Over the years, Charlamagne Tha God has had many awkward moments on “The Breakfast Club.” Tyla’s guest appearance on Thursday (June 13) added to that long list.
During her sit-down with the radio show, the South Carolina native asked about the musician’s racial identity and, more specifically, what it means to be a “South African Coloured person.” Instead of answering the question, Tyla turned to what appeared to be her publicist.
“Can we not? Por favor,” someone on the intercom said. “Next one, please.” Charlamagne responded, “I like that. I like [it] when they talk from the back and say we can’t [bring up certain topics]. That’s even better.”
Throughout the whole ordeal, Tyla simply smiled and sat in silence. The radio host also offered up some advice: “When they go in, and they tell the interviews what to say and what not to say, that’s what makes it awkward.” The “Water” hitmaker quickly pushed back, “Who’s awkward? I’m not awkward.”
Jess Hilarious later chimed in, “Yeah, you’re not, but the [record] label will make it awkward. Like, we expect you to be awkward because of what the label said.” Charlamagne interjected, “You want to see all the questions they told us not to ask?”
In the comments section of “The Breakfast Club’s” Instagram post, social media users seemed to take Charlamagne’s side. Several fans pointed out how the singer could’ve used the moment to educate people but instead avoided the topic completely.
“This is [a] missed opportunity,” read one reply. Another person shared, “They shut this question down? An opportunity to actually educate… Ridiculous.”
According to BBC, Tyla initially sparked a cultural debate in 2023 after saying she was “a Coloured South African.” While indigenous groups in the artist’s home region are recognized as Black and descendants of British and Dutch colonists are identified as white, a third category called “Coloured” refers to those of mixed ethnicity.