Ebro Darden has time on his hands and in the spirit of his illustrious radio career on Hot 97, that recently came to an end when his entertaining and sometimes controversial morning show was cancelled, the former radio host opened up about his views on his longtime morning show rival Charlamagne Tha God during a discussion on his new podcast.
In the midst of the conversation, ESPN’s $100M man Stephen A. Smith caught a stray.
Ebro Darden Speaks On Charlamagne Tha God’s $200M Deal With iHeart Radio: Brings Stephen A. Smith Into The Mix
During a conversation with Peter Rosenberg, Ebro explained that people like Charlamagne and Stephen A. Smith was different from him, because the aforementioned celebrities were allegedly willing to do anything for money. Which is something Ebro maintains that he was not comfortable with.
He said:
“There were things that Charlamagne [Tha God] was willing to do that I would’ve NEVER done.. it’s the same way W/ Stephen A Smith.”
He further added:
“When companies want to give you that amount of money, you have to do a dance and I’m not willing to.”
These remarks come a week after the shocking announcement that the “Ebro In the Morning” radio show which he hosted with Laura Stylez and Peter Rosenberg, was cancelled after a 14-year run of setting the musical and cultural tone of the city each morning.
Ebro In The Morning Is Cancelled, The Breakfast Club Gets Renewed, Charlamagne Signs With iHeart
There were rumors that Charlamagne Tha God and DJ Envy’s “The Breakfast Club” might also be cancelled, but the show was renewed. According to TMZ, Charlamagne’s career continues to blossom as the radio personality reportedly signed a new five-year, $200 million deal with iHeartRadio.
Charlamagne dropped the news in an interview with Forbes, published on December 19:
“When I was looking at doing my new deal with iHeartMedia. I was, like, ‘I don’t want to just be talented. I want to create this podcast network. I want to create the BET [Black Entertainment Television] for podcasting.’”
Darden, who joined Hot 97‘s radio station in 2004, working his way to program director in 2012 and launching his own radio show, is tying up loose ends on his way out of the door.
Ebro Darden vs. Charlamagne Tha God: NY Radio Kings
As the two most outspoken voices in New York radio, of course the two have thrown some verbal jabs at each other in the past.
Charlamagne Tha God claimed in 2017 that he allegedly refused to take a picture with Darden at a party, but Ebro says that isn’t true. Darden was a rock and although he worked to push the culture, he didn’t fawn over artists or go out of his way to develop relationships or gain favor from them. He felt his journalistic integrity was important and he had a responsibility to his fans to spit the truth.
Following his exit from the Hot 97 radio station, rapper 50 Cent and Drake, both of whom have a strained relationship with Ebro, allegedly celebrated the cancellation of the show.
Rolling Stone reported that Drake commented with an axe emoji under a post explaining the sudden cancellation of the morning show. 50 Cent, who has been basking in the glory of his P. Diddy documentary, took to his Instagram Stories, where he made a cryptic post that most assume pertains to Darden’s firing.
50 wrote:
“That’s why I put a word in to have your show taken off the air, you can’t just go around saying nasty things about people.”
As his longtime radio rival continues to master the corporate game and acquire massive bags for his cultural influence and ideas, Darden’s work as an influencer and strong multi-cultural voice will continue with his own independent YouTube podcast titled “Ebro, Laura & Rosenberg,” with his former co-hosts still holding him down. He also mentions that he has the newfound flexibility to explore interviews with Candace Owens, Ben Shapiro, and other people he might not have had the opportunity to while working under Hot 97.
Stephen A. Smith Has Been Criticized For Treating White Debate Subjects Gentler Than Black Ones
Darden’s jab at Stephen A Smith paints a picture of where the sports talk show host stands after rebranding himself over the past couple of years in an attempt to position himself for an entry into politics and a possible run for office in 2028.
Smith has been criticized by Black journalists, fans and media for willingly engaging in public wars and being critical of everyone from LeBron James to Serena Williams to Jasmine Crockett, Cari Champion, Jemele Hill and a host of other Black voices and celebrities. Smith has also been accused of not having the same energy when addressing white people.
At this point, it’s accepted that Stephen A. Smith is known to switch up and when he can get some love for confronting a person of color then he takes it. It’s also known that he is willing to run through anyone that tries to stop his motion.
