Morning radio staple The Breakfast Club is headed to BET
In a new deal with iHeartMedia, the network acquired rights to broadcast the popular New York-based morning show
Daytime TV really is back. For the first time in nearly a decade, BET is returning to the daily programming circuit with its first daytime show ever: New York morning show The Breakfast Club, which is currently syndicated across more than 90 U.S. markets. The popular series, a staple in the hip-hop world and beyond, has aired since 2010, and hosted guests across the cultural spectrum (including President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama).
The Breakfast Club will be BET’s first daily program since 106 & Park concluded its run in 2014. The series— hosted by Charlamagne tha God, Angela Yee, and DJ Envy— will consist of interviews and classic segments from the radio show, like “Front Page News” and “The Rumor Report,” combined into an hour-long format. Broadcasting simultaneously its sister network VH1, The Breakfast Club will air 9 a.m. ET weekdays starting April 17.
“We’re thrilled to partner with iHeartMedia to bring The Breakfast Club and their unique brand of entertainment and cultural commentary to our audiences,” says BET CEO and president Scott Mills shares in a statement. “We recognize the show’s influence and popularity, and we are confident that the partnership will be meaningful to our viewers and to our partners. Hosts Charlamagne and DJ Envy are longtime members of the BET and Paramount family, so we couldn’t be more excited to welcome The Breakfast Club home to BET.”
The Breakfast Club was previously simulcast on Revolt’s cable channel, until the deal expired in 2021. But video has been a longtime element of the series, which airs on New York’s Power 105.1 FM. The show’s YouTube channel, which shares filmed snippets from the studio daily, has more than 5 million subscribers.
Aligning BET and The Breakfast Club makes plenty of sense, given the way the two hip-hop culture institutions have been in conversation for years. As Charlamagne tha God himself points out: “BET has been the home of so many cultural institutions, like Rap City and 106 & Park, that have shaped a generation. Those shows laid the foundation for The Breakfast Club to stand on and grow into the cultural institution that we have become.”
He concludes: “We look forward to carrying on the tradition.” Chances are, The Breakfast Club may be carrying that torch under the watchful eye of either Tyler Perry or Sean “Diddy” Combs, who have both expressed interest in buying a majority stake in BET as parent company Paramount Global eyes a sale. (Media mogul Byron Allen has also been eyeing the opportunity, per The Hollywood Reporter.)