The Breakfast Club - The Parents Speak. Karmelo Anthony's Mother and Father Sit Down with Mimi Brown

Episode Date: June 12, 2026

Part one. Just hours after a Texas jury found their son guilty of murder and a judge sentenced him to thirty-five years in prison, Karmelo Anthony's parents sit down with Mimi Brown. They reflect on the verdict. The sentence. The fifteen months of harassment, swatting calls, and threats their family has lived through. The trial they watched from inside a Collin County Texas courtroom. And the son they are still fighting for. Mimi sets up the conversation, shares what she walked into the room expecting and what she walked out understanding.  From the Black Effect Podcast Network.YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Joy is essential and it's also elusive. But now, there's a new and exciting way to start your journey toward a more joyful existence, Joy 101. It's a new podcast hosted by me, Hoda Kotby. If you're craving inspiration to maximize your joy, tune into these candid, uplifting, and moving on-air chats. Open your free IHeart Radio app. Search Joy 101 and listen now.

Joy 101 with Hoda Kotopi is presented by CVS. This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us. From I Heart Podcast, Saigon. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart. It's for Vietnam. They're pouring patril all over here. Freedom for Vietnam!

There's a fire coming to this country, and it's going to burn out everything. Listen to Saigon. on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It just came out. Jeremy, what did you just do? You just sit yourself up for failure. I've never heard you tell this story. I've never told this story.

This must have been tucked deep, deep into Jeremy Lynn file. My name is MC Jen. I'm excited to tell you about laugh but not least. I'll be chatting with guests from all walks of life about the power of humor when it comes to facing difficult times. These will be conversations that remind us all, life is hard, laugh harder. Listen and laugh but not least with MC Jen on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. It's that time to put on your jersey and wave your flag, whoever you root for.

Why do I watch the walk up? That's like asking me, why do I breed? And it's beautiful. The guys are young and cute and fit. It's not just a game. It's your culture. I like watching it with my dad. It's a connecting force.

From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Chavari, and this is American Football, a show about soccer culture in the U.S. and its underdog roots. Listen to American Football on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, everyone, it's Mimi, and today is Friday, June 12th. And we're going to listen to part one of my interview with Carmelo Anthony's parents. Drew Anthony and Kayla Hayes. This interview was so hard due. It was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life. Listening to them less than, I'd say 12 hours after the verdict came down,

after the sentencing came down, watching them throughout the entire interview wait on the phone to ring so that they can hear from him to know that he's okay. This situation is so tragic. As a mom, myself, of a 12-year-old, I can't even imagine. You know, a lot of times they think, you know, once you reach a certain age, 17, this happened when Carmelo was 17, that you're an adult. But listening to these two people describe their household and their family and their family dynamic. and their love and their bond and how they've been together since high school and watching him wipe her tears

lets me know what kind of family he came from. You know, I don't have to know him to feel for this situation. I don't have to know their parents to feel for this situation. This case has been so polarizing. It has been so racially charged. I just think that we are forgetting at the center of this, in essence, two people lost their lives. And it is just heartbreaking watch, basically one side,

crucify a child. And I think that we need to all come together and just figure out how to help this family. So that is my take. That is this episode. I hope that you guys have some feedback. This episode was a really rough run emotionally, watching them not sleep. I don't even think I slept the night before when I put myself in their position. So anyway, here is part one. How are you guys holding up? I mean, right now we're in a nightmare. It doesn't feel real.

We've been up all night, crying, praying, waiting for family to come in. We have some family who has made it. We just, right now, lost words. waiting for him to give us a call soon as possible. So you haven't heard from him just yet? We heard from him yesterday. He has actually suffered from seizures, so we actually have to bring his medicine to the courthouse.

So we're waiting for him to give us instruction to get there. We know Carmelo from the courtroom, but tell us who is he? What kind of person is he? What kind of son is he at home? He is a wonderful son. He's a wonderful student. 3.3.7 GPA, work, two jobs. I'm sorry, baby.

For cutting you off. He was actually taking online classes during all of this and still held a great GPA going through this traumatic time. I mean, he was a kid. If I didn't say it, it was a captain of his track team, football team. He was working two jobs. He actually saved the kid life that the mom, he jumped in a pool, which and saved the kid life, which was amazing. I didn't know how great he was until this tragic. Tragic.

I want to add some things to that. At home, he loves cooking, whether it's in the kitchen, outside. Grilling, he makes the best hypodgy. He loves running routes and playing soccer with his younger brother, Kingston. He has a brother named Andrew. He's 12, and Andrew is into doing science experiments. And Carmelo loved helping him with science experiments. He loves putting Legos together with his girlfriend.

He's just a lovable, sincere child. Yeah. Do you feel like the world, you know, just going through this trial, got an accurate description of who Carmelo really is? No, we've come to find out, which we were, before all this, we were a family that basically stayed to ourselves. We were very close-knitted. My wife said at home, she stays at home. I was working, and we didn't know how cruel the world could be. they have his face plastered all over. After he was, one while he still was a minor.

And it was like, everything was happening. We was getting threats. They, they docks, I was so clueless and so involved in work. I didn't even know what doxon was. They put our address online.

And so we had people coming to our home. So we never had to leave within our home. Like they had us in some type of, like what is a protective thing, whatever, to get us, you know, to keep us safe with our other kid. The world right now, it sounds unbelievable the things that he accomplished before this tragic asses. Like, it will really mess you up.

And as me being a father, I didn't realize, like him saving a life. I just, as a father, I got caught up and, hey, that's your what you posed to do. That's your expectation. You know, being a man, hey, that's what we do. We move on. like him working hey man you're supposed to have a job I was trying to he was you know how it is that young

it's like with your girl too much man you need to get a job get a hireer so he's working but I kept him busy too and this whole situation is the reality of this is that somebody literally walked in his life no literally walked into his life he did everything about

a law and look where we're at I want to go back to that day, that day that track meet. Were you guys at the event at that track meet on April 2nd? No, we were not. I was actually supposed to go to the track meet, but the weather was so bad. I just stay home. It's like, Mama, don't come. Just stay home.

And now, looking back on everything, I wish I was there. I regret not being there for my child. When did you hear the news that there had been an incident that day? I received an email saying that there was an incident, no phone call, no anything. You know how she- My instinct was- Because Carmelo, he's the type of child to let me know everything that's going on, and it wasn't like him to not call me and tell me what was going on.

So when I received the email, we have like 360. So I went into like 360. I'm like, wait, they said the buses made it back to the school. But Carmelo location is still stating that he's at the stadium, like, what's going on? So I headed to the school. And that's how I found out what happened. How I found out, I was actually in a work meeting. And when she first called me, I thought it was because it was right after April

Foods. I was like, oh, y'all are playing. this because he doesn't he doesn't this is not him so i was on the law you playing all right whatever but she was like no he was involved in stabbing so when we heard that i didn't know what happened at the time and they kept us like they kept us from everything like they kept us so we running around from place to place place um everything was just moving so fast that day i never forget. It was just like everything. Then once we found out in God, he went to his buying him. The next day, somebody doctors. I only said a name, but a lady put, start making this,

they try to blame it on one person, not making them about race, but you had this lady that just went on to talk about white lives and all these other stuff. And now it went boom. The race car started about, that's how Jake Lane and all these other guys got involved in this. But it was, at the end of the day, this was a kid situation that a lot of adults made about their personal, how they really wanted to feel. This is the time they wanted to show. This is how we really feel about y'all. And they used my stuff, for example.

What did Carmelo tell you happened that day at the track meet? I mean, he was sitting at seeing his friend. Once you get the reports and everything, he was actually his girlfriend's. cousin invited him to the tent. So when they invited him to the tent, you know, just hey, what's going on, such as such. It was raining. He sat there. Then as you know it, you had these two guys who

approached him. Even sitting the video in court, it was like, I know y'all see this. I know y'all see this. And we got comfortable with the instructions that we were told, we was told not to say nothing. we was told not to do this. So we did everything. We did. We followed all instructions, and we were told, hey, don't do this, don't do this, don't do this, don't do this.

Hey, don't talk to this person. Don't talk to this person. It was all this. And look what happened to my son. It sounds like you wish you had talked more, that you had said more, that you had got your story out more. I call myself trying sometimes you could do the right thing, but could be the wrong thing. Did Carmelo want to get his story out more to the public as well? he was trying to listen to what he was being advised.

You know, hey, don't make it about race. Don't do this. Don't do this. So we're like, all right, we go, again, we played the game they wanted. We did everything a law by the citizen policy. They told us, don't do this. We did. We did everything we were supposed to.

And he wanted people, you know, of course he wanted somebody. They got pictures of him being 17 on a dress on. saying he'll be raped in jail, like all kinds of these adults are talking about this child, but nobody's seeing it. Like, nobody's seeing it. So we can't say anything. The other family, they go paint this lie that's nobody's dead exposed, that he died in his brother's arms. And it was all this.

That's not true. Because that is a narrative. No, no. You never heard it no more. That stuff was a lie. You heard about a bag. You never heard about a bag since trial. I was telling people, a lie is temporary.

but the truth lasts forever. It's just now, it's like harder now. I've got to fight to get the truth out with. Now, he basically had to get the book thrown at him, 35 years. And it's counted that basically, honestly, the feel is though that they manipulated us with a smile. They act as if they cared, but they really didn't. When the jury selection, we're seeing all the people with the jury selection.

We were, I was like, baby, this is not right. But my wife is the type of person. I'm not going to just say us. We're both the type. We try to be positive. Hey, we're not going to look at it. That's not what it is. That's not us.

That's what it was. That's your front page. I'm Mimi Brown. This podcast is brought to you by the Black Effect Podcast Network. Joy is essential and it's also elusive. But now there's a new and exciting way to start your journey toward a more joyful existence. Joy 101. It's a new podcast hosted by me, Hoda Kotby.

If you're craving inspiration to maximize your joy, tune into these candid, uplifting, and moving on-air chats. Open your free IHeart Radio app. Search Joy 101 and Listen Now. Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby is presented by CVS. It just came out. Jeremy, what did you just do? You just sit yourself up for failure.

I've never heard you tell this story. I have never told this story. This must have been tucked deep, deep into Jeremy Lynn file. My name is MC Jin. excited to tell you about laugh but not least. I'll be chatting with guests from all walks of life about the power of humor when it comes to facing difficult times. These will be conversations that remind us all, life is hard, laugh harder. Listen to laugh but not least with MC Jen on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is Saigon, the story of my

family and of the country that shaped us. From IHeart Podcast, Saigon. You don't think I'm serious about a Free Vietnam? One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart. This is for Vietnam. They're pouring patrols all over here. Freedom for Vietnam! There's a fire coming to this country, and it's going to burn out everything. Listen to Saigon on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

It's that time to put on your jersey and wave your flag, whoever you root for. Why do I watch the World Cup? That's like asking me, why do I breed? And it's beautiful. The guys are young and cute and fit. It's not just a game. It's your culture. I like watching it with my dad.

It's a connecting force. From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Chavari, and this is American Football, a show about soccer culture in the U.S. and its underdog roots. Listen to American Football on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an I-Heart podcast, guaranteed human.