Andrew Schulz & Charlamagne Tha God's Politics and Comedy Podcast Is Fails on Both Fronts

Not every podcast checks all the boxes for all people. But there are some that have such a freewheeling concept that you have to wonder who they are for. That’s where the podcast Brilliant Idiots sits for me. With more than 300 episodes and more than 400,000 subscribers on YouTube alone, it's definitely not struggling to find an audience. 

But after more than a decade on air, the show, hosted by Andrew Schulz and Charlamagne tha God, struggles with something else: their political relevancy. Charlamagne is a rising star in the political commentary space. He appeared on November CNN 2025 election night, covering major gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, and the mayoral election in New York City. 

While Charlamagne has his CNN contributor credentials, Schulz has also had moments. For that same election, He managed to snag an interview on his other podcast, Flagrant, with New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani just weeks before the Democratic socialist won his big election.

It is an impressive showing, without doubt. But there’s an aspect of their growing star profiles that has hung a cloud over the hosts of Brilliant Idiots. During the lead up to the presidential election in 2024, Schulz had now-President Donald Trump on the show for a very uncritical interview. Schulz also gave Trump a full-throated endorsement. 

Now a year later, that decision repeatedly haunts Schulz. Not only can he not go anywhere without being confronted with the choice, but he has also had to distance himself from Trump over issues related to the Epstein files and other highly controversial matters. It’s not just weighing on Schulz anymore, either. It’s starting to bother his Brilliant Idiots co-host, too. 

“Yo, I'm getting so tired of getting asked about you, bro,” Charlemagne said relatively early in their November 15 episode. “Wait, why? What happened?” Schulz asked. 

“It's just like I can't…This has never happened before to me in my life,” Charlamagne said. The longtime radio host then dived into a recent podcast interview he did with Melyssa Ford where he was asked, again, “the age-old question of how can you be friends with somebody who supports Trump,” Charlemagne recalled. 

The issue prompts a conversation about Schulz and Charlamagne’s thoughts about voting, politics, and where they draw their lines between differences of opinion and irreparable differences of character for friends. It was a lot of dancing around this general sentiment: “I don’t care about who you voted for, it’s about what you stand for.” Real wishy-washy nonsense that ignores personal responsibility and pretends these two are just two guys talking at the bar, instead of commanding their considerable platform.

Later, when the pair talk about the cruelty of the Trump administration cutting the funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the government shutdown, there's a real disconnect between Schulz’s previously stated political endorsements and the words coming out of his mouth. 

Obviously, on top of the conversation lacking any coherent political ideology, it’s just not funny. Two men getting defensive about SNAP but then, in the same conversation, dismissing the political views of a prominent figure like Andrew Schulz. There's not a joke to be found, and instead the desire to disconnect the impact of Schulz’s previous statements to his impressionable audience of disaffected young men comes off as shooting from the hip and desperate. 

Neither are clearly not interested in holding each other accountable for the vacillating political opinions of the show. Maybe they rely on an audience that has as flimsy of a world view as they do—and maybe it will work. 

But then, the hosts of Brilliant Idiots can’t get irritated when those outside that orbit ask for clarification, because their influence and reach is real.