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Van Lathan Jr.
Born (1980-04-16) April 16, 1980 (age 45)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Alma materSouthern University
Occupation(s)Journalist, producer, media personality
Notable workTwo Distant Strangers
Hip Hop Homicides
The Wire: Down in the Hole
Higher Learning

Van Lathan Jr. (born April 16, 1980) is an American journalist, producer, podcaster, and political commentator.

He worked as a senior producer and cohost on TMZ when he came into prominence for confronting Kanye West during a 2018 interview with TMZ for his comments regarding slavery in the United States. After leaving TMZ in 2019, he went on to produce several films, including Two Distant Strangers, which won the award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 93rd Academy Awards and Best Short Film from the African-American Film Critics Association.

He is also the host of the television series Hip Hop Homicides and the host of various podcasts, including The Red Pill Podcast, The Wire: Down in the Hole with Jemele Hill, The Midnight Boys, and Higher Learning with Rachel Lindsay, the latter of which has been nominated on multiple occasions for the NAACP Image Awards. Except for The Red Pill, all of his podcasts are part of the The Ringers podcast network.

In addition to his recent work in media, he has also been featured as a panelist for CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip. In 2022, Lathan released his memoir, Fat, Crazy, and Tired: Tales from the Trenches of Transformation.

Biography

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Lathan was born on April 16, 1980 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[1] His father was Van Terry Lathan Sr.[2] He attended McKinley High School in Baton Rouge and graduated with his bachelors from Southern University.[3]

TMZ

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Starting around 2010, Lathan worked at TMZ as a senior producer and host on TMZ Live.[4][5] While working as a senior producer, TMZ, in 2018, setup an interview with Kanye West.[6] This interview came under the backdrop of comments recently made by West surrounding his support of Donald Trump, among other controversial statements.[7] During the course of the interview, West stated: "When you hear about slavery for 400 years ... for 400 years? That sounds like a choice..." After West finished his comments, Lathan came onto the set where the interview was being made and strongly rebutted West's comments. Among other things, he stated that West's comments were indicative of the "absence of thought", that "While you [West] are making music and being an artist and living a life that you’ve earned by being a genius, the rest of us in society have to deal with these threats to our lives", and that he was "appalled" and "unbelievably hurt" by his comments.[6]

His rebuttal was widely supported, receiving applause from his coworkers while the interaction was unfolding and later lauded by a number of public figures.[8] Lathan would later remark that West had made other comments stating his love for Hitler and for Nazis that were edited out before publication.[9] In 2019, he was let go from TMZ.[10]

Film production and TV

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After being let go from TMZ, Lathan began to produce films, co-founding the production company Six Feet Over with one of the directors of Two Distant Strangers, Travon Free, and Nicholas Maye.[3] He was the executive producer for Uppity: The Willy T. Ribbs Story, Two Distant Strangers, and Once Again (For the Very First Time). Two Distant Strangers, which was released on Netflix in 2020 and dealt with systemic racism and police brutality, was widely critically acclaimed.[11] The film would go on to win the award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 93rd Academy Awards and Best Short Film from the African-American Film Critics Association.[12][13]

In 2022, Lathan hosted the series Hip Hop Homicides, which explored the unsolved murders of prominent hip-hop artists.[14]

Starting in 2024, Lathan has been featured as a panelist on the current incarnation of CNN NewsNight, hosted by Abby Phillip.[15][16] That same year, he was interviewed as part of the documentary Black Twitter: A People's History.[17]

Podcasts

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Beginning in February 2018, Lathan hosted The Red Pill podcast, on which he discussed the interaction with West in it's immediate aftermath. He last posted an episode in late December 2019.[8][18]

Starting in 2020, he became involved with The Ringers podcast network. This included The Wire: Down in the Hole with Jemele Hill, where they reviewed every episode of the hit series The Wire.[19] He also currently hosts The Midnight Boys with Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman, where they discuss films, TV, and pop culture.[20]

He would go on to host Higher Learning with Rachel Lindsay. In the podcast, the two cohosts delve into topics including Black culture, politics, sports, and current events.[21][22] The podcast has been nominated for the Outstanding Society and Culture Podcast award at the NAACP Image Awards for their 54th, 55th, and 56th editions.[23][24][25] They celebrated the 5th year anniversary of the podcast in May 2025 on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.[26]

Personal life

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Lathan currently resides in Los Angeles.[27] He is a fan of Star Wars.[28]

In 2022, Lathan released his memoir, Fat, Crazy, and Tired: Tales from the Trenches of Transformation.[2]

Filmography

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As producer

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Year Title Notes
2020 Uppity: The Willy T. Ribbs Story Executive producer
Two Distant Strangers Executive producer
2023 Once Again (For the Very First Time) Executive producer

As an actor

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Year Title Notes
2019 High Flying Bird Himself
2022 Inside Amy Schumer 1 episode

References

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  1. ^ Lathan, Van (January 13, 2025). "X post by Van Lathan, Jan 13, 2025". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Lathan, Van (April 26, 2022). "399 Yards of Deception: Football, Fatherhood, and Facing Grief". The Ringer. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Mayor congratulates Baton Rouge native for Oscar win". WBRZ. April 21, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  4. ^ "How To STOP Seeking Validation & START Defining Your Life By What Matters". The School of Greatness With Lewis Howes. April 29, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  5. ^ "Van Lathan Jr". All American Speakers. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Gajanan, Mahita (May 3, 2018). "'It's Crippling to See What's Happened.' Why TMZ Producer Confronted Kanye West Over Slavery Claims". TIME Magazine. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  7. ^ Gabbatt, Adam; Jacobs, Ben (April 25, 2018). "Kanye West proclaims his love for Trump: 'We are both dragon energy'". The Guardian. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Respers France, Lisa (May 2, 2018). "Kanye West vs. Van Lathan: What to know about the rapper's critic". CNN. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  9. ^ Melas, Chloe (2022-10-27). "Exclusive: Kanye West has a disturbing history of admiring Hitler, sources tell CNN". CNN. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  10. ^ A., Aron. "TMZ's Van Lathan Fired After Dispute With Colleague Michael Babcock: Report". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  11. ^ Davis, Clayton (March 25, 2021). "Netflix Acquires Oscar-Nominated Live Action Short 'Two Distant Strangers'". Variety. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  12. ^ Khatchatourian, Maane (April 25, 2021). "Oscars 2021: The Complete Winners List". Variety. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  13. ^ "AAFCA 2021 Winners Press Release" (PDF). aafca.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-03-09.
  14. ^ Respers France, Lisa (November 15, 2022). "'Hip Hop Homicides' didn't intend to be timely". CNN. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  15. ^ "Trump only interested in "scaring the hell out of people," according to Van Lathan". CNN. September 19, 2024. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  16. ^ Neal, Will (April 6, 2025). "CNN Pundit Says 'We Were Lied To' About Trump's Far-Right Ties". The Daily Beast. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  17. ^ Haile, Heven (May 14, 2024). "In Black Twitter: A People's History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a Platform Changes the Culture and a Culture Changes a Platform". GQ. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  18. ^ Lathan, Van. "Van Lathan's The Red Pill". Van Lathan, via SoundCloud. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  19. ^ Shepard, Ryan (March 26, 2020). "Jemele Hill Announces 'The Wire: Down in the Hole' Podcast With Van Lathan". Def Pen. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  20. ^ "The Midnight Boys". The Ringer. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  21. ^ "Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay". Muck Rack. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  22. ^ "Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay". The Ringer. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  23. ^ Jackson, Angelique (January 12, 2023). "'Abbott Elementary,' 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' and 'The Woman King' Dominate NAACP Image Award Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  24. ^ Hipes, Patrick (January 25, 2024). "Colman Domingo, Keke Palmer, Ayo Edebiri, Victoria Monét Lead NAACP Image Awards Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  25. ^ Pond, Steve (January 7, 2025). "Cynthia Erivo, Keke Palmer, Kendrick Lamar Nominated for NAACP Image Awards' Top Prize". TheWrap. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  26. ^ "From Viral Moments to Vital Conversations: Rachel Lindsay & Van Lathan On 'Higher Learning'". Cheddar. May 16, 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  27. ^ "How Teachers Shape Lives—and the Nation: A Conversation with Former U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King and Van Lathan". Library Foundation of Los Angeles. 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  28. ^ "The Literature of Star Wars: Van Lathan Jr. on How American Life Shapes and is Shaped by a Galaxy Far, Far Away". Literary Hub. June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
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