Joe Budden publicly addressed the controversy surrounding Rory Farrell after the former podcast co-host’s old tweets, now X posts, resurfaced and drew widespread criticism. Joe Budden discussed the issue on The Joe Budden Podcast, saying the situation escalated to the point where some people turned their frustration toward him.According to a tweet shared by an X account, Budden noted that the backlash became so intense he “started getting his back kicked in.” He also pushed back on claims that he helped usher Farrell into hip-hop spaces, remarking,“You brought this white guy in the culture, I didn’t even know him in 2011,” while laughing at the idea.Rory Farrell faced criticism after a more than a decade-old set of tweets resurfaced online. HotNewHipHop reported that many of the rediscovered posts from the New Rory & Mal co-host were aimed at Black women.As per HotNewHipHop, one tweet reportedly read, “I've never saw a good looking black woman,” while another allegedly said, “Every black woman has either, wanted to, thought about, or actually f**ked a white guy #whitepeoplefacts.” He also reportedly referred to Beyoncé’s name as “hoodrat” in another post.Rory Farrell faced a tense X Spaces confrontation after old tweets targeting black women reemerged:Primary Wave x Island Records presented by Mastercard: 2020 Pre-Grammy Party - Source: GettyAccording to a report from Complex, Rory Farrell joined an X Spaces conversation in an effort to confront the backlash surrounding his resurfaced tweets. The live discussion, which brought together Black journalists and hip-hop fans, quickly grew tense as Farrell slipped into what many listeners interpreted as a sarcastic tone. A clip shared by an Instagram account captured Mal asking Rory whether he believed he was being canceled. Rory brushed off the question with a joke, replying,“Yeah, I hate Black women. I think all Black women are ugly.”Mal played along, saying, “I been trying to tell them that you felt that way,” before Rory continued with the sarcasm:“I only think white is the only pure beauty, as you know, as I tell you guys all the time, how much I love white women.”As the space unfolded, another user uploaded screenshots showing Rory deleting past tweets, a move many observers took as a sign of guilt. Though he issued an apology, several people in the X Space accused him of being “condescending,” “sarcastic,” and “deflecting”, criticisms he pushed back against. One participant responded to his tone by saying, “I don’t know if you can really troll your way out of this one.”Tensions continued to rise when a woman described Rory’s approach as “violence.” Rory insisted she misunderstood him, saying,“I couldn’t agree more with everything that you said. My point the entire time has been saying I’m not apologizing for anyone that has said that I’ve called Black women ugly or roaches. That’s all I’ve said—I apologize for everything else. Don't ever say I have called Black woman ugly or roaches or anything that y'all have been trying to put on me because I never said that."From early podcast days to public fallout: Joe Budden’s firing of Rory Farrell and Mal revisitedCelebrities Visit Build - February 17, 2020 - Source: GettyThe Joe Budden Podcast uploaded its first episode in 2016, launching under the original title I’ll Name This Podcast Later. The show began with Joe Budden hosting alongside Rory Farrell and Marisa Mendez. According to a 2021 report from Variety, the dynamic changed sharply when Joe Budden fired his longtime co-hosts and friends, Rory Farrell and Jamil “Mal” Clay. The fallout played out publicly through social media posts and leaked audio.In episode 437 of the podcast, Joe Budden could be heard angrily reprimanding Rory and Mal.“Y’all will not continue to treat me this way. Y’all not going to continue to treat these people this way. Y’all take that f**kin’ dark energy, that arrogance and entitlement somewhere else. I say all of that to say, we gonna do this since Rory feels like he has so many options."He continued his tirade, adding,“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…. Mal, I’m the person that has to say that. The gall of you to think you are deserving the way that I am.”Inside Joe Budden’s podcast power play: Independence, controversy, and a $20 million yearREVOLT X AT&T Host REVOLT 3-Day Summit In Los Angeles - Day 1 - Source: GettyDigital Music News reported on July 22, 2025, that Joe Budden stunned the podcasting world after unintentionally revealing just how profitable his network had become. Budden had posted what seemed like a casual brag about his Patreon traffic, a screenshot showing more than 30 million hits in a month. But once internet users manipulated the scribbles he used to hide the financial details, the true figure surfaced: he had earned over $900,000 in June alone.With the number out in the open, Budden later agreed to walk The New York Times through the business behind his network, offering a level of transparency rarely seen among podcasters. Many within the industry tend to avoid sharing revenue data or even basic download metrics. “Overall, the Joe Budden Network is on a pace to generate more than $20 million this year, according to its chief executive, Ian Schwartzman,” the The New York Times reported.Budden said he chose to embrace the attention because he wanted to make a point about independence in the creator economy. Although he spent two years in an exclusive partnership with Spotify, most of his ten-year run building the show happened without any affiliation to an outside company, something he and Schwartzman both considered a key part of the network’s philosophy.For more updates on pop culture, keep reading Soap Central!