“Throwing shade and spilling tea” is the premise of the wildly popular, hilariously snarky, entertainment news podcast “The Read,” co-hosted by Kid Fury and his Twitter-turned-IRL friend, Crissle West.
Since teaming up with Crissle in 2013, the dynamic duo’s podcast has ranked number one on iTunes Comedy and number three overall on the iTunes “News and Noteworthy” section. Their take on all things pop culture is so popular that the two are now selling out live shows from Los Angeles to London.
It’s all working out for Fury, a Miami native who moved to New York City four years ago with $600 in his pocket and some podcast expertise. “As a person of color and gay man it is three times as hard to get opportunities in this industry, so I am doing my best to create my own and being honest about who I am and how I feel,” said the 28-year-old, who also sells out his solo show, “Furious Thoughts Live.” “I’m building my business instead of waiting for others to give me the keys.”
Indeed. Fury’s YouTube channel, Kid Fury TV (nee 2009) has 120,000 subscribers. He has been featured everywhere from Slate to the New York Times. His brand is known for uber analytic, pop cultural, stream of consciousness commentary but what most fans don’t know is that some of those thoughts stem from pain.
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“I talk too much,” he said. “But honestly, I use comedy and jokes to deal with loneliness, anxiety and depression.”
Despite the personal challenges, harnessing the digital entertainment space has led to amazing success.
“I want to go to high schools and let people know that you don’t need to have your whole life planned out,” he said. “I honestly didn’t start putting the pieces together until now and that’s OK.”
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN THREE HASHTAGS: #BlackAsHell, #ForLoveOfBeyonce, #GirlPlease
LATE NIGHTS OR EARLY MORNINGS: Late nights. I’m like an owl.
FAVORITE ALBUM: “Mama’s Gun” by Erykah Badu
SOMETHING NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT ME: I hate Black romcoms. I find them a little less believable.
