Institute of Politics

Lenard "Charlamagne Tha God" McKelvey is an entertainment mogul who has earned a reputation as one of the most authentic voices in media. As a Radio Hall of Fame inductee, best-selling author, in-demand TV personality, and producer, he is a singular shaper of culture.

An innovator and industry leader in audio, he is the co-host of iHeartMedia's The Breakfast Club morning show, which drives millions of listeners and viewers daily on radio. Charlamagne expanded his collaboration with iHeart to create The Black Effect Podcast Network, home to multiple chart-topping podcasts and the first podcast network built explicitly for Black listeners. Alongside Kevin Hart, he is also the executive producer of scripted podcasts like Brokedown Prophets, Finding Tamika, Unleash for Love, and Summer of ‘85, which have won an Audie, Webby, and the prestigious duPont award. He is also the co-creator and host of the popular podcast The Brilliant Idiots with comedian Andrew Schulz. He recently launched the political podcast network Reasoned Choice Media alongside Angela Rye and Chris Morrow. The network's debut show is the chart topping Native Land Podcast featuring Rye, Tiffany Cross and Andrew Gillium.

Charlamagne is the author of The New York Times Best Seller Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It and the best-selling Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me, and his most recent best-selling book Get Honest or Die Lying. His tremendous success as an author led to a partnership with Simon & Schuster Publishing, now home to his imprint Black Privilege Publishing, which has curated best-selling books such as Invisible Generals, My Black Country, Shallow Waters, and many upcoming new releases for 2024 and 2025.

Charlamagne is an Emmy-winning producer through his production company, CThaGod World. He has hosted several network TV programs, including the Stephen Colbert executive-produced Hell of a Week on Comedy Central. He is also the host of his YouTube interview series Out Of Context with Charlamagne Tha God.

Acting on his passion for mental health awareness, Charlamagne founded the Mental Wealth Alliance. The foundation works to destigmatize mental health in the Black community by expanding the pool of professionals in the health and wellness space. Additionally, he is an Ambassador for the Food Bank for New York City.