Lenard McKelvey, widely known to the world as Charlamagne tha God, is a man famous for being unfiltered. It’s allowed him to be, perhaps, one of the biggest radio personalities to ever do it. Once looked at heavily as a “shock jock,” one of the very few Black ones, Charlamagne has since focused less on being unflinchingly blunt just because, and more on keeping people aware of what’s happening in politics, and encouraging Black folks, men especially, to prioritize their mental health and embrace therapy. This softer side might come from his family, including his daughters and wife, Jessica Gadsden. The two have been together since high school, and she stood by him as he initially struggled to establish himself in the radio industry. He’s spoken about the impact her love has had on him, and how, at one time, he didn’t believe he deserved it.
“Just the fact that somebody can be down for you for 20 years. That’s real love, real friendship,” he said in 2018. “We really been together since we were kids. We’ve watched each other grow and evolve. The first time I ever got a real job in radio, I didn’t even have a license at the time. She drove me down to the radio station and was there with me when I was filling out an application to be in the promotions department or something like that. So it’s just like, for me, everything I wasn’t for years, I want to be that times 10 now.”
The likelihood of actually getting to hear Gadsden and the radio guru speak together on their love is low, because despite some event appearances here and there, he’s always maintained that he wants his private life to remain just that. This is especially true when it comes to his four daughters.
“First of all, I’m not raising my kids via social media,” he said previously. “I never felt like that was a place for my family to be. I don’t knock anyone who does it, but I don’t want my family on Facebook or Twitter. That’s something I chose not to do.”
But he’s certainly a man to shout from the rooftops how good his wife is, and the importance of men honoring women like her in their own lives.
“You have to have a good woman. And when you get a good woman, pour into that woman,” he shared in 2023 when referencing famous men known for being family men, like LeBron James, and Jay-Z.
“Really pour into that woman and watch how your life just does this,” he added, raising his arm. “Pour into your woman, pour into your family, do the work on yourself to become a better man and watch how your life does this.”
Gadsden has certainly done that for him! Check out a few sweet images of the usually private and happily married pair, who are clocking more than a decade of marriage and plenty more years of love.
