Who is Jessica Gadsden?
Jessica Gadsden was born on 29 November 1981, in South Carolina, USA. She is a fitness coach, personal trainer, and gym consultant, but perhaps best known for being the wife of media personality Lenard Larry McKelvey. Her husband rose to fame on radio under the moniker Charlamagne Tha God, serving as one of the co-hosts of the radio show “The Breakfast Club”.
The Riches of Jessica Gadsden
As of early-2020, Jessica Gadsden has a net worth estimated to be over $1 million, earned through a successful career in the fitness industry. She probably benefits from the success of her husband as well, as Charlamagne is known to have a net worth estimated to be over $10 million.
Early Life and Education
Jessica grew up in South Carolina, and though little is known about her family, it is known that she became acquainted with Charlamagne in high school. At the time he had a bit of a criminal streak, having begun to sell drugs such as cocaine and marijuana, and was arrested twice for the possession of drugs, from which he was bailed out by his father. However, his third arrest happened when he was taken in after witnessing a shooting while doing a drug deal. His father refused to pay for his bail, so his mother helped him out, after which he made a promise to leave criminal activities, and find a straight path.
Jessica and Charlamagne started their romance in high school, though she opted to continue her education while he pursued radio work. She enrolled at the University of South Carolina, Columbia where she completed a degree in journalism and mass communication, continuing on by entering Bergen Community College to take up a degree in Biology. She completed her degree, and then went for postgraduate studies, enrolling at Missouri’s Webster University to complete an MBA.
Career in Fitness
While Gadsden was highly involved in the academe, she also pursued other interests, mainly in fitness.
She went to the gym regularly, and becoming interested in the many facets of fitness, started taking jobs in gyms and athletic clubs in her area, including with Core Fire Pilates, New York Blood Services, and the East Shore Athletic Club.
After some years gaining experience, and with knowledge of business brought about by her studies, she started her own gym, meantime working as a personal trainer and instructor, establishing a location for business while also operating as a private coach. She trained her students in bodybuilding, weight lifting and gymnastics, with her knowledge of biology to help with her extensive experience.
She promoted her work online, though due to increasing exposure brought about by her husband, she later opted for more privacy. She now works more like a private instructor, working with students on a one-on-one basis.
Husband – Charlamagne tha god
After spending 41 days in prison, Charlamagne began taking up classes in night school, while by day working as a radio intern. He did well with his new career path, and became second to host Wendy Williams. His adopted radio name is based on King Charlemagne, who is known for his conquest of Western Europe, establishing the Carolingian Empire. It was also a play on his drug dealer pseudonym Charles. He then added Tha God because he felt it was a cool addition.
Over the years, he gained a reputation for his upfront and unorthodox interviews with hip-hop artists. While this has proven to be entertaining and helped elevate “The Breakfast Club”, it inevitably led him to conflicts with his many guests. He was soon laid off because of this, and he stayed quiet for a few years, until in 2010 he returned to radio in a new “The Breakfast Club”, airing through WWPR-FM alongside Angela Yee and DJ Envy. He’s also worked on television, appearing in the MTV2 show “Guy Code”. Apart from his media work, he’s written two books, namely “Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It”m and “Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me”.
A Controversial Husband
Charlamagne has been known to tick-off many of the guests of “The Breakfast Club” during his career, earning him the nickname the Howard Stern of hip-hop. He’s engaged in numerous feuds, many of which became viral as they aired during his radio show. He ticked off rapper Birdman who walked out of the show just two minutes into the interview, making it the shortest in the history of “The Breakfast Club”, an event that has been made into a meme. He also criticized Lil’ Mama during an interview for her cocky attitude, implying that she had not yet done enough to engage in that kind of behavior. Tensions eventually decreased, leading to a more stable chat.
Another artist who became angry with him during an interview was Freddo Starr, after Charlamagne brought up how he allegedly had oral sex with singer Brandy Norwood. Freddo was only calmed down by Sticky Fingaz, who is a member of the same hip-hop group Onyx. In 2017, Charlamagne incited the anger of many transgender activists, after he declared on air that transwomen should disclose their status as men have the right to know. However, the way he worded his statement came out as disrespectful.
Questionable Decisions
While Jessica and Charlamagne have been together for most of their lives, they have had some unusual events occur between them.
The two have admitted to having affairs while they were still together, before they married, and it may have been a way to try dating other people, leading many to believe it was consensual. Since marrying, the two have been loyal to each other.
Charlamagne also attracted controversy when he spoke about the first time he had sex with his wife when they were teenagers. She was intoxicated at the time, and he believed that their interaction may have been considered rape. The story drew a lot of ire, though Gadsden later defended him, saying that everything they did was consensual, even if she had been intoxicated. She also disliked the fact that he used the word rape to describe their encounter.