The Breakfast Club - Thank God Its Feet ( Front Page News, Rumors, Caroline Wanga)

Episode Date: June 17, 2022

Today on The Breakfast Club Angela Yee gives us the update on the January 6th hearings during Front Page News. Amy Shumer and Tiffany Haddish are topics of discussion during Rumor Report and we are joined by Essence CEO Caroline Wanga. Stay tuned for more Rumors, Donkey of The Day and Freaky Friday! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God.

What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. We need help! That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast

Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay.

Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Lauren Smith, Laura Layton, and Daphne Zuniga. On July 8th, 1992, apartment buildings with pools were never quite the same as Melrose Place was introduced to the world. We are going to be reliving every hookup, every scandal, and every single wig removal together. So listen to Still the Place on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Welcome to Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get real and dive straight into todo lo actual y viral. We're talking musica, los premios, el chisme, and all things trending in my cultura. I'm bringing you all the latest happening

in our entertainment world and some fun and impactful interviews with your favorite Latin artists, comedians, actors, and influencers. Each week, we get deep and raw life stories, combos on the issues

that matter to us, and it's all packed with gems, fun, straight up comedia, and that's a song that only nuestra gente can sprinkle. Listen to Gracias Come Again

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Wake em up. Wake em up. Envy, Yee, and Charlamagne. Wake em up. Wake em up. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. smells rich and successful. Where y'all at now? Can't nobody tell y'all. Non-stop entertainment. The Breakfast Club. Wake your punk ass up. Good morning, USA.

Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo. Good morning, Angela Yee. Good morning, TJ and V. Charlamagne Tha God. Peace to the planet. It's Friday. Yeah, it's Friday. Weekend, it's here.

It's Father's Day. What is it, Charlamagne? Black? Well, Sunday is Black Gay Father's Day because Sunday will be Juneteenth. It's Father's Day and it's Pride Month. And you'll keep forgetting it's Caribbean Heritage Month. So it's Black Gay Caribbean Father's Day.

Well, happy Black Caribbean. Suit all the Black Gay Caribbean fathers out there. Pride Day, Father's Day. Car show day. Yeah, car show, Father's Day, all that. Are you letting Black Gay Caribbean fathers in for free? No. This weekend?

No, no. This is when their kids or their wives or their husbands have to pay for them. Okay. Okay. Yes. All right. What are you doing for Black Caribbean Gay Father's Day, Charlamagne? Something I'll talk about later.

Okay. You sounded wild. Right. I mean, you never know what you... Yesterday, he was crawling on the floor trying to bite my cab. So, you never know. I was doing you want to do. I mean, you never know with you. Yesterday, he was crawling on the floor trying to bite my cab. So, you never know. I was doing a little bear crawl. That's all.

Bear. When you're doing a bear crawl, bears get hungry. Your cab is looking tasty and tender. Well, we got to congratulate the Golden State Warriors. They won the NBA Finals. Easy call. Congratulations to them. Drop a little coupon for the Warriors.

Easy call. Congrats to Steph Curry. Come on, man. Steph Curry. I cannot believe that they're on to Steph Curry. Come on, man. Steph Curry. I cannot believe that they're on ESPN actually having debates on whether or not Steph Curry is top 10 greatest NBA player of all time. Not only is he top 10 greatest NBA player of all time, Steph Curry might be top five at this point.

I definitely think he's top five. What the hell is y'all talking about? The man revolutionized the game of basketball. He did. He's been to the NBA finals six times in the last eight years, and he's got a record of four and two in the NBA Finals. Last night he got his first NBA Finals MVP. What are y'all talking about?

Is he top ten of all time? And besides that, Drake put out a new album last night. Yeah, Drake been spending time in Jersey, because that sounds like a Jersey Club album. Nah, that's Beverly Hills Luxury Hotel elevator music. That's not, that sounds like that's Beverly Hills Luxury Hotel elevator music. That's not, that sounds like Jersey. That's like when you're in the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills on a Friday night and the lights are dim.

You know? You got on a suit with no tie, but you got the first few buttons of your shirt open a little bit. You know what I'm saying? Some slippers on, no socks. Very specific. I actually like the vibe, to be honest with you. I was riding into it this morning.

I love Jersey music, so I was rocking out for it for a little bit. I didn't get to the music. What's the last song I listened to? The last song I listened to was Downhill. So that's number 11 out of 14. I like the vibe. Yeah, Sticky was very Jersey. Well, he did rap on one.

That was the last one. Him and 21 Savage. The last song. Oh, the Jimmy Cook song? Yeah, they were rapping on that song. And, you know, I like when Drake raps. I'm not the biggest fan of when he does anything else, but I like the vibe. I'm not going to lie.

It's very Beverly Hills SLS Hotel sitting in the Bazaar Lounge. You know? Now I know why Callie kept saying grab your spritzers. Grab your spritzers. Grab your spritzers. Yeah, well, I watched the game last night. Shout to Linz Garage

who came on the show who I'm doing a car show with. He's bringing a lot of the Houston cars and I'm bringing a lot of New York cars. He has a restaurant out here called Turkey Leg Hut.

And boy, did I go there last night and boy, do I need to go on another diet. I ate so much last night. Whether it was turkey legs, it was pasta, it was corn, it was shrimp, it was

you name it. I ate paws. I ate it last night. Okay. Well just purge. Stick your finger in your butt. Make it come out. The purge. Does that work? Yeah. Oh. That's why you were running late. That's why you were running late. That's all.

Just stick your finger in your butt until you feel something and then pull it out and everything will come out. You'll be fine. Okay. Good morning. Good morning, America.

Now, who we got joining us this morning? Caroline Wonga. Who? Okay, the CEO of Essence, Caroline Wonga, will be joining us this morning. Yes. Essence Fest is around the corner, right?

Essence Fest is coming up, which I'm so excited for. It's always 4th of July weekend, so it ends actually on the 4th of July. Right, so we're going to be kicking it with her in a little bit. And we got front page news. What are we talking about? Well, let's talk about Delta. Now, the Delta pilots have published an open letter to customers. So for everybody flying that's been having issues. And I would tell you, my girl Laura, she works

with me. She was trying to get back to Miami yesterday. Her flight was supposed to be at 145. She didn't even take off until 730. So it's been a lot of issues. I was supposed to leave at 12 yesterday. I didn't leave until 6 o'clock last night. So it's pretty crazy. We'll talk more about that when we come back.

And we got a new joint for y'all. Shout out to Diddy. Diddy actually hit me yesterday and was telling me he got a new project. He FaceTimed me. I got to say, Paul, he FaceTimed me yesterday. Oh, that sounds crazy. I spoke to Diddy, man. He told me he got a new record.

Here it is. Let's get into it. Sean, please. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning. Is your country falling apart? Feeling tired? Depressed? A little bit revolutionary? Consider this. Start your own country. I planted the flag. I just kind of looked out of like, this is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. There's 55 gallons of water for 500 pounds of concrete.

Everybody's doing it. I am King Ernest Emmanuel. I am the Queen of Ladonia. I'm Jackson I, King of Kaperburg. I am the Supreme Leader of the Grand Republic of Mentonia. Be part of a great colonial tradition. The Waikana tried my country. My forefathers did that themselves.

What could go wrong? No country willingly gives up their territory. I was making a rocket with a black powder, you know, with explosive warhead. Oh my God. What is that? Bullets. Bullets. We need help!

We need help! We still have the off-road portion to go. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. And we're losing daylight fast. That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia Keys opens up about conquering doubt, learning to trust herself and leaning into her dreams. I think a lot of times we are built to doubt the possibilities for ourselves.

For self-preservation and protection, it was literally that step by step. And so I discovered that that is how we get where we're going. This increment of small, determined moments. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Like grace. Have grace with yourself.

You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show,

where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories from the people you know, follow, and admire, join me every week for Post Run High.

It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all. It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's up? This is Ramses Jha. And I go by the name Q Ward. And we'd like you to join us each week for our show Civic Cipher. That's right. We're going to discuss social issues, especially those that affect black and brown people,

but in a way that informs and empowers all people to hopefully create better allies. Think of it as a black show for non-black people. We discuss everything from prejudice to politics to police violence, and we try to give you the tools to create positive change in your home, workplace, and social circle. Exactly. Whether you're black, Asian, white, Latinx, indigenous, LGBTQIA+, you name it. If you stand with us, then we stand with you.

Let's discuss the stories and conduct the interviews that will help us create a more empathetic, accountable, and equitable America. You are all our brothers and sisters, and we're inviting you to join us for Civic Cipher each and every Saturday with myself, Ramses Jha, Q Ward, and some of the greatest minds in America. Listen to Civic Cipher every Saturday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey there, my little creeps.

It's your favorite ghost host, Teresa. And guess what? Haunting is back, dropping just in time for spooky season. Now, I know you've probably been wandering the mortal plane, wondering when I'd be back to fill your ears with deliciously unsettling stories. Well, wonder no more because we've got a ghoulishly good lineup ready for you.

Let's just say things get a bit extra. We're talking spirits, demons, and the kind of supernatural chaos that'll make your spooky season complete. You know how much I love this time of year. It's the one time I'm actually on trend. So grab your pumpkin spice, dust off that Ouija board. Just don't call me unless it's urgent. And tune in for new episodes every week. Remember, the veils are thin, the stories are spooky, and your favorite ghost host is back and badder than ever.

Listen to Haunting on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, that was New Diddy featuring Bryson Tiller. Good morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha God. We are The Breakfast Club. Let's get into some front page news. Now we got to congratulate the Golden State Warriors. They defeated the Boston Celtics in six games.

So congratulations to them. That was an easy call. Dropping the clues bombs for the Golden State Warriors. And Steph Curry, who is the MVP, here's what he had to say. Well, she told me he was in. It worked. Here you go. Everybody on the stage had a part in this.

At the beginning of the year, what were they saying? We weren't even on the radar. And now we're here with two trophies, and it means a lot. Every championship journey is different. How would you describe this one? Just combining our championship pedigree and our experience with some fresh energy, some guys that are really hungry to take their next step. But we've built this for 10, 11 years.

And that means a whole lot when you get to the stage because you know how to win. And everybody who's been a part of this knows what it's about. So this is – this one hits different. This one hits different for sure. Yeah, they're the first team to reach six NBA finals in eight years since the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. And I wish I was a gambling man. I wish I even knew how to gamble.

Because I said the Warriors were going to win the championship since last year. You don't know how to gamble? I told you you got to start gambling. I don't know how to gamble. Way better odds than playing the lottery. I wish I was a gambler. I don't know how to gamble either. I know how to say, okay, I bet the Warriors win,

but I don't know the odds, 50 points, 20 points. I don't know that. Because they had the worst record in the league one year, and then the next year they lost in the playing tournament. So to say that they were going to win the championship the year after that sounded crazy, but I felt like they would. Yeah, I saw a lot of people posting them collecting their winnings. So congratulations to everybody who won.

Salute to the Warriors. And I really can't believe that they're on ESPN debating whether or not Steph Curry is top 10 all time. He's absolutely top 10 all time. He might be. He probably top five. All right. And Delta Airlines pilots have published an open letter to customers yesterday.

And this is a direct appeal to people who have been frustrated. There's all these flight delays and cancellations. They said, we have been working on our days off, flying a record amount of overtime to help you get to your destination at the current rate. By this fall, our pilots will have flown more overtime in 2022 than in the entirety of 2018 and 2019 combined. Those were their busiest years to date. They said, if you've flown on a plane lately, planes are very full and plane tickets are very expensive. So they're going to be meeting with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to discuss their operations because of all these delays and cancellations. And, you know, they said all the people, including the pilots, are working hard to restore our airline and deliver for our customers. As we emerge from the pandemic,

we continuously evaluate our staffing models and plan ahead customers as we emerge from the pandemic. We continuously evaluate our staffing models and plan ahead so that we can recover quickly. But you know, another thing is Delta announced recently they were canceling some 100 daily departures from destinations in the U.S. and Latin America. That's going to affect travel from July 1st to August 7th, and other airlines have taken similar measures as well because of staffing shortages and a lot of demand for flights. So what happened to all those pilots? What happened to all those flight attendants? They just didn't come back to work?

All of them didn't come back? Yeah, I think they said any solution is going to be three, four, five years away. I was reading somewhere as some pilots are retiring, getting older, and then it's a longer process to get new pilots in. I think it takes like five years or something like that before they can fly commercial. Well, listen, don't quit right before we about to fly out, okay? Can you give us some notice before you just quit and our flights get canceled? And I don't understand that.

They can't see this upcoming? Because flights are canceled and delayed, and it's nasty out there. Like I said, I waited six hours for a flight yesterday and it's happening every weekend. Yeah, and I'm a JetBlue guy, right? But I do have a couple of big Delta. I got jammed up with Delta last weekend, but I got a couple of big Delta flights coming up and you can't even trust it.

It's like gambling. Like, you know, you're going to get there and then the flight's going to be canceled. You know? You may hit, you may not hit. And then when it is delayed, your little thousand dollar miles that you're giving us ain't worth it.

Because people really have functions. They have weddings. They have parties. They have connections. And they're missing all of that. This is what they're saying is the root cause of this pilot shortage. It's an aging workforce facing mandatory retirement, fewer pilots exiting the military, and barriers to entry, including the cost of training. With all due respect, please retire if you're too old to be flying a plane.

I'm happy that's the case, but could you do it before we got to take off? Don't wait until I get to the airport to say that you've had enough and they cancel the flight. All right, well, that is front page news. Get it off your chest. 800-585-1051 if you need to vent. Phone lines are wide open. It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning.

The Breakfast Club. Wake up, wake up. Wake your ass up. This is your time to get it off your chest. Whether you're mad or blessed, we want to hear from you on The Breakfast Club.

Hello, who's this? Hey, what's up, y'all? This is Leo. What's going on? Peace, Leo. What's going on? Peace, Leo. What's happening? Get it off your chest. Hey, Uncle Solomon, God, man.

How you from, like, three different states? You bandwagon the Warriors so hard. First, you like the Dallas. Then you like the Bucs. Who else do you like, man? Brother, I don't... Time out, time out, time out, time out. I'm from South Carolina, number one, and I am a Dallas Cowboy fan.

When it comes to those other teams, I'm just picking who's going to win the series. I don't have – What are you talking about? I'm not a basketball team. I'm just picking who's going to win the series. I'm a Knicks fan, but I seen who was going to win this year. Yeah, all right. He liked my three teams, man.

I'm telling you. I don't – What are you talking about? I'm picking – Let me ask you this question. Let me ask you this question. Let me ask you this question. Have I been right about when I picked these series?

Uh, no. Okay. You just made... The Dallas and the Bucs lost. The Cowboys don't count. And you were screaming the Grizzlies. You're a Carolina boy.

I ain't never screamed... Yes, I said shout out to John Moran. He's from the Carolinas. He's from South Carolina. Yeah, man. Pick one team, man. I don't have a team. I'm a Dallas team, man. I don't have a team.

I'm a Dallas Cowboy fan. I don't have a basketball team. Hey, you can't be from Carolina, New Jersey, New York, and then reference a West Coast team. You're a blood, you're a crip. So let me ask you a question. When you watch ESPN, I want you to see some logic. When you watch ESPN and you watch Stephen A. Smith, Jalen Rose, Kendrick Perkins, and they picking who they think going to win the series, do you think

in your mind, oh, they actually like that team? I don't know. They got a favorite. I'm talking about picking favorite teams. Why you arguing with this man, man? I don't know. You know what, Envy? You right. I don't know. You have a good weekend, so as far as their weekend. He's like, I succeeded.

The Warriors and Celtics played in the NBA Finals. You either think one of those two teams are going to win. So if I pick the Warriors, that mean I'm a Warriors fan? Charlamagne, it's okay. It's just weird. It's all right. Hello, who's there?

Hi, it's Shanice from Dayton. I'm sorry. Hey, good morning. Get it off your chest. She had us muted. Yeah, she did. I did. I had y'all muted. I want to say I love y'all every morning.

I listen to y'all every morning. Let me get some of this off my chest. This is Dayton, Ohio. We done reached the triple digits. It's hot. I work for a company, a factory company that is literally statewide, and we ain't got no air conditioning in that mother----. What?

I'm sorry. I can't curse. I'm sorry. That needed some curse words. Well, don't you forget to wear your deodorant because there ain't nothing worse than being hot and musty. A cheeseburger? Well, ma'am. A cheeseburger? She get deodorant in the car.

Well, bring her some Right Guard. She probably using woman's deodorant and she don't need to. She need to use something that's strong enough for a man and made for a man. I'm not sure if cheeseburgers smell good or if you're saying that's a bad smell. Cheeseburgers smell good, though, mama. Cheeseburgers do smell good on a good, hungry day. But in this case, when I'm in a factory that's already over 105, that cheeseburger smell don't smell good, man.

I get what you're saying. It's like kush. Like, kush smell good when you about to smoke the weed, but when you smell somebody's underarm smell like kush, it's like, ew. My goodness. Man, let that. She's starting to smell like the ****. But I'm going to get off here, y'all.

Man. Not a whole but ****. Get it off your chest 800-585-1051 if you need to vent hit us up now it's the breakfast

club good morning the breakfast club your chest whether you're mad or blessed you better have the same energy

we want to hear from you on the breakfast club hello who's this yo DJ Envy Angela Yee y'all have made the card. Here we go. OG Rob, good morning.

OG Rob, what's happening? What's happening? Man, listen, man, good morning to y'all. Y'all know what it is, Freestyle Friday, but before I get into anything, right, shout out Nick, man, for that footage from the last Freestyle, man, it's greatly appreciated, you know what I mean? I don't take nothing like that for granted, you heard me? Okay, okay, okay.

Nick with the shout out. Check this out. Yes, okay, okay. Nick with the shout out. Yes, sorry. That's right. Check this out. Listen. These jewels is like a permanent gift. Jacob and Nice Box guaranteed to leave

things leaning. Running from detox. They're getting low. Scared to death. See what I'm working with. Double pump action. Buckshot. Show them how real

they get. It's OG. Been down before. Trapped and locked in. Never made excuses for nothing. Just fought and took the win. Okay, okay, okay. He got in and got out. I got this. You want it or you don't? I mean, I got something, you know what I'm saying? In honor of the Golden State Warriors, they won the championship last night,

you know what I mean? Basketball is my favorite sport. I like the way they dribble up and down the court. Just like I'm the king on the microphone. So is Dr. J and Moses Malone. I like slam dunks. Take me to the hoop. My favorite play is the alley-oop.

I like to pick and roll. I like to give and go because it's basketball, and I'm going to grab his bowls. What? Bowl. No, you don't grab nobody's bowls. I didn't say bowls. I said bowls. No, you said bowls.

I did not. Bowls, like elbows. Nobody says bows. Jesus Christ. I got one. You ready? Ludacris said bowls. All right, let's go.

You ready? In Queens, New York, see a born and raised. On the playground is where I spend most of my days. Chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool and grabbing some balls outside the school. What? Whoa, now that was wild, Envy. Now you can't be grabbing no balls outside of school. That's a charge.

What's up with you, bro? Come on. It's Caribbean pride. Outside the school? What's up with you? Wow. Wow. This guy is crazy.

Okay, OG Rob, sorry that went left for you. It's all right. Okay, OG Rob, sorry. That went left for you. It's all right. But listen, listen, listen. I want y'all to have a good weekend. Be blessed. You and your family's back. Catch me on that IG, OG Rob 300. Peace, OG Rob.

Thanks for the lyrics. Hello, who's this? Hey, top of the morning, y'all. It's Pencil Man. Pencil Man. What up, man? Nothing much. I just wanted to say happy Father's Day to y'all, man.

Thank you. Bro, you're the only person that call. When it's Mother's Day, everybody calls. Happy Mother's Day. I want to say happy Mother's Day to my mom. Out of all the callers we called that call this morning, you're the only one that said happy Father's Day. Yo, hey, I love y'all, man.

Y'all beautiful people. Real for real. Appreciate you, brother. Would it be possible To get some AC tickets Some uh To your AC show I like how he greased you up And then asked for something

That was smooth He definitely greased me up That was smooth pencil man He massaged me first And then he was like Let me get some tickets I ain't mad at you Yo happy Father's Day man

You are amazing You're a great father man You do your thing man I was wondering if I could Get some tickets Hey Hey Y'all are instrumental To my everyday man I wake up And if y'all aren't Hey, hey, y'all are instrumental to my every day.

I wake up, and if all three of y'all aren't there, it's a bad day. All right. Pencil Man, I got you. And the car show, of course, this weekend is in Houston. You're talking about the one in Atlantic City, which is August 20th. I absolutely positively got you, Pencil Man. I appreciate that. I'll call in next week.

You heard it. Enjoy your weekend. Pencil Man sounds so cute. You want to know what you look like, Pencil Man? What's your Instagram? I actually don't do social media, man. Oh, he likes that even more. I'm not talking about your voice.

I'm talking about the nickname, Pencil Man. Oh, I thought you were saying his voice. You said he sounds cute. You want to ask him why they call him Pencil Man, Charlamagne? I like him, but I'm still a dog. You heard? Oh, God. Okay.

Yeah. Well, you up there With Steph Curry And Drake today You're already Life's in dominion That's what we do But yo Enjoy your

Gay father pride Black gay father's Day is Sunday Okay Alright man You got I got nervous Cause Charlamagne

Said he sound cute He was like I don't have no Social media Get it off your chest I got nervous because Charlamagne said he sound cute. He was like, I don't have no social media. Get it off your chest. 800-585-1051. We got rumors on the way? Yes. Well, since we're talking about that, the word bussy is added to the dictionary.

Okay. Now, for those people that don't know what bussy is, are you going to explain that when you come back, too? Of course. You guys talk about it every day. All right. We'll get to it next. It's The Breakfast Club. Come on.

The Breakfast Club. Hey, guys. I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories,

their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories from the people you know, follow, and admire, join me every week for Post Run High. It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all.

It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple of like, this is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. There's 55 gallons of water for 500 pounds of concrete. Everybody's doing it. I am King Ernest Emmanuel. I am the Queen of Ladonia. I'm Jackson I, King of Capraburg. I am the Supreme Leader of the Grand Republic of Mentonia. Be part of a great colonial tradition. Why can't I create my own country? My forefathers did that themselves. What could go wrong? No country willingly gives up their territory. I was making a rocket with a black powder, you know, with explosive warheads.

Oh my God. What is that? Bullets. Bullets. We need help! We need help! We still have the off-road portion to go. Listen to Escape from Zakistan.

And we're losing daylight fast. That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia Keys opens up about conquering doubt, learning to trust herself, and leaning into her dreams. I think a lot of times we are built to doubt the possibilities for ourselves. For self-preservation and protection, it was literally that step by step. And so I discovered that that is how we get where we're going.

This increment of small, determined moments. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Like grace. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing.

Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's up? This is Ramses Jha. And I go by the name Q Ward. And we'd like you to join us each week for our show Civic Cipher. That's right. We're going to discuss social issues, especially those that affect Black and brown people,

but in a way that informs and empowers all people to hopefully create better allies. Think of it as a black show for non-black people. We discuss everything from prejudice to politics to police violence, and we try to give you the tools to create positive change in your home, workplace, and social circle. Exactly. Whether you're black, Asian, white, Latinx, indigenous, LGBTQIA+, you name it. If you stand with us, then we stand with you. Let's discuss the stories and conduct the interviews that will help us create a more empathetic, accountable, and equitable America. You are all our brothers and sisters, and we're inviting you to join us for Civic Cipher each and every Saturday with myself, Ramses Jha, Q Ward, and some of the greatest minds in America.

Listen to Civic Cipher every Saturday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey there, my little creeps. It's your favorite ghost host, Teresa. And guess what? Haunting is back, dropping just in time for spooky season. Now I know you've probably been wandering the mortal plane,

wondering when I'd be back to fill your ears with deliciously unsettling stories. Well, wonder no more, because we've got a ghoulishly good lineup ready for you. Let's just say things get a bit extra. We're talking spirits, demons, and the kind of supernatural chaos that'll make your spooky season complete. You know how much I love this time of year. It's the one time I'm actually on trend. So grab your pumpkin spice, dust off that Ouija board.

Just don't call me unless it's urgent. And tune in for new episodes every week. Remember, the veils are thin, the stories are spooky, and your favorite ghost host is back and badder than ever. Listen to Haunting on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey everybody, it's DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha God, we are The Breakfast Club. Good morning. Let's get to the rumors, let's talk Pusha T. This is The Rumor report With Angela Yee On Breakfast Club

Hey What's happening fam? What's going on? What's up Yee? You gonna intro the rumors or? We did Where you been? Oh I didn't hear it

Damn Yee My headphones wearing't on. You had some drinks last night or something? What's happening? I just put my headphones on. One or two? Three or four? It just got all quiet.

I just put my headphones on. I didn't hear anything. Yee, can you walk in a straight line? Stay down for a bit backwards, Yee. It's just real quiet in the room. I just put my headphones on. Okay. Okay.

All right. Pusha T has announced the first performance in over a decade. That's going to be at the Something in the Water Festival. And so get excited for that. The festival actually starts today. And so, yes, he said absolutely nothing to discuss. Something

in the Water weekend finale, June 19th. Clips, again, don't hit my phone. Okay. That's dope. So don't call me. He's never's never done Pushy T's never done Something in the water festival The clips Oh the clips

Remember when Madeline Stopped rapping He said he's not gonna be In the group anymore See now are you okay Are you drunk So this is the first time That he's been back

I stayed up late last night Watching the game Alright now thanks to Little Nas X You could finally see the word I don't know if I'm allowed To say this word What

What word Bussy You already said it You said it earlier I don't know if I'm allowed to say this word. What? What word? Bussy. You already said it. You said it earlier. I didn't say it on the air. I said it off the air. It's in the dictionary. All right.

Well, yes. So now this word could be added to the dictionary. He was saying for Pride Month, it's really important that our government finally take a stand and adds Bussy to the dictionary. Dictionary.com actually caught wind of this and replied. They said they could potentially make that addition happen. They said we added WAP to the dictionary, so anything's possible. So for people that don't know, what's bussy?

Boy, poom, poom. That's what you guys have. Boy, poom, poom. Yeah. I mean, we do have one. Yeah, you guys all have it. It just depends on how you use it. We don't technically.

It's not technically a, what is it? A bussy. Yeah, it's not technically a bussy until you use it have it. It just depends on how you use it. We don't technically. It's not technically a, what is it? A bussy. Yeah, it's not technically a bussy until you use it as such. Okay, that's technical. It's just a butt. So you do have it. Happy gay Caribbean Friday. Happy black gay father Caribbean day.

All right, Kevin Hart is going to be opening plant-based fast food restaurants called Heart House. He posted, I'm thrilled to announce that I have collaborated with an all-star team of partners and industry leaders to create an industry-changing restaurant called Heart House. This thing is going to be huge. We're going to serve delicious, sustainable food that delivers can't-believe-it flavor in every bite. We'll be opening our first few locations in the L.A. area, but we will be expanding quickly. Stay tuned for more. That's exciting. I would definitely try that. I love

plant-based food. So to have a plant-based fast food restaurant, it's always weird to me that they'll have like Beyond Burgers and Impossible Burgers at restaurants, but they cook it on the same grill as the meat, and it defeats the purpose. Absolutely. Sounds like a good investment. Alright, and Amy

Schumer, people are upset at her for something that she said on the last episode of The Shop. Now, Don Levin was leading a discussion about black vulnerability in the media and how necessary it is when Amy Schumer chimed in. But you were talking about like, you know, rappers and the aspirational sort of whatever. And I was thinking that I think it's the opposite for women. Like, well, OK, I grew up loving Lil' Kim and it was like my b**** is the best and everything. But, so I have a little bit of that, you know? But like Mobs Mabley or me, Chelsea Handler, whatever,

we're up there being like, I'm a drunk, I'm a fat whore, like, you know, whatever. And I think women, like, you take yourself down to be accepted. I don't think Tiff Haddish does that. Tiff is like, if you've seen her lately, she's like, this is what success looks like. This is not a costume. This is Cthulhu. But how is that going for her?

I love Tiff. I love Tiff, too. She's incredible. She's had a huge meteoric rise. I'm wondering if people are going to get pissed at her. So people were saying it's giving Hader the caudacity. Is Tiff worried about you? No. And then somebody said, we don't even like Amy. Why is she here? And then somebody said,

why is she on this platform? Isn't she traumatized by Will Smith? Well, let me be the first to tell you, Amy Schumer is not hating. And what Amy Schumer is talking about is the industry. Because when you are a woman, especially a black woman who is outspoken, who speaks up for herself herself they get labeled difficult in this business i believe that's what she means when she says i wonder if people get pissed differently i did take it as that she was saying how is that going for as far as um is this making people angry and the people she's talking about are industry folks like trust me it's my pet peeve i hear it all the time people say such and such is difficult and usually it's black women who are outspoken and my pet peeve i hear it all the time people say such and such is difficult

and usually it's black women who are outspoken and speak up for themselves i hear it all the time yeah so that that's how i took it but people of course uh jumped on well she's not being specific she should have said in this business in this industry executives will label you difficult if you are a black woman or a woman who speaks up for themselves i i hear that all the time with outspoken black women that's the first thing they say is oh she's difficult like how because she speaks up for herself when you say how's it going for somebody that that's usually a hated term that's why people said that even though she probably didn't mean it like that but when you say well how's that going for her but she means

she should have said how's that going in the industry? Because she probably is privy to inside information as well and she probably hears executives say the same thing. I promise you, man, when you're an outspoken black person, especially a black woman

in this business, they will label you difficult. And I think they are cool with each other so I'm sure they spoke and probably told her. So it probably all depends on how Tiffany took it, really.

When somebody says, how's that going for you? That's usually a hate. That's usually what it is. I actually said that to somebody last week. I said, you don't think it's strange that every time you come to me and say, such and such is difficult. Somebody said such and such is difficult is usually a black woman.

You don't think that's strange? All right. Well, that is your rumor report. Outspoken black women get labeled as difficult in this industry. Period. Facts. Well, that is your outspoken black women get labeled as difficult in this industry. Period. Facts.

It's whack. All right. All right. Well, we got front page news. Next, what are we talking about? Yes.

And we are going to be talking about these January 6th hearings. We'll give you some takeaways from day three. All right.

We'll get into that next. Don't move. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning. The Breakfast Club. Your mornings will never be the same.

Angela Yee here. The General Insurance is a quality insurance company that's been saving people money for nearly 60 years. Switch to The General and you could save over $500. Call 800-GENERAL or visit thegeneral.com. The General Auto Insurance Services, Inc. and Insurance Agency, Nashville, Tennessee. Some restrictions apply.

My headphones on. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Nashville, Tennessee. Some restrictions apply. My headphones on. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are The Breakfast Club. Let's get some front page news. All right. Now, congratulations to the Golden State Warriors. They beat the Boston Celtics last night.

Dropping the clues, boys, for the Golden State Warriors. Easy call. Easy call, Warriors, in six. Let me tell you something else State Warriors. Easy call. Easy call Warriors in six. Let me tell you something else, too. The Warriors are going to repeat next year. Think so? You can bet money on it now. I should, right? I wish I had to bet money at the beginning of the season. Nah, they're going to repeat next year. You guys would enjoy betting

on games because you don't have to bet a whole lot of money. You could do $20. I let my son do it. My son tells me what to bet. James Wiseman is going to come back healthy. You know, another year for the young players, like the,

what's his name? Jonathan Kaminga, Kaminga, the rookie, you know, pool Wiggins. They still got, they call Steph,

Clay and Draymond. Clay going to be back at full speed. They, they, they going to repeat next year. All right. What else we got Yeezy? All right.

Well, let's talk about the January 6th hearings. Day three was yesterday. Two witnesses testified who advised Pence that he did not have the authority to subvert the election. And they talked about how Donald Trump's attorney, John Eastman, put forward a legal theory that Pence could unilaterally block certification of the election. But that was rejected by Trump's White House attorneys and Pence's team. But anyway, Donald Trump still tried to press forward and make that happen. There were a lot of revelations yesterday, but the most important one was that Donald Trump was told repeatedly

that his plan for Pence to overturn the election was illegal, but he tried to do it anyway. And in a videotaped deposition, Pence's chief of staff, Mark Short, said that Pence advised Trump many times that he did not have the legal or constitutional authority to overturn the results. And even Eastman, who helped devise the scheme and pitched it to Trump in the beginning, admitted in front of Trump that the plan would require Pence to violate federal law, according to a clip of that deposition. Now here is Chairman Thompson talking about Mike Pence and his courage.

The former president wanted Pence to reject the votes and either declare Trump the winner or send the votes back to the states to be counted again. Mike Pence said no. He knew it was illegal. He knew it was wrong. We're fortunate for Mr. Pence's courage on January 6th. Our democracy came dangerously close to catastrophe. When Mike Pence made it clear that he wouldn't give in to Donald Trump's scheme, Donald Trump turned a mob on him, a mob that was chanting, hang Mike Pence, a mob that had built a hangman's gallows just outside the Capitol. I hate how they call Mike Pence courageous, like he wasn't there cosigning Trump for four years. I mean, everybody can change their ways.

But guess what, Mike Pence, your cosigns for four years led to that situation on January 6th, and it almost cannibalized you. Trump can turn on you at any second. Exactly. And former Trump White House attorney Eric Hirschman told the committee that Eastman told him he was willing to accept violence in order to overturn the 2020 election. And he described a conversation where he warned Eastman that his strategy, if implemented, was going to cause riots in the streets. And he said, there's been violence in the history of our country in order to protect the democracy or to protect the republic. So he basically knew what was about to happen, and this is what they're trying to show.

This is some of the most compelling evidence of what actually went down to cause those riots and how Donald Trump was involved in all of that and making it happen and knew what the results would be. And also with the Mike Pence thing, it's just a perfect example of if you want to see how somebody's eventually going to treat you, watch how they treat other people because eventually it's going to be your turn.

That's what happened in the case of Donald Trump. And listen man, five days ago the January 6th panel panelists said they got enough evidence uncovered to indict Trump. So what you going to do, D.O.J.? It's on them now. They're putting forward all this stuff we've never heard before. Now, here's Aguilar talking about Mike Pence and Donald Trump and how there was a lot of tension and how their relationship had soured. The dispute between the president and the vice president had grown to the point where the vice president's chief of staff, Mark Short, was concerned that the president could, in Mr. Short's words, quote, lash out at the vice president on

January 6th. In fact, Mr. Short was so concerned about it that he talked with the head of the vice president's Secret Service detail on January 5th. Here's Mr. Short. Concern was for the vice president's security, and so I wanted to make sure the head of the vice president's secret service detail on january 5th here's mr short concern was for the vice president's security and so i wanted to make sure the head of the vice president's secret service was aware that um that likely as these disagreements became more public that the president would lash out in some way once again if you want to see how someone is going to eventually treat you watch how they treat other people. At some point, it'll be your turn. You're not special.

So don't stand by and, you know, watch somebody do a bunch of foul stuff and think that eventually it's not going to happen to you. That's exactly what happened to Mike Pitts. All right. And two white men were arrested this week for allegedly attacking a black teenager who was just driving through their neighborhood. The incident took place in Sanford, Florida, the same city where Trayvon Martin was killed by George Zimmerman more than a decade ago. The teen is identified as 16-year-old Jermaine Jones. He was just driving when the man threw a traffic cone at his car and a large rock through the vehicle's window. Jermaine's father, C.J. Jones, shared footage on Facebook. And in the video, you can hear the men yelling at him to get out of their neighborhood.

That's crazy. Right here, buddy. Right here. Tell them what you were doing. Burning to get out of their neighborhood. That's crazy. Right here, buddy. Right here. Tell them what you were doing. Burning out, racing through my neighborhood. Burning out, racing through my neighborhood. I told you not to. Get out of my face. I'm not in your face.

Get out of my neighborhood. Who got a gun? Who got the gun? The guy who's got a permit to carry it. You got a gun? You're the one that would get a gun. All right. All right.

Get out of this neighborhood. All right. Get out of this neighborhood. Beautiful right. Get out of this neighborhood. You don't belong here. Wow. But y'all want to smash the window? Smash the window? Yeah, you did, didn't you?

You smashed the window, huh? Well, y'all drive like idiots. Can you imagine that? This poor 16-year-old that has to go through this terrifying experience where these white people are throwing cones and rocks at his car just because he was driving through the neighborhood. Get out of this neighborhood. You don't belong there. This is where I wish I lived over there.

He was going to visit his friend. I wish I lived over there. Why were they saying he was dragging? What did they say he was doing? Burning out? What is that? Yeah, like, come on. What is that?

Then how could you even catch up to him? That's pushing the gas and, you know, the wheels spin out. But like you said, how could they catch up? That's when I wish I lived over in that area. Because I swear as hell, I would get a hundred of my little racing buddies, boy, and we would drive around that block a hundred times. And you talk about my man, what he had, a little Honda Civic. You talk

about loud pipes and making noise. I would drive around that block a hundred times. Well, the men were identified. The men were identified as 52-year-old Donald Corsi and 61- year-old Howard Hughes. They were both arrested and charged with damage to-old Donald Corsi and 61-year-old Howard Hughes. They were both arrested and charged with damage to property.

And Corsi was also hit with a weapon offense charge for allegedly throwing the rock while Hughes is facing an additional misdemeanor battery charge for allegedly hitting the white teen with a traffic cone. And then you throw a rock at my son's car. My son is 16 years old. As a father, what am I supposed to do? I'm not supposed to knock on your door and whoop your ass and beat your ass? A black kid in the neighborhood going to visit a friend.

So where did the white teen come from? You throw a rock at my 16-year-old son's door? 15-year-old Bailey Kennedy. He was in the car, too. Oh, so it was a black teen and a white teen. Oh, okay. Get out my neighborhood. You throw a rock at my son's car, break his window, and then pull out a gun and talk about,

well, the guy had a gun on him, and I'm not supposed to knock on your door and whoop your ass? Drag your white ass all up and down that block? I'm not supposed to knock on your door and whoop your ass drag your white ass all up and down that block I'm not supposed to I don't think you would do that

that is your front page news you don't know me okay I don't think you would do that you and that punk ass dog ain't doing

that play with my play with my family if you like me and that punk ass dog will be right on there knock on the door

knock knock knock hello who's this I think you should go over there armed knowing that he has a gun in you I don't think you should just take the

dog and your bike riders he said him and his bike riders he said he's gonna be a hundred bike riders he said a hundred bike riders deep in that little bike i didn't say bike i said riders i didn't say bike you talk about bike riders i'm talking about my cars you know i do the rallies and stuff like that i'm not talking so you thinking you just want to see me in little cute shorts. That's all you want to see me in. I just heard you say that you and your-

You acting bad. Dude, 100 people on 10 speeds going to pull up with their punk ass dogs. And we might pull up on our bikes too, but I'm not talking about the bikes. You just want to see me in them little shorts. You talking about the riders. Y'all going to stop and get y'all lattes first while y'all listening to the new Drake album? Y'all going to pull up on them? You know what?

They like the way I ride. Happy Father's Pride Caribbean. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Happy Black Gay Father Caribbean's Day. You know what? When we come back, and see, that's why I don't take nothing serious with you no more, man. I don't like you.

So it's not serious between y'all anymore? We go together real bad. We go together real bad. I hate y'all, man We go together real bad. We go together real bad. I hate y'all, man. When we come back, the CEO of Essence will be joining us. Caroline Wonga.

So we're going to talk about the upcoming Essence Festival and more, so don't move. I hate y'all. Both of y'all. That's not nice.

You too. No. Y'all not nice to me. It's the Breakfast Club. Y'all not nice to me. The Breakfast Club. Power 105.1. The Breakfast Club.

Envy. Angela Yee. And Charlemagne Tha God. I just told Petersville he was a good boy's nightmare, man. Is your country falling apart? Feeling tired? Depressed? A little bit revolutionary?

Consider this. Start your own country. I planted the flag. I just kind of looked out of like, this is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. There are 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Everybody's doing it. I am King Ernest Emmanuel. I am the Queen of Laudonia.

I'm Jackson I, King of Capraburg. I am the Supreme Leader of the Grand Republic of Mentonia. Be part of a great colonial tradition. The Waikana tribe own country. My forefathers did that themselves. What could go wrong? No country willingly gives up their territory. I was making a rocket with a black powder, you know, with explosive warheads. Oh my god.

What is that? Bullets. Bullet holes. We need help! We still have the off-road portion to go. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. And we're losing daylight fast. That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories from the

people you know, follow, and admire, join me every week for Post Run High. It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all. It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia Keys opens up about conquering doubt, learning to trust herself and leaning into her dreams. I think a lot of times we are built to doubt the possibilities for ourselves. For self-preservation and protection. It was literally that step by step. And so I discovered that that is how we get where we're going. This increment of small,

determined moments. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Like grace, have grace with yourself. You're trying your best and you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's up? This is Ramses Jha. And I go by the name Q Ward. And we'd like you to join us each week for our show Civic Cipher that's right we're going to discuss social issues especially those that affect black and brown people but in a way that informs and empowers all people to hopefully create better allies think of it as a black show for non-black people we discuss everything from

prejudice to politics to police violence and we try to give you the tools to create positive change in your home workplace and social circle exactly whether you're black asian white latinx indigenous lgbtqia plus you name it if you stand with us then we stand with you let's discuss the stories and conduct the interviews that will help us create a more empathetic accountable and equitable america you are all our brothers and sisters and we're inviting you to join us for Civic Cipher each and every Saturday with myself, Ramses Jha, Q Ward, and some of the greatest minds in America. Listen to Civic Cipher every Saturday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey there, my little creeps. It's your favorite ghost host, Teresa. And guess what? Haunting is back, dropping just in time for spooky season. Now I know you've probably been wandering the mortal plane, wondering when I'd be back to fill your ears

with deliciously unsettling stories. Well, wonder no more, because we've got a ghoulishly good lineup ready for you. Let's just say things get a bit extra. We're talking spirits, demons, and the kind of supernatural chaos that'll make your spooky season complete. You know how much I love this time of year. It's the one time I'm actually on trend.

So grab your pumpkin spice, dust off that Ouija board. Just don't call me unless it's urgent. And tune in for new episodes every week. Remember, the veils are thin, the stories are spooky, and your favorite ghost host is back and badder than ever. Listen to Haunting on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha God. We are The Breakfast Club.

We got a special guest in the building. Big CEO energy. Caroline Wonga, CEO of Essence. Welcome. Good morning. Thank you. Thank you. I'm so glad you made it up here before Essence Festival because I want you to talk about

everything that's happening this year. And you guys just dropped the iconic cover with Janet Jackson. That's a life moment right there, right? Like, it's not even about an Essence cover with Janet. It's about Janet, right? And what she is

and everything that she's been for community, the things she's fought through that gave a lot of other artists opportunity to be here. And I would say that's exactly what Essence Festival is about. It's critically important that people understand that it is a place where we celebrate blackness

without having to accommodate everybody else. I love that. And so Janet being an icon makes sense. She's a part of the festival, but it's also about just being really honest about what blackness is and not having to feel like you got to lessen it for others, but letting others be a part of it if they want to. But it's their job to understand how we do what we do.

So tell us how that started and when did it start? So the festival's 27 years old. Wow. It's always been in New Orleans. And I have to reinforce that because the festival isn't the festival if it's not in New Orleans. It actually has always been in New Orleans

except for three years. Yeah, I went the one year it was in Houston after- Do you wanna tell how you felt about that? I didn't like that. Exactly. As did nobody else did. Like, it just doesn't work and that's not hate on Houston. That's just about, like,

they were born together, right? And then the only other two years it hasn't been there are the two years of the pandemic where we did it virtually. It is also the largest festival in the country

by per day attendance. And then the third piece I'd say is what's happening right now that I'm even more excited about is what COVID gave us the opportunity to do virtually was to be able to bring together a broader diaspora to experience this thing that we have had here in the U.S. But is really about global black culture, which is a part of our mission in this phase of essence as well.

And so in 2020, we had 45 million views of the virtual festival. In 2021, we had 65 million views. In 2022, for the first time, the festival will be both live and virtual with unique and hybrid experiences for all. So when you think about the momentous moment we're in right now with what we've been through, this is going to be the dopest year of the festival yet because the whole fam can be together

even if we're not in the same place. That's one thing I loved about the festival. When I was a kid, and no disrespect to the festival, it was an older person's festival. And then y'all started skewing younger, and it was open to everybody. That's right. That's what he think.

He just older now. I will say the movie Girls, even before the movie Girls Trip, like for me, because I've been going to Essence Festival for probably like 10 years. Yeah. And I would tell like my friends, let's all go to Essence Festival every year. 10 years. Yeah. And I would tell like my friends,

let's all go to Essence Festival every year. And then Girls Trip came out. And it's like, it is the perfect Girls Trip place. So that's great. And I'm glad you guys brought this up because one of the things, right? Like, so Essence is the parent company of the festival, right? There's like a whole company aside from that.

But one of the things that is really intentional about what we're trying to drive in this stage is we are, first of all, black people are not a monolith. And this festival is the place where no matter what kind of black you are, you find something for you. Right. So to your point, it had a reputation of being not just for old, but for the aunties. That's what people really say. When did that change?

It's been changing for a while, but we are being even more intentional about it now. So right now, if you look at the statistics, 60% of the attendees of the festival are 18 to 35. That's what I was saying. They just may not go to the same things that other people do. And so our charge became, how do we make sure

that all of the people that are actually showing up can find something to do? So to start with something like you talked about with Girls Trip, one of the things is we know the brothers

come to festival. The data says it's about 30% of the audience is men that come to festival. Really smart for them to come to, by the way, because there's a lot. I mean, I've never heard a complaint about their experience, but the piece I'm saying that for is the intentionality is for the first time we have a men's experience designed for black men at festival. We're calling it in his zone.

It's designed for black men there. It's not because the rest of the festival isn't for them, but we see them and recognize them and want them to feel like there's a space where they'll be able to do things. We have a younger generational set of programming behind Girls United that's really focused on the next generation of black women. We are the essence festival of culture, and there's a lot of other things happening outside of the Superdome, but even within the Superdome and the concerts, which is what a lot of people look forward to, there's a lot of diversity in what we've brought there. So we've got Nicki Minaj on Friday night, we've got Janet on Saturday night.

New Edition on Sunday night as headliners. But in the Nicki Minaj night is Beanie Man. Thames is in the New Edition night. Those are all grown artists, by the way. Nicki Minaj is grown. Thames is pretty new. Thames is new.

Whiskid is new. City Girls is new. The point that I'm making as part of our responsibility as a brand is to make sure that although we were built on the heels of who black women are, and we are not at all hiding that, the reason why that's a really important, critical community for all black is because black women are the conductors of black community. Right? The way that they look and the way that they go and what they influence tends to be, right, what a lot of people depend on or look to to understand. The mothers of civilization. Right? And so being able to use the festival and the brand that is Essence

to bring forth what it means for blackness to get back to the greatness it deserves globally is exactly what we're trying to do. And that mission is that big, that audacious. And we will start by making sure that people see a different kind of festival this year that helps us into our new era. Now, what about Essence Eats? I'm excited for that. What do you want to know about Essence Eats?

So Essence Eats has always been there. Some of the dope you want to know about Essence Eats? So Essence Eats has always been there. Some of the dope stuff that's happening with Essence Eats is we took it outside and we're doing the first ever Essence Food and Wine Festival that will feature food and wine from all different black vendors. Everybody may not want to come to the food festival, so of course the Eats will be there as well. But it is about making sure that Food and Wine

Festival is happening, the Film Festival is happening, we have a Gospel Brunch that we're including to make sure that people are finding different things to do, but that we're also highlighting black entrepreneurs because one of our big goals is to continue to build black generational wealth. I just feel to be back after a two year hiatus. And when you realize, OK, I think we'd be able to do this live next year. When did your brain start? Well, the funny thing is I started this job in the pandemic. So I started this job right when the 2020 virtual festival was about to air. Right. And I, like everybody else, was like, can we do this? And when we saw what happened with 45 million views of that festival, I like I rested quite a bit to say, oh, my God.

Right. Like the necessity of this thing goes beyond the fact that it has to be physical. Our community needs to be together. And so when we were able to do that in 2020 and then saw us able to do it again in 2021, the thought coming back live became probably bigger and better than it would have been had the pandemic not happened, which is look at what we're now able to do. And we decided to be even more bold and audacious in how we choose to offer this live festival because of what happened virtually. The first time I seen New Edition was actually at Essence Music Festival.

It was pretty dope. And, you know, most people don't know, I do car shows, and my car show got its start. Most people don't know. Who the hell don't know you do car shows? Who didn't know? Yeah. You hear it every day.

Most people don't know. So the one person that didn't know, they now know. Most people don't know I have kids. But, you know, I was saying, most people don't know. For the one person that didn't know, they now know. Most people don't know I have kids. But, you know, I was saying, most people don't know that I got my start because Essence didn't happen. So I actually did my car show when I found out Essence wasn't doing it Fourth of July. I did my car show Fourth of July in Atlanta. Fascinating. And usually, you know, our culture, black people, they want something to do.

And because they couldn't go to New Orleans, I had 20,000 people at Atlanta, which made me do the car shows from market to market to market. All right, we have more with Caroline Wonga, the CEO of Essence, coming up next. But right now, new Drake out today featuring 21 Savage. Here is Jimmy Cooks. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha Guy.

We are The Breakfast Club. We're still kicking it with the CEO of Essence. She's talking about the Essence Festival and more. We have Caroline Wonga. Is it difficult for you guys to get sponsors?

Because I know a lot of times corporate white world, it's hard to get sponsors. They don't, they'll sponsor everything else. But when it comes to us, it's very difficult. Is it difficult? So we're going to have that conversation. So first of all, here's what you need to know. I'll sponsor everything else. But when it comes to us, it's very difficult. Is it difficult for us? So we're going to have

that conversation. So first of all, here's what you need to know. I am in corporate recovery. So I worked at the Target Corporation for 15 years, right? So I know both sides of the conversation. One of the things that will be true in this new era of the Essence brand overall is we're going to be really picky about who gets to be in partnership with us. I think

that this brand has been through a lot of things over its 50 years. And there was a time when it was so malnourished by the organization it sat within that it had to take what it could get to stay alive. As I came into role and partnered with Rich Dennis, who is the family that put this company back in black-owned hands, what became extremely important to both of us was, one, changing the way that the value of what we do as a brand is looked at, festival included. Number two, demanding that if you want to be in relationship with this brand, you have to be about black economic impact, period. If you're not about that, we will happily help you put your check somewhere else.

And the fact that we were unapologetic about that and were willing to walk away if partners didn't want to be about that led to us being able to have record level partnership dollars happening coming into the 2022 festival but what's more important is as we engaged with those partners what we said is it isn't just about us getting the dollars to be able to put this together we mandated in a lot of those relationships that they are using black owned businesses to drive the way they show up at festival and made that be in the contracts. That's not dollars that comes to essence to put this on. That's the people that will be setting up activations and selling food and all these things that each of our partners do there. We ask that that is also going to black forth what it takes to do black generational wealth.

Let's stay there for a second. How can these corporations start to be more inclusive? Well, I wouldn't use the word inclusive. I know what you mean by the question. We're about black. I want to be really clear about that. I was a former corporate chief diversity officer, right? So I know what the word inclusion means. I understand what the diversity work is. I don't want to veer you off, but what does it mean in corporate America? It means that we make sure that all parties have equal and equitable presence. But the thing that comes with that is it is all. So I couldn't just focus on black. Right.

I had to make sure that women and Asian and right. Like you have to make sure it's not the paths are different. But no matter what in the corporate diversity world, everybody still swivels a little different in their chair when you talk about black. Yeah. And so part of what we're being really clear about, this isn't about being inclusive. This isn't about investing in diversity. This is about black. And we This isn't about investing in diversity. This is about black.

And we are not going to dilute that. You need to be unafraid to say black, do black, invest with black, preserve black, defend black, pay black, do black, all black. Absolutely. We are about making sure that blackness is returned to greatness. And the first step in that

is not allowing anybody to come in and engage with us if they are not going to participate in the hard, difficult, no room for self-preservation work of standing in the gap for those of us that are black. Not because we can't stand

in the gap for ourselves, but because they're the ones in the gap and we need them to get out of the way so we can get to what we're supposed to do. And Carolyn, I want to... That's a collection plate. Lord have mercy.

And you know, I think that it's really important for us to also talk about you personally and your background because you did bring up your 15 years at Target. You started off as an intern there. I did. And so I just want you to talk a little bit about your journey, even coming in to Essence. What made you leave Target to come to Essence and then being interim CEO and then becoming the CEO? So I just want you to give us a little background on you just so people know who I am.

I can. I can. So the first thing that's most important to say is I'm a Kenyan girl. Born in Kenya. Came to the U.S. Where in Kenya? So I was born in Kisumu, but I lived in Nairobi. My parents were professors at Kenyatta University.

I just left Nairobi, but go ahead. Look at you. I can see it in you. See? Look at you. Just a little brighter. He's Dominican, man. I am not Dominican. I'm black. He says I'm Dominican,

so I'm light-skinned. I'm black. Well, you could be all. Black and Dominican, yeah. And light-skinned. I'm black. So I'm a Kenyan girl. Came to the U.S. because my dad wanted to do his Ph.D. Ended up in Minnesota. Topic for another day. And so after I graduated from high school, I became a mom.

17 years old. 17 years old. And you can imagine, just like any other parent would feel, there was concern. So I went to an HBCU down in Texas that had a single parent program to get my degree. Tell them about it. Which one is it? Texas College. It's very small, but it was a school that had done a single parent program where they

subsidized the cost of your child living in the dorm with you, your child eating in the cafeteria. So you can go to school. And that's what HBCUs are, right? They solve the problems that society doesn't solve so that we can get to what we're supposed to. I'm not here without that school and that program full stop. That's why I started with Target. So I started as an intern in their distribution center in Tyler, Texas.

I decided to sell out and become a corporate drone so I could take care of this baby and make sure she could pay for college. And then I ended up coming to headquarters in Minnesota. So that brought me back to Minnesota. And I did a number of different roles in engineering from a distribution perspective. I was over in business intelligence. I did some roles in HR. My last role in that 15 years was chief diversity, inclusion and culture officer for the organization. I was definitely one of those people that because I had been a mom that long, I had lost sight of who I was. And so I was open to what other opportunities could be. I was talking to people within Target. I was talking to people outside of Target.

And even though Rich Lou Dennis and the Dennis family had the Shea Moisture brand that had worked with Target for 15 years, he and I had never met. We met at the 2019 festival. I was asked to come and host a panel. And when he asked about this opportunity to come to Essence, it was because of the way that I live my life that he wanted me to come and help lead this brand. Why did I take it? It was a journey in recompense. And here's what I mean by that.

Two very important things happened that made this the absolute right thing at the absolute right time. I had the opportunity to join a group of people that went to Ghana. I had talked with my dad about being excited about going because I knew my Kenyan heritage. I'd known it from the beginning. My dad told me all those stories, right? It was undisrupted by the slave trade on the eastern coast. I was excited to go to Ghana because the remnants on the coast there of the transatlantic slave trade were something I didn't see in Kenya, and I was excited to see that. So I was talking to him about that, and he paused and he said, well, there was another slave trade that happened on the eastern coast of Africa that doesn't have a

lot of history behind it because it took slaves to Asia, but they weren't allowed to procreate, and so it didn't last as long. He said, so our heritage did interact with slavery in Kenya. And I was like, well, Dad, you said it wasn't disrupted. And he says, well, the Wongas did what they had to do to survive, which meant participate in the enslavement of other Kenyans. Wow. I can't lie to you about how heavy that sat on my spirit. And I just remember saying over and over, I'm going to

fix this. So when I arrived in Ghana and spent time at the slave dungeons, I had a complete total meltdown. A few months later, and I remember going back to Target and I was talking to the CEO there and I said, I got to fix this. I told him this story. When Rich called a couple months later, this was the fix this. I have benefited from that story all the way up through my corporate career, from people who came before me that look like me, that sacrifice, that fought, that did. I can't not do what I'm supposed to do to continue to maintain one of the catalysts of that, which is this brand. And so between where I was in my life, where I was really embracing who is Caroline,

and a moment where I understood something different about my heritage, accepting this role as an act of service, it's recompense for those that fought before, for me to be able to get to where I got to in corporate, and then to have another opportunity to do this with one of the biggest global black media brands. But also, it is to give the opportunity for Ayo, my niece, and all the kids coming after to have another place that will tell them how great they are. I'm here out of service, not out of a job. Wow. Wow. I love that. Well, definitely head out there if you can. I'll be out there with Shea Moisture.

I think I'm DJing for Shea Moisture. Me and my wife are signing books, our new book, in the Shea Moisture book. I love that. Don't you have a book? We do. We have Essence Authors. So there'll be space there for Essence Authors. We've got Global Black Economic Forum.

We've got all kinds of different things going on. Essencefest.com. If you don't know what you want to do, go down there. We'll show you the whole schedule. And we look forward to seeing everybody. My partner, Anita Kopex, is going to be there with her book, Shallow Waters. And we want to continue to highlight as many folks as we can through this festival. So folks that have interest in this, even if you didn't get on this timing,

please continue to stay in contact with us. We continue to try to make sure that everybody gets an opportunity to show what they're doing at this thing we call the festival. I'll be there Wednesday to Monday. I'm going to be there before it starts. Some people took 30 days off for their job and claimed it was a holiday. I'm not going to bust none of them out. I can't wait. Well, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your story.

Thank you. Pleasure out there. Caroline Wonga. Did I say it right? You did. All right. Well, it's the Breakfast Club. Good morning. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best and you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing.

Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. that's what my podcast post run high is all about it's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories their journeys and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together listen to post run high on the iheart Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God. What is that? Bullets.

Listen to Escape from Zakistan. That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey everyone, this is Courtney Thorne-Smith, Laura Layton, and Daphne Zuniga. On July 8th, 1992, apartment buildings with pools were never quite the same as Melrose Place was introduced to the world. We are going to be reliving every hookup, every scandal, and every single wig removal together. So listen to Still the Place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Welcome to Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get real and dive straight into todo lo actual y viral. We're talking música, los premios, el chisme, and all things trending in my cultura.

I'm bringing you all the latest happening in our entertainment world and some fun and impactful interviews with your favorite Latin artists, comedians, actors, and influencers. Each week, we get deep and raw life stories, combos on the issues that matter to us, and it's all packed with gems, fun, straight up comedia, and that's a song that only nuestra gente can sprinkle. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.