Charlamagne Tells Story of Accident That Made Him Believe in God

Radio host Charlamagne Tha God recently sat down for a conversation about God on Stephanie Ike’s new show, “The Same Room.” He revealed, among other things, the moment he realized God is real.

Charlamagne Tha God, real name Lenard Larry McKelvey, has been in the entertainment industry for the last 20 years.

However, he recently recalled an accident that could have killed him, and that cemented his faith in God.

Talking to The Shade Room’s new digital talk show “The Same Room”—where faith meets culture—he was asked to describe the moment he discovered God was real.

THE ACCIDENT

The 40-year-old radio host recalled a time where he was “pissy drunk” and driving his mother’s van.

“I was leaving this location and almost got into an accident, that’s how drunk I was. I was driving in a two-lane highway, and I was kinda swerving in and out of lanes, so this car hit the driver side mirror, and I was like ‘oh shoot,’” he recalled.

He dropped a friend and then drove back to his mother’s house, but as he was lying in bed, still drunk, he got a call and got out again.

This time, he lost control of the van. It flew and landed wrapped around a tree “like an 'u.'” Since Charlamagne wasn’t wearing a seat belt, he flew out of the back window. He described what happened next:

“I remember just sitting there. And then I went to this house that was there, and I knocked into the door. I remember this dude coming to the door, and he was looking through me. He was like ‘oh my god somebody’s dead.’”

The man, he said, just walked out and didn’t acknowledge him.

THE REALIZATION

When police, paramedics and more people arrived at the scene, everybody was wondering where the body was. He recalled:

“I was like, ‘yo, I’m right here.’ So, in my mind, I’m dead and watching the scene and the whole accident. Then, my mom pulled up, and my mom was the first person actually to see me and acknowledge that I was there.”

Eventually, police officers told Charlamagne that, if he wasn’t drunk, and if he would have the seat belt on, he would have died.

The impact would have killed him, and he would have been crushed because of the seat belt. He concluded:

“And I remember just looking at that van and just thinking like, ‘yeah, God is real.’”

THE AFTERMATH

After that near-death experience, Charlamagne is now thriving in his personal and professional life thanks to his faith and his undeniable talent to break schemes.

Aside from his participation on the radio show “The Breakfast Club,” Charlamagne is now embarking on a new adventure as the host of The Hollywood Reporter’s new video conversation series, “Emerging Hollywood.”

The series will feature “on-the-rise voices in entertainment sharing their views on topics including inclusion, racial politics, gender and body positivity.”

“I don't do interviews. I do conversations," said Charlamagne. "I love conversations because through conversation, you hear people's stories, and through people's stories, you get information and inspiration. That's all I want people to get out of these conversations is information and inspiration."