Ebro Darden Has Some Theories About Why 'Ebro in the Morning' Got Canceled

Whenever a radio show comes to an end, the show's listeners have an instinct to look for answers. Radio can be an important part of many people's routines, and the end of a show can be hugely disruptive for exactly that reason. Following the news that Ebro in the Morning had ended, many people were left trying to figure out what had happened.

The show, which aired on Hot 97 in New York City, was one of two shows that were canceled in the latest rounds of cuts. Here's what we know about why it happened.

Although shows sometimes end because their hosts are retiring or get a new opportunity, Ebro Darden has made it clear that that wasn't the case here. In a video posted following the news, he explained his understanding of what had happened, and also theorized about why his show was one of the ones that wound up cut.

“You look around at all the major media outlets … They all gotta fold up because they're all trying to renew their deals and their licenses,” he said in the video.

He then discussed the ownership behind Hot 97, although it's not totally clear who he was referring to.

“Bro’s a casino owner. You know the three licenses they got in NY for the casino? The guy that owns the shit owns one of the casino licenses,” he explained. “He gotta raise half a billion dollars. They need my s--t talking, anti-Netanyahu, anti-government, progressive s--t out of the way, bro. They need me out of the way.”

“They are trying to get to these bags that these VCs got and raise some capital,” he added. “They don’t give a f--k about hip hop or Black music or Black community. They give a f--k about access. They give a f--k about going with their little nerdy friends to the concerts because that helps them raise money. They’ve been trying to get to me for years, bro.”

The news that Ebro in the Morning was no more was shocking for many New Yorkers who had come to love the show since it began airing in 2012. Ebro had previously been in the morning time slot from 2004 to 2007, and has been a long-time fixture of New York radio. Earlier this year, he hinted that changes might be coming to his show after Funkmaster Flex changed time slots.

“They’re going to start,” said Darden. “This program right here, the amount of money they spend — which ain’t a lot, but it’s more than they spend on the rest of the radio station — when they get to cutting off fingers and toes up here? It’s going to happen, bro. Don’t play with these people, man.”

While Ebro's theories about what happened are not hard fact, his opinion seems to be that he wasn't good for the bottom line of Hot 97's owners, in part because of his politics.