces the release of The Root 100, her first as publisher, and reveals The Breakfast Club is featured on the list.
• Gifts and thanks exchanged, reflecting mutual cultural respect.
• Quote:
  “Today we are announcing the Root 100. The first time I’m announcing this list as the publisher. And The Breakfast Club is on our list.”
  — Ashley Allison [03:15]

2. The Motivation Behind Acquiring The Root

• Ashley shares her long-standing admiration for The Root, aligning with her vision when founding Watering Hole Media.
• Sees The Root as a vital space for authentic Black narratives, emphasizing the importance of owning and telling Black stories.
• Quote:
  “We need to have places to tell our stories and tell them our way and through our lens, unapologetically black. And I always say Black stories are American stories, and American stories are global stories, and we deserve to have ownership over them.”
  — Ashley Allison [04:40]

3. Addressing The Root's Past Reputation & Future Direction

• Charlamagne and the team share their mixed feelings about The Root’s past editorial tone.
• Ashley acknowledges past issues, pledges transparency, and sets standards for excellence, not perfection.
• Quote:
  “It’s a new day. It’s a new dawn. We’re on the show, and I’m feeling good.”
  — Ashley Allison [05:42]

4. The Changing Landscape of Black Media & Job Losses

• Discussion about the shrinking presence of Black-led media platforms (e.g., Vibe’s merger, layoffs at Teen Vogue).
• Ashley notes the broader context of high unemployment among Black women and the responsibility of Black-owned spaces.
• Quote:
  “I feel a pressure and a responsibility because of what The Root is in our community and can be... we will have a standard of excellence.”
  — Ashley Allison [06:18]

5. Editorial Vision: Multiplicity of Black Stories & Perspectives

• Importance of representing diverse Black perspectives (“not a monolith”).
• Commitment to thoughtful, sometimes controversial coverage to provoke thought.
• Quote:
  “Black people are not a monolith. So I need to make sure I’m telling multiple stories through multiple lenses... you will think about what we cover. And that is, I just think iron sharpens iron and Black people deserve to have multitudes of opinions.”
  — Ashley Allison [07:10]

6. Growing Audience and Restoring The Root’s Influence

• Goal to double The Root’s already considerable monthly audience (10M+).
• Plans to expand into video while maintaining strong written journalism.
• Aim to become the trusted go-to source for Black culture, news, and commentary.
• Quote:
  “I want The Root... when you want to know what’s going on in culture, politics, sports, and entertainment, you can go to The Root as a trusted source.”
  — Ashley Allison [07:48]

7. Navigating Trust, Fact-Checking, and Commentary in the Age of Misinformation

• Recognition of speed-driven misinformation; intention to scale newsroom for both speed and accuracy.
• Transparent line between opinion and reporting, with a “do no harm” principle regarding community impact.
• Quote:
  “We have a ‘do no harm’ approach... you cannot cause harm to Black people and have a home at The Root.”
  — Ashley Allison [09:14]

8. History and Legacy of The Root

• Founded by Dr. Henry Louis Gates in 2008; Ashley’s sense of stewardship.
• Importance of understanding The Root’s origins during Barack Obama’s rise and applying lessons to today’s climate.
• Quote:
  "I called [Henry Louis Gates] a couple of days before the announcement, and he was just over the top, elated. He’s like, ‘Oh my gosh. It’s like you have my child.’ And I’m like, and I will take great care of it."
  — Ashley Allison [09:39]

9. Reimagining The Root 100 — Removing Rankings

• Decision to spotlight excellence by community, not competition, especially in challenging times.
• The list includes a diverse mix of journalists, creators, scientists, and leaders.
• Quote:
  “We decided as a team to remove the rankings because in a moment that we are in right now, everybody on the list is exceptional... It’s a collective, and the only way we get out of this moment is if we do it together.”
  — Ashley Allison [11:11]

10. The Struggle for Black Media Funding & Sustainability

• Acknowledgement of industry-wide difficulties in securing ad dollars and investment.
• Ashley remains optimistic, highlighting The Root’s massive traffic and vision for growth, including video and offline events.
• Emphasis on “the product sells itself” and building community relationships.
• Quote:
  “It is a profitable business. And I see a vision on how we could grow... We have some offline activations that we want to do because, like, it’s one thing to see something, but to actually be in relationship [is] important.”
  — Ashley Allison [12:42]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Black stories are American stories, and American stories are global stories, and we deserve to have ownership over them.”
  — Ashley Allison [04:40]

• “We decided as a team to remove the rankings because in a moment that we are in right now, everybody on the list is exceptional... It’s a collective, and the only way we get out of this moment is if we do it together.”
  — Ashley Allison [11:11]

• “If in 17 years, it’s not stronger and more dominant, then I have not met my call.”
  — Ashley Allison [10:00]

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Important Segments (Timestamps)

• Ashley's Announcement & The Root 100: [03:12] – [03:55]
• Motivation for Acquiring The Root: [04:03] – [05:04]
• Past Criticisms & New Editorial Vision: [05:04] – [07:10]
• The State of Black Media & Layoffs Discussion: [07:10] – [08:16]
• Restoring Trust & Authority in Black Journalism: [08:16] – [09:27]
• Reflecting on The Root’s Legacy: [09:27] – [10:54]
• Rethinking ‘The Root 100’ and Collective Recognition: [10:54] – [12:23]
• Funding and Future Growth Plans: [12:23] – [13:29]

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Summary

Ashley Allison’s interview on The Breakfast Club is a powerful reflection on the future of Black media, cultural storytelling, and Black ownership. She shares a candid look at the responsibility of stewarding a legacy platform, her plans to foster trust and innovation at The Root, and the challenges and hopes for Black news and cultural coverage. The episode is charged with optimism, honesty, and a deep belief in the power and necessity of authentic Black narratives—both within The Root and the wider media landscape.

Transcript

[Ashley Allison]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Eva Longoria]

Shoe shopping should be fun and full of surprises. DSW has never ending options for every style, mood and occasion, all at really great prices. From sneakers to boots and everything in between, DSW makes it easy to discover the styles you love and maybe even a few you didn't expect. Whether you're shopping in store or online, you'll always find fresh looks at prices that make sense. Find the shoes that get you at prices that get your budget at DSW stores or dsw.com on the podcast Health.

[Hari Kondabolu]

Stuff we are tackling all the health questions that keep you up at night.

[Ashley Allison]

I'm Dr. Priyanka Wali, a double board certified physician.

[Hari Kondabolu]

And I'm Hari Kundabolu, a comedian and someone who once googled Do I have scurvy at 3am and on our show we're talking about health in a different way. Like our episode where we look at.

[Ashley Allison]

Diabetes in the United states. I mean, 50% of Americans are pre diabetic.

[Hari Kondabolu]

How preventable is type 2?

[Ashley Allison]

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

[Graves County Narrator]

The murder of an 18 year old girl in Graves County, Kentucky went unsolved for years until a local housewife, a journalist and a handful of girls came forward with a story.

[Danny Trejo]

America, y' all better wake the hell up. Bad things happens to good people in small towns.

[Graves County Narrator]

Listen to Graves county on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And to binge the entire season ad free. Subscribe to Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.

[Molly Lambert]

Jenna World, Jenna Jameson, Vivid Video and the Valley is a new podcast about the history of the adult film Molly I'm Molly Lambert and I'll be your tour guide on a wild trip through adult films. We get paid more than the men we call the shots. In what way is that degrading? That's us taking hold of our life. Listen to Gentle world on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danny Trejo]

Join me, Danny Trejo in Tales from the Shadows, an antholog legacy of modern day horror stories inspired by the legends and lore of Latin America. Listen to nocturnal tales from the shadows on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. Hold up. Every day I wake up. Wake your ass. The Breakfast Club we are finished or y' all done.

[DJ Envy]

Morning everybody, it's DJ Envy, just hilarious Charlamagne the guy we are the Breakfast Club. We got a special guest in the Building.

[Danny Trejo]

Yes, indeed.

[Ashley Allison]

We have.

[DJ Envy]

Ashley, Allison.

[Danny Trejo]

Welcome, welcome.

[DJ Envy]

How are you feeling this morning?

[Ashley Allison]

I feel really good. I'm excited to be back.

[Danny Trejo]

Happy to have you back. Congratulations on acquiring the Root.

[Ashley Allison]

Yes. And I have something I want to congratulate you all on as well. Okay, so today we are announcing the Route 100. The first time I'm announcing this list as the publisher. And the Breakfast Club is on our list.

[DJ Envy]

Wow.

[Ashley Allison]

Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you for all you all do to have the ear of the people. We have some gifts for the guys from Martel, our sponsors, and.

[Danny Trejo]

Oh, salute to Martel.

[Ashley Allison]

Yeah, you know, the blue Swift.

[Danny Trejo]

Okay, thank you very much.

[Ashley Allison]

We have one for you, Envy. We have your beautiful flowers over there. Yes. I thought you were going to be here, but we have some flowers waiting for you for when you come back in to the office. So everyone go to theroot.com and see who else is on the 100.

[Danny Trejo]

Also, the Route 100 comes out today.

[Ashley Allison]

Today you're the first people to know that we're breaking news here.

[Danny Trejo]

Dope. Thank you.

[DJ Envy]

Well, what made you reacquire the roots? What was so important?

[Danny Trejo]

Well, not reacquire.

[DJ Envy]

Well, to acquire the roots, I should say, because reacquired from, you know, it was black owned and then went other and now it's back black owned. What made you say this is something that we need back in our culture?

[Ashley Allison]

Well, I started my company, Watering Hole media, back in 2009, and the root started in 2008. And watering hole really was aspirational to what the Root was doing. And so when we relaunched two years ago, Watering Hole, I knew I wanted to acquire some digital properties and divine timing, honestly. The route was on the short list and it came available this summer. And you know how, like, you see something, you're like, that's mine. Yep, it's mine. That's my assignment. That's what happened with the route. And so my team hustled. We got it done. I'm the face, but there's a lot of people behind that got it done. And it also is in a time when we need to have places to tell our stories and tell them our way and through our lens, unapologetically black. And I always say black stories are American stories, and American stories are global stories, and we deserve to have ownership over them.

[Danny Trejo]

I'm glad you acquired the root. Cause the other time I hated the root. And I hated the root. Because I was going to say. I was going to say it's blunt.

[DJ Envy]

Than you were but go ahead.

[Danny Trejo]

They used to post so much negative stories about us, and just, you know, even people that I. That I actually love and appreciate. And I remember somebody from the Root reached out to me and literally told me that they tried to run a very positive story about. I think it was me and Nick Cannon, actually. And they were. They were told that whoever it was was like, absolutely not.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It's the work you guys do behind the scenes.

[Danny Trejo]

Yes. It was a story about the work me and Nick Cannon do behind the scenes. This was, like, four or five years ago. And somebody after it was like, absolutely not. We're not doing that well.

[Ashley Allison]

It's a new day.

[DJ Envy]

New day.

[Ashley Allison]

It's a new dawn. We're on the show, and I'm feeling good. Right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How do you feel right now? Because I saw Vibe merge with Rolling Stone. People were really pissed about that. A lot of black people lost their jobs because of that Teen Vogue. Just that they're going under vogue.com. a lot of people of color lost their jobs. Right now, it feels like there is a. Like, a. Not targeted attack, but, like, just. We're losing a lot of our places to tell stories. So there's a lot of focus on the places that are still running, like, the Root and all these other places. Right. Do you feel like there's a pressure to, like, make this work because we're getting taken out everywhere else?

[Ashley Allison]

I feel a pressure and a responsibility because of what the Root is in our community and can be. And I think telling black stories requires due diligence and responsibility also, that people are losing their jobs. I mean, 300,000 black women are out of work right now. So there's a global story, a national story right now about unemployment and people struggling. So journalism is just one piece of that big, big part. And, yes, like, I want now, what happened in the past is in the past. And I. The second day after we announced the acquisition, I told folks, we will not be perfect because no human is. And so. But we will have a standard of excellence. And in telling stories, you all know, you all get, you know, backlash sometimes. For some of the covers, you know, that's an understatement. Ashley, girl.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How would you throw yourself in this struggle? But it's ownership.

[Danny Trejo]

I feel like if I didn't get backlash, I'm like, did they hear me?

[Ashley Allison]

But I think we always sit here. I come from politics, right? And we always say, black people are not a monolith. So I need to make sure I'm telling multiple stories through multiple lenses. And so you might not always agree with what we cover on the route and our position on the route, but you will think about what we cover. And that is, I just think iron sharpens iron and black people deserve to have multitudes of opinions.

[Danny Trejo]

What does success look like for you?

[Ashley Allison]

I want to grow our audience. We have about 10 million people that come to our website monthly, which is massive. So I want to double that within a year. We're going to be moving the video while still respecting the written word. So we'll do all writing, we'll continue to do writing, but for most written pieces, we'll also have a video component. I. Our audience is predominantly black, but it's not all black. And so I want the Root again, it is a black publication, but black stories are American stories. And so when you want to know what's going on in the culture, when you want to know what's going on in politics, when you want to know what. What's going on in sports and entertainment, you can go to the Root as a trusted source, just like you may go to a more typical mainstream media platform.

[DJ Envy]

I was gonna ask that. I was gonna say, you know, at one time the Root was, I feel like, at the forefront of everything.

[Ashley Allison]

Yes.

[DJ Envy]

And it slowed down a lot and became behind the scenes. How do you get it back to the forefront? And with the world of fake news and nobody knowing who to trust and people are trusting people that are putting out random stories, how do people can come to the Root and say, I know this is my trusted source. I know that these stories are real. I know that this is a place where I can actually trust and loves my community?

[Ashley Allison]

Well, I think you have to be true to yourself too. Right. You can't be all things to everybody. So you. I have to know who I want to be as a publisher, and that is telling unapologetic black stories. That's the first thing. The second thing is that we think there's a place for journalism and fact checking, but at a speed that allows people. The reason why I think folks are so susceptible to mis and disinformation is the speed at which it comes in. So we're going to have to scale our team. We have a great set of journalists right now, but it's still a very small team. So looking at growing our footprint just even in a new. A digital newsroom. And then we also wanna have commentary.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Right.

[Ashley Allison]

So we're in a world where everybody's opinion appears to be fact, and that's just not the case. And so we have a. Do no harm approach. So, again, I don't have to agree with everything you say, but you cannot cause harm to black people and have a home at the root.

[Danny Trejo]

I also say, you know, you don't. Really. Me personally, I don't really care about something to tell who's attached to it.

[DJ Envy]

So.

[Ashley Allison]

That's right.

[Danny Trejo]

When I found out that you was the owner, I was like, oh. So I looked under the hood. I had no idea that root was founded by Dr. Henry Louis Gates.

[Ashley Allison]

Yes. Yes.

[Danny Trejo]

I did not know that.

[Ashley Allison]

Yes. And I called him a couple of days before the announcement, and he was just over the top, elated. He's like, oh, my gosh. It's like, you have my child. And I'm like, and I will take great care of it in there. It's like they're in college now, and so we're like college roommates almost. And so I hope to grow with it. It's been around for 17 years. The responsibility I feel is that if in 17 years, it's not stronger and more dominant, then I have not met my call.

[Danny Trejo]

I would love to know what was his original vision for the root. Dr. Henry Lewis Gates is a very serious person.

[Ashley Allison]

He. Maybe you could go to the root.com pretty soon and find that story. Because I think the other thing is I'm not a student of history, but I like to study history, and it's really important to understand why did. Why was it founded? Think about when that was 2008. Barack Obama is just reelected. It's what people could say was like a watershed moment in our political history. Well, some would argue right now that's where we're at in this moment. And what is the intervention? We need to start to set the course and turn the course. And so it was founded in an important time. It was reclaimed back to black ownership in an important time. And so I want to study what he did. I want to understand what he did while also thinking about what's tomorrow. What. What tomorrow it needs to deliver for people.

[DJ Envy]

Who else is on this list? And you mentioned the Breakfast Club. Who else is on.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You got to have to go to the list. So it's like, it's 100.

[Ashley Allison]

It's 100 people. So one of the things I actually decided to do was remove the rankings.

[Danny Trejo]

Oh, that was rankings. I didn't know it was rankings. I just thought of the root.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

No, I always look at the list.

[Ashley Allison]

Yeah. Well, I just want to say I was never on the list either.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You know, I just got here. Right.

[Ashley Allison]

So I would look and the route, actually, the list has been very aspirational for me because I learned about a job that I eventually had at the White House from the Route 100. You know, they don't, like, post those jobs on the website. So I've really built my career from interventions from that publication. So it really does have a special part in my story. But we decided as a team to remove the rankings because in a moment that we are in right now, everybody on the list is exceptional in what they do. And it doesn't matter if you're 1 or 100, you're doing it. And so why be like, well, where was I on the list and where. Why wasn't I higher than this person? And it's a collective, and the only way we get out of this moment is if we do it together. So you're a part of a community of 100 people in journalism. People in the courtroom, people with microphones themselves, people making films, scientists, CEOs. I'm really proud of the list. I think it really reflects the diversity of it. And you know what? You might see some people on the list and be like, I don't really like them and I don't care because guess what? They're still doing great work that they're doing. And. And we need to acknowledge them as well.

[Danny Trejo]

As you said, black people are not monolithic.

[Ashley Allison]

That's right. Yeah, that's right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And then on the other side of the business side of it, right, the funding, like, I heard Oprah talk about how OWN was like, the hardest thing she's ever done.

[Ashley Allison]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The same thing with Revolt, because it's just hard to get advertisers to give money to black media spaces. What's going to be your plan in the fight for that?

[Ashley Allison]

Yeah, I mean, it's definitely something that I wake up thinking about and go to bed thinking about. But I think the product has to speak for itself. 10 million visit unique visits every month is nothing to sneeze at. That is. That is. That is one of the most traffic news sites, but particularly black news sites in our country. So it is a profitable business. And I see a vision on how we could grow. But again, it's also on the product and the content. So you said, what am I going to do next with it? Video is one thing, but we have some offline activations that we want to do because, like, it's one thing to, you know, I heard you guys covering the AI piece, right. It's like, it's one thing to see something, but to actually be in relationship proximate to the person is important. So we think our products, the things that we're going to be rolling out soon, the voices that we're going to be having at the root will sell itself.

[DJ Envy]

All right, well, thank you so much for joining us this morning.

[Ashley Allison]

Thank you. And congratulations.

[Danny Trejo]

Thank you. Congratulations to you, man.

[Ashley Allison]

Thank you. Thank you.

[DJ Envy]

It's Ashley, Allison. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning.

[Ashley Allison]

Hold up.

[Danny Trejo]

Every day I wake up. Wake your ass up. The Breakfast Club.

[Hari Kondabolu]

On the podcast Health Stuff, we are tackling all the health questions that keep you up at night.

[Ashley Allison]

I'm Dr. Priyanka Wali, a double board certified physician.

[Hari Kondabolu]

And I'm Hari Kondabolu, a comedian and someone who once googled do I have scurvy at 3am and on our show we're talking about health in a different way. Like our episode where we look at.

[Ashley Allison]

Diabetes in the United states. I mean, 50% of Americans are pre diabetic.

[Hari Kondabolu]

How preventable is type 2?

[Ashley Allison]

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

[Graves County Narrator]

The murder of an 18 year old girl in Graves County, Kentucky went unsolved for years until a local housewife, a journalist and a handful of girls came forward with a story.

[Ashley Allison]

America, y' all better wake the hell up.

[Danny Trejo]

Bad things happens to good people in small towns.

[Graves County Narrator]

Listen to Graves county on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And to binge the entire season ad free.

[Ashley Allison]

Subscribe.

[Graves County Narrator]

Subscribe to Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.

[Ashley Allison]

You know the shade is always shadiest right here. Season six of the podcast Reasonably Shady with Gisele Bryant and Robyn Dixon is here dropping every Monday as two of the founding members of the Real Housewives Potomac. We're giving you all the laughs, drama and reality news you can handle. And you know, we don't hold back. So come be reasonable or shady with us each and every Monday. Listen to Reasonably Shady from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Eva Longoria]

I'm Eva Longoria. And I'm Maite Gomez Rejun. And this week on our podcast Hungry for History, we talk oysters. Plus, the Miami chief stops by.

[Hari Kondabolu]

If you are not an oyster lover.

[Danny Trejo]

Don'T even talk to me.

[Eva Longoria]

Ancient Athenians used to scratch names onto oyster shells to vote politicians into exile. So our word ostracize is related to the word oyster.

[Ashley Allison]

No way. Bring back the ostrichon.

[Eva Longoria]

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

[Molly Lambert]

Jenna World, Jenna Jamieson, Vivid Video and the Valley is a new podcast about the history of the adult film industry. I'm Molly Lambert, and I'll be your tour guide on a wild trip through adult films. We get paid more than the men. We call the shots. In what way is that degrading? That's us taking hold of our Life. Listen to Genaworld on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ashley Allison]

This is an iHeart podcast.