The Kid Mero & Kazeem Blast Hot 97 Bosses On Air, Scottie Beam Alleges DJs Were Furloughed
On Hot 97's own morning show, The Kid Mero and Kazeem tore into the station's leadership, with Kaz calling it "the worst place I've ever worked." Former producer Scottie Beam now alleges every DJ was furloughed. Hot 97 hasn't responded.
Hot 97's own morning show turned on the people running Hot 97.
On Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, The Kid Mero and Kazeem "Kaz" Famuyide used a segment of "Mornings with Mero" to spend about 15 minutes ripping the New York station's leadership. "You can have the best team in the world, but if your GM stinks, or your coach doesn't know how to coach or run plays, you're not going to win," Mero said, per Complex. He also took a shot at the weekly meetings: "It's a guy getting paid two more zeros than you, and you're like, what does this guy even do?"
Kaz went further. He called Hot 97 "the worst place I've ever worked in my life" and said he understood where former hosts Ebro Darden, Peter Rosenberg and Laura Stylez were coming from. According to TMZ, the pair also talked about talent leaving over contract disputes, freelancers allegedly not getting paid what they were promised, and the station still running on outdated equipment.
The clip blew up over the weekend. One repost on X had passed 660,000 views by Sunday morning, and Joe Budden called Mero on his podcast to ask what's going on inside the building.
Then came more claims. Former Hot 97 producer Scottie Beam alleged on Threads that the station furloughed every DJ and that the owners have stopped paying rent on the building, per Complex and Baller Alert. Those claims have not been confirmed. Former contributing journalist Bryson "Boom" Paul did confirm on X on Oct. 16 that he was "one of the many laid off" at Hot 97.
Mero took over the morning slot after "Ebro in the Morning" was canceled in December 2025. As of Saturday, neither Mero nor Kaz appeared to have left the station, and Hot 97 owner MediaCo had not publicly responded, TMZ reported.
Sources: Complex (Oct. 18, 2026); TMZ (Oct. 17, 2026); Baller Alert; Bryson "Boom" Paul on X (Oct. 16, 2026); The Joe Budden Podcast. Photo: frame from HOT 97's "Mornings with Mero" YouTube video, Oct. 15, 2026.