The Breakfast Club: Bozoma Saint John Talks 'On Brand With Jimmy Fallon', Engagement, Real Housewives & More

Date: October 2, 2025
Hosts: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God, Lauren LaRosa
Guest: Bozoma Saint John

Episode Overview

This episode features marketing powerhouse and TV personality Bozoma Saint John, who joins The Breakfast Club to discuss her journey of resilience following the loss of her Malibu home, her surprise engagement, experiences on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” fertility challenges, and her new role as co-host of NBC’s On Brand with Jimmy Fallon. Through candid and spirited conversation, Bozoma shares insights into overcoming grief, forging a new path in love and business, and the realities of modern marketing, AI, and representation in the media industry.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Surviving Grief: The Malibu House Fire

• House fire in Malibu: Bozoma recounts the emotional and logistical struggles after her dream home burned down just seven days into 2025.
  • “2025 gonna be my year. And then seven days later, my house burned down in Malibu.” (Bozoma, 02:41)
• Barriers to Black homeownership: She details the complicated process of buying property in Malibu as a Black woman.
  • “I had to put a trust inside of a trust so that nobody could find me. Damn. And nobody would know that a single black woman was buying a property on the beachfront...” (Bozoma, 04:21)
• Family Impact: Despite challenges, Bozoma’s focus remains on her daughter and maintaining hope.
  • “It's a hard thing to go through, you know, grief upon grief is a hard thing for sure, so. But we're managing okay.” (Bozoma, 05:40)

2. Love and a Surprise Engagement

• Engagement story: Bozoma recalls her fiancé’s elaborate international trip for her ring and the traditional steps he took.
  • “When he said he'd been in India for my ring, I was... that's what it was for. My spidey senses weren't wrong.” (Bozoma, 08:53)
• Emotional healing and choosing love: She reflects on opening herself up again after grief and trauma.
  • “I could hurt before, but I'ma do it again. And it won't hurt this time, you know, and that's the only way to actually move forward.” (Bozoma, 10:01)
• Traditional values: Her fiancé asked her father, mother, and daughter for her hand in marriage.
  • “He flew to my father and asked him for my hand... and he asked my mother, and he asked my daughter.” (Bozoma, 10:48)

3. Fertility Journey & Motherhood Later in Life

• Trying for more children at age 48-49: Bozoma talks frankly about fertility treatments and the trauma from previous pregnancies.
  • “It's been really tough. Yeah. You know, because I'm 48. I'm almost 49...going through the hormonal journey, you know, taking the medication, taking the injections...” (Bozoma, 11:13–11:52)
• Past challenges: Candid revelations about preeclampsia and loss.
  • “First time I was pregnant, I developed preeclampsia early. And unfortunately, my daughter didn't survive her birth. ... Thank God that Lael survived, and she's such a wonderful person...” (Bozoma, 11:56)

4. Meeting Her Fiancé

• Unique love story: Bozoma shares how art, serendipity, and a family connection led her to her fiancé, Keely.
  • “He saw a picture of you from the showing that we did in Atlanta. And I was like, oh, who's that? He's like, oh, it's my uncle. I was like, now, do I look like I date uncle?” (Bozoma, 15:38–16:44)
• Romantic gestures: Their third date was in Ghana.
  • “He flew to Ghana and we had our third date on New Year's Eve.” (Bozoma, 17:45)
  • “If he wanted to, he would. All right. And he do.” (Bozoma, 18:10–18:16)

5. Career Moves: ‘On Brand’ with Jimmy Fallon

• New show origins: The story behind landing On Brand and leveraging her corporate marketing pedigree.
  • “When I joined the Housewives, people were like, yo, you’re going to destroy your reputation... And it was in the first episode... Jimmy’s wife was watching the show.” (Bozoma, 19:19–19:52)
• Real-world marketing challenges: The campaigns on the show are real, with brands spending actual marketing dollars.
  • “These are real briefs. They have real business issues that need to be solved... they're trusting us as much as we are putting faith into what these creatives can do.” (Bozoma, 28:41)

6. Modern Marketing, AI, and Representation

• Advice for aspiring marketers: Encourages guerrilla marketing and pitching ideas, reminding listeners that opportunities are more accessible now.
  • “Now you heard the strategy, you might as well, like, try and hit it... this is a real opportunity for new people to get into the industry.” (Bozoma, 31:18)
• AI in marketing: Not afraid of AI, Bozoma sees it as an evolving tool but champions the irreplaceable creativity of humans.
  • “AI... uses information that already exists. It doesn’t create things that don’t exist in the world. And so that’s where I feel like humanity is at its best. Like, we are the dreamers…” (Bozoma, 34:22)
• Generational perspectives: She advocates for children learning to use technology and AI to keep up with the future.
  • “I would prefer that my daughter understand how to utilize ChatGPT, AI and all these other programs and get the right answer, because you’re only gonna get the right answer if you put in the right questions.” (Bozoma, 36:47)

7. Ageism & Diversity in Marketing

• Youth in advertising: Agencies often prioritize youth for fearlessness, but maturity and experience also matter.
  • “Because I think the challenge with being older... is that you've lived life and so you censor yourself... but us, you'll be like, oh, try and do this new thing. I'm like, ah, that's not gonna work. Because XYZ thing, it's not gonna work because we already tried it.” (Bozoma, 40:51–41:42)
• Importance of balance: Both young and experienced people are essential for optimal creative and business outcomes.

8. Real Housewives: Authenticity and Cast Dynamics

• Reality vs. performance: The emotions, conflicts, and friendships on the show are genuine.
  • “These feelings are all real, okay? That's the one thing I didn't know going into the show... when you’re not feeling somebody, you're not feeling them for real.” (Bozoma, 26:27)
• On breaking the fourth wall: Details her dynamic with co-stars like Kyle and Garcelle, and how real-life relationships can be more complex than what's shown.
  • “Last year, Kyle and I had a tough time because I just felt like she should be more open and honest about her life... But in this current time, we've crossed that bridge.” (Bozoma, 27:15)
  • On Garcelle unfollowing: “It's a lot like having a breakup where you don't get access to the person anymore, and you kind of have to have closure on your own.” (Bozoma, 44:29)

9. Planning the (Two!) Big Weddings

• Celebrating after hardship: Bozoma and her fiancé plan two major weddings—in Los Angeles and Ghana.
  • “We both want one in LA. I really want one in Ghana. Okay, so we're gonna do both and it's gonna cost a lot of money.” (Bozoma, 45:19–45:30)
• Hosts joke about wedding costs:
  • “Look, this man said, look, you got the wedding. I took. I flew to Ghana for the third date. Yeah, you got the wedding this Saturday.” (Charlamagne Tha God, 45:34)
  • “There's no surprises. Like, we gonna do it big. Yeah. I want everybody there.” (Bozoma, 45:46)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On moving forward after loss:
  “I could hurt before, but I'ma do it again. And it won't hurt this time... Otherwise you will be in a cave.” (Bozoma, 10:01)
• On representation in luxury real estate:
  “I have somebody who signs stuff for me so I don't never have to show up. That's how I got it.” (Bozoma, 04:39)
• On the power and limits of AI:
  “AI doesn’t create things that don’t exist... we are the dreamers, we're the imaginers.” (Bozoma, 34:22)
• On breaking into marketing:
  “The way greats are made. It's like: you try, and if you don't succeed, what they say, try and try again.” (Bozoma, 33:56)
• On reality TV authenticity:
  “These feelings are all real, okay?... You're not feeling them for real.” (Bozoma, 26:27)
• On the cost of celebration:
  “I don't mind spending... these moments are so special, you know, so hard. Yes, yes. And [we’ve] been through so much... I'm going to celebrate.” (Bozoma, 46:49)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Malibu House Fire and Home Ownership Barriers – 02:32–05:39
• Engagement Story & Proposal – 06:00–09:09
• Grief, Healing, and Choosing Love Again – 09:33–10:33
• Fertility at 48: Honest Discussion – 11:13–13:08
• How She Met Her Fiancé Keely – 13:11–17:53
• On Brand with Jimmy Fallon: Career Pivot – 18:19–21:59
• Marketing Industry Realities – 28:41–33:56
• AI, Technology, and Education – 34:05–39:58
• Younger vs. Older in the Creative Industry – 40:42–42:18
• Real Housewives: Dynamics and Authenticity – 26:15–28:18, 43:32–44:58
• Wedding Planning and Celebration – 45:01–46:49

Summary & Takeaways

This episode shines with Bozoma Saint John’s characteristic energy—unapologetically real, vibrant, and inspirational. Through laughter and frank storytelling, she challenges assumptions about grief, love, age, and career pivots, offering practical wisdom to listeners on embracing technology, forging their own path in traditionally exclusive spaces, and the importance of community and celebration.

Her journey demonstrates resilience, the power of relationships (personal and professional), and why representation and authenticity matter—whether you’re breaking barriers in Malibu, shaking up the Real Housewives franchise, or pioneering new ground in the media and marketing industry.