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The Breakfast Club host Charlamagne Tha God has brought the popular fast-food restaurant, Krystal, to Orangeburg, South Carolina. Orangeburg is also the home of South Carolina State University. During the restaurant’s grand opening last month, he shared his personal ties to the university.
“This means everything; I love Orangeburg. My father-in-law went to Claflin University, and my mother graduated from South Carolina State University,” he said. “This is the first of many locations that we’re opening in South Carolina, and I am happy that I get to provide jobs for my people here in South Carolina.”
Both he and his wife, Jessica Gadsen-McKelvey, are both natives of South Carolina; he grew up in Moncks Corner, which is about an hour away from Orangeburg. Charlamagne was presented with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters when he delivered the keynote address during the university’s spring commencement ceremony in 2021.
“I have an honorary degree from SC State, so I consider SC State my alma mater,” he said. “Orangeburg just means a lot to me.”
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Additionally, he created the Ford Family Endowment Scholarship Fund at South Carolina State, which offers financial aid to students pursuing degrees in communications, English, or mental health. He mentioned that he works as a communications professional and a mental health advocate, while his mother teaches English.
Born Lenard Larry McKelvey, Charlamagne Tha God, is a well-known radio host, television personality, and comedian who is best known for his work on the syndicated radio show The Breakfast Club alongside Hampton University alumnus DJ Envy. He is also the host of the late-night talk show Hell of a Week with Charlamagne Tha God on Comedy Central. In 2020, both he and DJ Envy were inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame for their work on The Breakfast Club.
Charlemagne plans on bringing more Krystal locations to Orangeburg, thus adding to the already almost 300 nationwide locations.
