DJ Envy, Eboni K. Williams Debate Men And "Mediocrity" In Dating
The Breakfast Club‘s DJ Envy and lawyer/author Eboni K. Williams got into a heated exchange on Thursday (May 4) over her viral interview with Iyanla Vanzant about “dating a bus driver.”
While sitting in as a guest on the now BET-partnered radio show, Williams explained her stance on why she wouldn’t date the everyday worker.
Her initial sentiments, which were that she would only date a bus driver, “if he owns the bus,” caused much debate online, with some agreeing and others criticizing her thoughts. Later in the original interview, Vanzant declared that Williams’ ideas further add to the “unrealistic” dating standards of today.
Williams’ stance not only had the internet in an uproar, but also pushed for Envy to press her on the topic of “mediocrity” during Thursday’s show.
The radio personality called her out for being hypocritical with the things she writes in her books, such as advocating “pro-Black” rhetoric to Black men while dating other races. He also expressed how they both are trying to uplift Black people, the difference being that he “doesn’t put people down” in the process.
“How do you talk about how much you’re uplifting and going for Black people when that’s not even what you’re looking for?” Envy sparked the debate, to which Williams, who has a white ex-fiancé, responded, “I would love to know DJ Envy how you know what I’m looking for.”
From there, Envy, née Raashaun Casey, shared that both his parents were “exceptional” even if they had what she deem to be “mediocre” everyday jobs. He then ranted how his parents worked hard to put him through college, and for that, he doesn’t look at them or anyone else in those positions as “average.”
Envy then declared that he felt Williams was “sh*tting” on the working class, to which she said that his remark was “dead a** wrong.”
See clip below.
DJ Envy went on to stress that average workers are what keep the lights on and him booked and paid. He also expressed that her words offend the very people who support her and buy her books. The two agreed to disagree.
Ahead of the viral conversation between her and The Breakfast Club, the 39-year-old posted a video responding to the massive backlash received for her comments.
“I am actually speaking and pouring into the ascension of Black men when I said what I said,” theGrio correspondant started. “See some of ya’ll were too busy naming and shaming me personally and Black women in general as undesirable, gold diggers, and much worse.”
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She added, “Now I suspect that some of ya’ll are the same men that were bringing home C’s and D’s on your report card, only then to be coddled by parents that said, ‘Well that’s ok as long as you’re doing your best.’ Well listen, I love and believe in the excellence of the Black man. So no my dears, C’s and D’s or any other form of mediocracy is not OK.”
“So I’ma say it one more time, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with driving a bus — my mother Gloria drove one for years — but could it be that Black men in America have been sold a narrative of average, regular, and typical ‘being good enough’ for us,” she continued.
“Well see, that’s called White Supremacy. In this case it takes the form of conditioning Black Americans to happily accept being a permanent American underclass.” See below.
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