Angela Yee

Angela Yee, born January 3, 1976, in Brooklyn, New York, to a Chinese father and an Afro-Montserratian (West Indian) mother, is a trailblazing American radio personality, podcast host, entrepreneur, and philanthropist whose sharp wit, empathetic interviewing style, and unfiltered takes have made her a cornerstone of urban media. Raised in East Flatbush before moving to South Orange, New Jersey, in high school, Yee was a voracious reader and aspiring writer from a young age, honing her storytelling skills through short stories and novels that foreshadowed her future in media. She attended Poly Prep in Brooklyn via the Prep for Prep program, later transferring to Columbia High School, and graduated with a B.A. in English from Wesleyan University in 1997.

Yee’s career ignited in the late 1990s through internships at MTV, TVT Records, and Wu-Tang Management, where she rose to assistant to the CEO of Wu-Tang Corporation in Detroit. Breaking into radio in 2005 at SiriusXM’s Shade 45 (Eminem’s station), she co-hosted The Cipha Sounds Effect before taking over the morning slot solo, rebranding it as The Morning After with Angela Yee—a bold move as one of the few women leading a morning show. There, she launched the uncensored podcast Lip Service in 2010, diving into sex, relationships, and women’s empowerment, which remains a fan favorite.

In December 2010, Yee joined New York’s Power 105.1 as co-host of The Breakfast Club alongside DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God, transforming the underdog morning show into a nationally syndicated powerhouse reaching over 100 markets within two years. Her segments like “Rumor Report,” “Ask Yee,” and “Don’t Quit Your Day Job” spotlighted emerging talents (e.g., early interviews with Drake and Nicki Minaj) and sparked cultural conversations on Hip-Hop, news, and relationships. The trio’s impact peaked with a 2020 Radio Hall of Fame induction, cementing Yee’s status as a media icon. She departed on December 1, 2022, to launch her own syndicated midday show, Way Up with Angela Yee, which premiered February 6, 2023, on iHeartMedia stations, blending motivation, secrets, and A-list guests in a feel-good format.

Beyond radio, Yee’s multi-hyphenate portfolio shines: She’s acted in films like Who Ya Wit (2022), The Drone That Saved Christmas (2023), and The After Party (2018); hosted VH1’s The Gossip Game (2013) and TV One’s Established with Angela Yee (2020); and served as a correspondent for MTV2’s Sucker Free. An entrepreneur at heart, she co-opened a Brooklyn juice bar with DJ Envy in 2016, founded the Angela Yee Book Club (now Kickin’ It From the Stoop) in 2017 with Simon & Schuster, and launched the specialty coffee brand Coffee Uplifts People (CUP) in 2020, with its first store opening in 2021.

Yee’s philanthropy reflects her commitment to community: She’s on the Board of Governors for the We Are Family Foundation and the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies; a BSE Global DICE Ambassador since 2019; the first New York Public Library Ambassador in 2018; and founder of the non-profit Well Road in 2022. Initiatives like her monthly Run With Yee 5K (launched 2018) promote health, while her 2020 community awards honored unsung heroes. At 49, Angela Yee continues to uplift Black and multicultural voices, blending her Brooklyn roots with global influence as a certified multi-hyphenate force in entertainment.