Charlamagne Believes DEI Initiatives Are ‘Mostly Garbage’ And Just ‘Corporate PR’

Charlamagne Tha God is blasting the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives launched by major companies as "corporate PR."

Charlamagne Tha God is blasting the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives launched by major companies as “corporate PR.”

The radio and TV personality served as guest host on “The Daily Show” on April 3, explaining why DEI campaigns from corporate giants are “mostly garbage.” After highlighting the “racial reckoning” of 2020, Charlamagne shared how many companies attempted to rebrand themselves by implementing DEI initiatives to improve diversity and inclusion within their corporate structure.

The show went on to showcase a series of DEI-aimed advertisements that flooded airwaves at the time from companies like Microsoft, Xfinity, General Mills, and Vaseline.

“So that’s how things stood in 2020,” Charlamagne said before clips from Fox News showed the current rhetoric used to explain DEI.

“DEI is just a rebranded version of hating white people,” one woman said on Fox News. “DEI, which stands for ‘didn’t earn it,'” added one analyst.

The hot takes are examples of the racism that’s now being associated with DEI, which Charlamagne believes are initiatives that are “mostly garbage.”

“The truth about DEI is that although it’s well-intentioned, it’s mostly garbage,” he says.

Comparing DEI campaigns to “The Little Mermaid,” Charlamagne jokes that “just because racists hate it, it doesn’t mean it’s good.”

“And you know, I’m right, because every one of you has sat through one of those diversity training sessions and thought this is some bullsh*t,” he said.

He then cited studies demonstrating how DEI programs haven’t been as effective in improving workplace equality as hoped.

“And it’s not just you. Over 900 studies have shown that DEI programs don’t make the workplace better for minorities,” Charlamagne said. “In fact, it can actually make things worse because of the backlash effect.”

Looking at the drawbacks of DEI programs and the continued prominence of white executive leadership boards helps to prove Charlamagne’s point.

“The biggest failure of DEI is that the number of Black people in power at big companies is basically the same as it was five years ago,” he said. “In fact, maybe the only thing that DEI has accomplished is giving racist white people cover to be openly racist.”

A survey of Black executives released in June 2023 acknowledged the positive changes they’ve seen in the hiring, retention, and promotion of Black employees since the death of George Floyd. However, the survey found significant gaps related to the treatment of Black employees, diverse representation, and equal pay at the senior leadership level.