Charlamagne Tha God’s late-night Comedy Central show Tha God’s Honest Truth has ended its brief tiptoe into the footsteps of The Daily Show on 11th Avenue. Who’s next to fill those shoes?
Tha God’s Honest Truth premiered last September as a 30-minute variety show, executive produced by Stephen Colbert. The first series featured interviews with Vice President Kamala Harris, actor Meagan Good and musician Soulja Boy. On Wednesday, the show’s set was loaded out of the Hell’s Kitchen studio — which for many years had been the venue of The Daily Show. Insiders at the show made clear that this was a studio move, and no indication that the show will not go to a second season.
Charlamagne Tha God (aka Lenard ‘Charlamagne’ McKelvey) remains busy as a longtime co-host of New York City-based smash-hit radio show, The Breakfast Club. The popular radio show, on the air for over a decade and syndicated nationwide, is centered around McKelvey and his co-hosts DJ Envy and Angela Yee’s daily exploration of celebrity gossip, progressive politics, culture, and dating advice. The show is the most listened-to Hip Hop and R&B morning show in America and all three hosts were inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2020.
Never one to shy away from difficult questions, Charlamagne recently asked Vice President Harris about her lack of public profile post-election, her campaign promises, and Senator Joe Manchin’s current obstructionist power, asking — “Why is he constantly allowed to hold up President Biden’s agenda?” Both Charlamagne’s line of questioning and the Vice President’s response has been praised as an example of a refreshingly honest political interview.
Online, fans of Tha God’s Honest Truth are holding out hope for another season of stimulating dialogue and comedy from another studio:
Tha God’s Honest Truth joins a long legacy of Comedy Central late-night shows to have called Hell’s Kitchen home. Late-night stalwart The Daily Show was filmed in the neighborhood for 25 years . First hosted by Craig Kilborn in its infancy, the show would later be helmed by Jon Stewart (its longest-running host) until 2015. While Stewart’s Daily Show tenure was always deeply rooted in New York flavor, local residents could take extra joy in spotting a familiar corner or two in one of the man-on-the-street interviews during a “Moment of Zen” segment. Daily Show spinoff The Colbert Report would become a Hell’s Kitchen neighbor, filming on W54th Street inThe Daily Show‘s old space until 2014.
After the announcement of Stewart’s retirement and much-anticipated search for a new host, he was succeeded by Hell’s Kitchen resident and notable South African comedian Trevor Noah. Noah not only brought The Daily Show into the social media age but also stewarded it through the early days of COVID-19, hosting nightly broadcasts from his W50th Street penthouse. Noah’s Daily Show moved out of the 11th Avenue studios to Times Square in August, making way for Tha God’s Honest Truth.
One Comedy Central legend hasn’t completely left the neighborhood – Stewart’s new Apple+ show, The Problem With Jon Stewart, has regularly been filming on W57th Street and 10th Avenue across from the CBS building.
Perhaps one of Hell’s Kitchen’s past, present, or future celebrity residents will make a go of it — after all, both Grammy-winning superstar Alicia Keys and critically-acclaimed actor Timothee Chalamet grew up in the nabe. May we suggest a homecoming variety show? And we did hear that Nicki Minaj recently eyed a penthouse at Hudson Yards. Is Late Night With Nicki next?
And while Charlamagne Tha God and Tha God’s Honest Truth may have left NEP Studio, they now have a place in the dynasty of 11th Avenue’s late-night shows.