“Since Rory feels like he has so many options here, somehow he still feels he’s running the show. He still feels like he has choices and options. He feels like he’s entitled to more. Rory, you are in breach of your contract, and from this point forward, you are fired! And you’re not welcome back!” shouted Joe Budden on Episode 437 of his self-titled podcast.
With that statement, it seems the end of an era in Hip Hop podcasting was confirmed. The Joe Budden Podcast host’s decision to announce the dismissal of his friend/co-worker Rory Farrell on air was met with mixed reactions online. Many fans of the show lashed out at Budden on Twitter, and he responded to several of those complainers.
After remaining publicly silent for most of Wednesday as the reactions played out on social media, Rory finally addressed the situation. The D’ussé Palooza crew member took to Twitter to share some of his thoughts about getting terminated from The Joe Budden Podcast.
“Mannn… what an era… Thank you to everyone that listened, supported, told their friends about us, bought a subscription, ticket, or merch… any value starts & ends with y’all,” wrote Rory. “I’ll get to that messy s### soon but in the meantime, I’m here to celebrate an amazing run!! Love.”
He then provided some self-deprecating humor by mentioning a 2001 song from then-teenage rap star Lil Bow Wow. Rory tweeted, “I just read that back and it sounded like the Bow Wow ‘Thank You’ record [shaking my f###### head] 😭.”
There was clear tension among the commentators on The Joe Budden Podcast for months. At one point, Rory and Jamil “Mal” Clay were absent from the show after having behind-the-scene disputes with Budden. They were replaced by Ice and Ish for several episodes which further strained the relationship between Budden and Mal.
“Does the show go on without trying to resolve something first? I felt some type of way about that because to me it’s saying something. It’s saying like, ‘Yo, you’re replaceable,” stated Mal during the “Shaking The Tree” episode which came out after he and Rory briefly returned to the pod.
Following the “Shaking The Tree” and “The Floor Is Yours” editions, the podcast went on a break. Many listeners expected The JBP would return with Rory and Mal back in their seats. Instead, Budden used the Patreon-only May 12 installment titled “You Want It To Be One Way” to announce permanent changes had been made to the team.
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According to Budden, Rory asked to have more access to the podcast’s financial records which the retired New Jersey-bred emcee refused to provide to him. Budden claimed as the owner of The Joe Budden Podcast and the only original presenter on the show from day one, he has more of a budgetary burden than his co-hosts, and therefore they should essentially be viewed as contracted employees, not business partners.
Budden also threatened legal action against Rory and Mal if they immediately attempt to create their own podcasts because their contracts apparently contain a non-compete clause for a certain amount of time. On “You Want It To Be One Way,” he also seemingly welcomed a wrongful termination lawsuit from Rory.
“Friend or not, I’m NEVER funding someone’s sabotage of me, that will NEVER happen… I get far away from the threat… You can think piece until your face turns blue 🙃🤷🏽♂️,” tweeted Joe Budden on Wednesday morning. When a Twitter user replied, “You’re funding the [sabotage] of yourself ironically enough lol,” Budden answered back by saying, “I can afford to.”