ICYMI, Mike Epps initially caught heat when he weighed in on the Trump administration’s brief pause of SNAP benefits, which affected over 42 million Americans during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
The 43-day government shutdown finally ended on November 12. But the SNAP saga was wild: on October 31, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to use contingency funds for SNAP payments, just as a temporary pause loomed for November 1. They later ‘partially’ funded benefits, leading to multiple court orders demanding full funding. The Supreme Court even stepped in on November 7, temporarily blocking a federal order for full SNAP funding.
Just hours after the government reopened, Mike Epps made an appearance on ‘The Breakfast Club’ (November 13 episode). He didn’t hold back, diving into the Donald Trump administration’s SNAP block and its impact on the Black community. Here’s a piece of what he had to say:
“I told people when these food stamps and stuff get cut off, ‘Don’t worry about that.’ See, Black people, we’ve been getting our sh*t cut off. We’ve been getting our doors kicked in and stuff. This is not for us. So don’t take this as personal about the food stamps and all that.
I’m actually glad they’re cutting some of these n***as off food stamps because some of us need to not be on food stamps, because it’s a trickle-down effect. You get the food stamps, then you go buy the food that gives you cancer, then you eat the food that gives you cancer, then you’re sad, you’re walking around here upset, your diet’s f**ked up. Now, I’m gonna tell you some honest God truth. Your diet done sent a lot of n***as to prison.”
When host Charlamagne Tha God joked that folks might start calling Epps “MAGA Mike” and brand him as a Fox News poster boy, Epps was unbothered. His response? Straight no chaser:
“You think so? Listen, brothers and sisters. ‘Brothers and sisters! You don’t know what this world is coming to!’ No, listen to this. No, they can’t say that about me. See, that’s one thing about me and little Boosie Badazz: we can’t be canceled. F**k the internet! I don’t give a f**k about the internet. B*tch a** n***a. And everybody out there that think they wanna be mad and say something: f**k you, man!”
Days after his SNAP comments went viral, Mike Epps dropped another bombshell. This time, he criticized the celebrations around men returning home from prison. During a November 16 episode of Jim Jones‘ podcast, ‘Artist 2 Artist,’ Epps offered this perspective:
“Those are the wrong journeys to celebrate, young men. There’s no reward after coming home after 30 years. You don’t get no f***ing care package, n***a. You’re a failure. Get your a** out here and help these kids. Pay that back forward. You see what I’m saying? That’s the reward.
I got n***as all the time [who] come straight home, [and] if I don’t do what they want me to do for them, I’m a sellout. I’m a sucker a** n***a. I done did the whole bid with them. I done been to Walmart a hundred times, JPaying, meeting guards, doing all kinds of sh*t I ain’t supposed to be doing f***ing with you, n***a. But, [Jim Jones interjects and says: “As soon as you say no one time…”] they done forgot about the other 99 times you said, ‘Yes.’”
Finally, on Monday, November 24, Epps took to Instagram to clear the air. He apologized for any misunderstanding, captioning his two-minute video: “Thanks for you ear. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Brothers that come home and change their lives need to be celebrated.” In the video, he broke down his thoughts, saying:
“What’s up, y’all? It’s your man, Mike Epps, man. I just want to get on here and clarify and clear a few things up. Number one, about the brothers coming home from prison being celebrated. I’ve always been a part of reform. I got brothers right now from my hometown that I’m trying to help come home. They’ve been in prison forever.
I think you guys might have misunderstood what I was saying. I might have said it the wrong way. But, what I was trying to say is: we don’t want to send kids mixed messages about coming home from prison, being celebrated — feeling like you got to go to prison and do 30, 40 years to be celebrated. I think you guys misunderstood that, misunderstood what I said.
I wasn’t saying that it was wrong to be celebrated, but we don’t want to send a kids saying, ‘Prison is great,’ or that, ‘You want to go do 30 years and come home.’ I don’t think that’s cool. So, I’m sorry if anybody took it the wrong way and got offended. I love my brothers. I’ve been incarcerated myself. I understand what that is. But, I might’ve said it the wrong way. But, I mean well, and I love you brothers. Free my brothers that’s coming home. My man Derrick. Free all the guys that’s coming home, man.
And about the food stamp thing. The food stamp thing was misunderstood too. What I was saying is: is that we need to break the cycle of being on food stamps. There’s three generations of people that have been on food stamps: grandmother, mother, and daughter. That’s crazy. We got to do better. We can’t think that we need assistance. I know there’s some people out there that need assistance. That’s well, fine, and understood. But, there’s people out there taking advantage of the system that’s not good. So, just want to apologize if I offended anybody. You know I love y’all, man, and keep on doing the right thing. Peace.”
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