It was all good just a week ago, or so fans of the “Joe Budden Podcast” thought.
The popular audio show featuring retired rapper Joe Budden and his now-former co-hosts Rory and Mal is “100000%” over.
The guys have had their behind-the-scenes issues over the last two months — some of which were vaguely discussed on the podcast. Rory and Mal went on a month-long hiatus but ultimately made their return to the show for an episode titled “The Floor is Yours,” but not without an “uncomfortable” conversation about putting business over friendship.
Rory and Mal debunked theories from social media and maintained that their issues had nothing to do with money but had more to do with a “respect” thing. All appeared to be well, and the fellas told listeners that they’d be on vacation and return the following week.
On Wednesday, May 12, the newest episode was uploaded and later deleted. Shortly after, a 23-minute version was uploaded once more, which featured Joe going on a tirade against his co-hosts and subsequently firing Rory from the show.
Joe revealed that he hadn’t spoken to Rory or Mal since they had initially returned to the show. He said they did hang a bit after the episode, and while Parks interjected that he felt things were back to normal, Joe said he felt otherwise. “To me, it felt like a lot of posturing. There’s been a lot of posturing behind the scene,” Joe expressed. It appears as though Rory and perhaps Mal as well had an issue with how Joe was running the business. The co-host wanted more access into the behind-the-scenes dealings of their podcast, but Joe reportedly was not having it.
In audio clippings captured by fans, Joe stated, “You n-ggas ain’t brought sh-t and got the nerve to have y’all f-cking representation that ain’t been around in six-years hit Ian’s, who is Joe’s manager, phone about something. I won’t say what I want to say, but y’all will not continue to treat me this way.”
Joe then went on to address Rory, stating, “We gonna do this since Rory thinks he has so many options here, he somehow feels like he’s still running the show. He still feels like he has choices and options. He feels like he’s entitled to more. Rory, you are in breach of your contract, and from this point forward, you are fired, and you are not welcome back.”
Joe later went on to say that “Rory and Mal can go start another podcast, well no, they can’t by contract ’cause if they do, I’m going to sue the f—ing pants off of them.”
Reactions to the latest developments have been mixed. Fans, especially those who’ve been listening since the show’s premiere, were disappointed to hear the podcast was officially over, with Joe confirming it on Twitter, stating, “Helluva run!! God bless.”
Others deemed the producer to be a hypocrite for not practicing what he preached daily on the show. “Joe Budden was on countless podcast episodes talking about ownership and being knowledgeable of your deals, bucking the system etc.” That person added, “Then got mad at Mal and Rory for trying to do these things. Lmao.”
As they say, all good things must come to an end, and it appears the “JBP” has reached its finish line. There is only a 23-minute clip available to listen to; the rest of the show can be accessed through the paid subscription service, Patreon. Neither Rory nor Mal have addressed the controversy.
