Charlamagne Tha God is locked in with iHeartMedia for at least five more years.
The radio personality signed a contract with the company for $200 million, keeping him on “The Breakfast Club” with co-hosts DJ Envy and Jess Hilarious (who took over after Angela Yee left in 2022 for her own show). The show is a Top 50 podcast, per Nielsen data.
“When I was looking at doing my new deal with iHeartMedia, I was, like, ‘I don’t want to just be talent. I want to create this podcast network. I want to create the BET for podcasting,’” Charlamagne told Forbes.
Charlamagne’s $200 million contract establishes him as podcast royalty, putting him in the leagues with the likes of Joe Rogan and Alex Cooper, who famously earn tens of millions from their podcasts annually.
When he’s not on-camera, asking extremely bold questions in interviews or going viral online in heated exchanges with guests, Charlamagne has been scaling his business. His “BET of podcasting” comes via the Black Effect—a podcast network hosting a healthy range of shows. So far, it has debuted more than 60 shows total and has become a key part in iHeartMedia’s revenue stream. “I want to create 100 versions of me,” Charlamagne said. He’s inspired by what media moguls like Oprah and Tyler Perry have built.
The 47-year-old is not without some controversies. For example, he’s attacked corporate diversity and inclusion efforts in the workplace; their rollback have been part of what’s significantly and negatively affecting Black women this year. Though once photographed with right-wing commentator Tomi Lahren, he has been a vocal critic of Trump. Over the years, he has used his platform to talk about more topics like mental health and personal traumas.
“I took the stairs. I want [people] to think about the journey of how I got here; me becoming the best version of myself, investing in my mental wealth in a real way. That’s what you’re seeing now,” he said. Beyond the radio, he’s also the co-founder of media production company SBH Productions, has a few books published, and owns several Krystal franchise restaurants.
Charlamagne has honed in on his unfiltered and fearless interview style over the years. He learned a lot of this through and by Wendy Williams, who “literally used to treat me like an attack dog.” It has led to some podcast guests feeling offended or losing their cool. But it’s this incisive style that keeps millions tuned in, and iHeartMedia wants to keep rolling in the dough he’s bringing in.
“Does he say stuff that a lot of people don’t agree with? Of course,” iHeartMedia Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman told Forbes. “But that’s Charlamagne being true to Charlamagne.”