Who is Charleston White?
CHARLESTON White managed to go from a teenage gang leader to an inspiring online activist, reinventing himself after serving jail time for his juvenile transgressions.
When Charleston walked away from his life of crime, he amassed a sizable social media following for his YouTube commentary on trending news, but the podcaster is also making headlines for his controversial remarks.
Who is Charleston White?
Known for sharing stories of his criminal past on social media, Charleston White's online presence has earned a mixed reception from web users.
Some of his biggest controversies were due to his comments regarding George Floyd, the death of rapper DMX, as well as the deaths of Nipsey Hussle and King Von.
He also made headlines for his feud with Soulja Boy, which saw the two trading jabs over Instagram.
Despite his criminal history and prison stint, Charleston has managed to turn his life around by becoming a motivational speaker and is now "a pillar in his community as well as active in my church."
He is the founder and CEO of Helping Young People Excel (HYPE), an organization dedicated to educating teens and helping steer them away from turning to crime.
The group has even worked directly with members of one of Texas' largest Hispanic gangs in the town of Fort Worth.
He said: "My story gives hope to those who've lost it. It shows victims and their families that even the worst individuals can change their lives and make a difference in society."
The blogger thanks the "Texas prison system for saving my life," and enrolled in Texas Wesleyan University's Criminal Justice program to obtain his bachelor's degree.
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Now a father, he travels the country "sharing my knowledge, qualitative experience, and story of redemption in hopes of making a positive impact."
Why was Charleston White sent to prison?
At age 14, White and three friends had shoplifted athletic jackets from a Foot Locker store, and a man who confronted them was shot dead in the parking lot.
White told : "I was, for all intents and purposes, a murderer.
"I didn't pull the trigger, but I was responsible for the shooting death."
He was one of the first juveniles in Tarrant County to be sentenced for murder under the Texas Determining Sentence law.
White was sent to the Texas Youth Council lockup, and was due to be moved on to an adult facility ahead of his 18th birthday – but "four juvenile correctional officers put their jobs on the line" to plead his case to the judge.
White said: "I've always heard juvenile justice advocates and officials say, 'If I can just reach one kid then I've done my job.' I was that one kid. Job well done."
He was returned to the Giddings State School where he remained until a few months before his 21st birthday.
In 1998, he was released after serving seven years of his sentence and "has never been back to prison."
He explained: "When I got out at 21, from a mental aspect of things, my thinking, the process of my emotions was on a 14-year-old level – I didn’t have the natural progress needed for social skills.
"I didn’t have the experiences that a natural 14-year-old experiences. I didn’t go to high school; I didn’t graduate, so I didn’t have those experiences that you need in society to succeed."
What did Charleston White say on Cam Newton’s show?
On Saturday, December 1, 2023, Charleston White appeared on Cam Newton's .
According to his , the former football star's podcast series is focused on "facilitating a dialogue ranging from lifestyle talk, relationships, and workplace habits, to the latest in pop culture and entertainment news."
The podcast also boasts a different celebrity guest each week.
Despite the three-hour-long episode, the podcast had clocked in over 861,000 views as of December 2.
However, the episode also only garnered 34,000 likes, indicating that viewers and listeners alike might be wary of what White and Newton had to say.
The podcast episode covered several topics, including White's criminal past, jail time, and transformative journey into who he is today.
It also covered some more controversial topics, including his beef with football coach Deion Sanders.
White said: "F*** Deion....I'm telling Black people to say f**k Deion."
When Newton asked him to "stop" and to say "I ain't gonna say f**k Deion," White responded: "I'm saying it."
About halfway through the podcast's over three-hour runtime, White also claimed to have had a connection to former President Donald Trump.
He said: "I was selected to campaign with Donald Trump, to go to three key ballot ground states...I sacrificed a lot for my people only to realize...I don't like my people."
Two hours into the episode, White said: "I'm willing to die, kill, and go to jail for what comes out of my mouth...that's why I speak so boldly."
During the remainder of the episode, Newton and White had something to say about just about anything, from Beyonce to Bill Belichick.
Users on X, formerly Twitter, were quick to react to the episode.
One user tweeted: "Charleston white had cam newton speechless" along with multiple crying laughing emojis.
Another user said: "Aye this Charleston White interview so real, he’s explaining the s**t I been saying for years in simple terms."
Still, not all users were amused.
One user tweeted: "Charleston White is disgusting."
Another wrote: "Charleston White is a menace."
Even the Funky Friday podcast X account got in on the fun, tweeting: "Charleston White is that uncle who takes everything WAY too far."
White isn't backing down from his controversial remarks, but instead, doubling down on them, and the strategy is sort of working in his favor.
White has amassed nearly 300,000 followers on TikTok and 191,000 followers on Instagram.
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However, as of December 2, 2023, his YouTube account has been taken off the platform for violating YouTube's Community Guidelines.