Key Takeaways
- The Kid Mero and co-host Kaz used an Oct. 14 livestream to criticize Hot 97 executives over pay issues and reported layoffs, calling it "the worst place I have ever worked in my life."
- Joe Budden called Mero on ‘The Joe Budden Podcast’ to voice support while warning that speaking out publicly "means the beginning of the end" for Mero’s job.
- DJ Akademiks offered to take over the Hot 97 morning slot if Mero is let go, demanding "$5 million for the first year.”
- Peter Rosenberg noted that longtime DJs including DJ Drewski, Bobby Konders, and Jabba have left the station, while Karen Civil publicly urged Hot 97 to "get its priorities in order" given its talent.
Joe Budden got The Kid Mero on the phone live on his podcast this week, and he did not sugarcoat what he thinks will happen after Mero apparently criticized the leadership of Hot 97 on air.
Budden called Mero on The Joe Budden Podcast to talk through the morning host's grievances with Hot 97 executives.
"You absolutely have my support," Budden told him before warning that going public "means the beginning of the end... you don't do that and keep your job long."
Meanwhile, DJ Akademiks saw an opening and put a number on it. He said he would take the Hot 97 morning slot if the station cuts Mero loose, according to Barrett Media.
"If you have these bums clear out their desk by next week, I'll come save y'all right after Thanksgiving because I got to eat first," Akademiks said. "Listen, non-negotiable, I want $5 million for the first year."
The reactions trace back to the Oct. 14 livestream where Mero and co-host Kaz aired out management.
"Y'all have them weekly meetings and there's a guy who gets paid two more zeros than you and you're like, 'What does this guy even do?'" Mero said, arguing that holding a job "requires something called payments. Adequate payment."
Kaz was blunter. "This is the worst place I have ever worked in my life. It's an awful situation that we're in right now. It hasn't been a fun few months here," he said. "We love HOT 97, and it sucks what it's become."
The stream was pulled from Hot 97's YouTube channel afterward, though independent creators had already saved it. Mero said contributors are frustrated over nonpayment and urged independent creators to always keep a parachute.
Mero took over the station’s mornings after Ebro in the Morning ended last December, and MediaCo has publicly touted the show's climb to No. 3 in New York this year. Kaz said the show has beaten chief competition in the ratings over the past three months.
Peter Rosenberg, in a clip captured by The Jasmine Brand, traced the cuts of longtime Hot 97 contributors DJ Drewski, Bobby Konders, and Jabba back to the cancellation of his own show.
"They are trying to make this station work, and the only thing they've done as a company is fire people. Remove, remove, remove. Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut," Rosenberg said. "First cut fat, then cut meat, now cut into the bone."
Karen Civil, who got her start at the station, posted her own plea on X on Friday (Oct. 16).
"I know these are difficult times for entertainment, but I really hope HOT 97 figures it out and the people making decisions behind the scenes get their priorities in order, especially when they have some of the best talent they've had in years, particularly on the morning show," she wrote. "There's too much history and talent in that building not to get it right."
Akademiks' ultimatum didn’t arrive out of thin air. He has clashed with both Mero and Rosenberg for years, going back to the Desus & Mero era, and once called Mero a "DEI hire."
MediaCo, which owns Hot 97, has not addressed the rant, the reported pay cuts, or Akademiks' offer, which leaves Mero's own standing on the morning show an open question.
