Breakfast Club co-host Lenard “Charlamagne tha God” McKelvey is bringing his truth-telling talents to late-night TV with the launch of his new show on Comedy Central.
“Charlemagne is partnering with legendary late-night host Stephen Colbert, who is making his long-awaited return to Comedy Central for the first time since The Colbert Report ended in 2014—to create and produce Tha God’s Honest Truth with Lenard ‘Charlamagne’ McKelvey," stated a press release obtained by EBONY.
The weekly half-hour late-night series will feature Charlamagne's take on the social issues of the day, comedy sketches, and social experiments that seek to address the most pressing topics in music, entertainment, politics and culture.
Tha God’s Honest Truth will film in New York City and make its debut on Friday, September 17 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central.
“This is one of those moments where I can show you better than I can tell you,” Charlamagne said about his new venture. “This is the third talk show Chris McCarthy has done with me and those shows prepared me for this opportunity. My South Carolina brethren Stephen Colbert is the ultimate cosign in the late-night space and he would cosign no bulls***t! We are going to win an Emmy next year for the best lighting direction I can feel it!!
Colbert, who frequently has Charlamagne as a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, is excited about the possibilities of the collaboration.
“For too long, the town of Moncks Corner, South Carolina has been underrepresented in late-night,” Colbert said. “I look forward to all the ways in which the fearless, peerless Charlamagne is going to change the game.”
“Charlamagne knows exactly what he wants to do with this show—which is smack the audience upside the head every week and make sure they’re paying attention to the world around them,” said executive producer, Aaron McGruder. “He is keenly aware of the power of his voice and always looking to use it to maximum effect, which requires both talent and courage. I’m very excited to be a part of this project.“
With his new late-night show, Charlamagne reunites with MTV, which he previously worked with on MTV’s Guy Code and several other shows.
“Charlamagne is one of the most culturally significant voices of our time,” Chris McCarthy, President and CEO, MTV Entertainment Group said. “His thought-provoking and uninhibited observations both get under people’s skin and open their minds which is why we are thrilled to be doing this show with him and equally thrilled to welcome back the Dean of Late Night to Comedy Central, Mr. Stephen Colbert.”
Since his meteoric rise as a radio personality of the nationally syndicated morning show The Breakfast Club, Charlemagne has been steadily building his media empire. He authored the New York Times best sellers: Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It in 2017, and Shook One: Anxiety Is Playing Tricks On Me in 2018. Last year, he founded the Black Effect Podcast Network in partnership with iHeartMedia. Recently, he signed a global multi-year, multi-project development, production, and audio licensing deal with Audible to create content with Kevin Hart.
