One could say Mehgan James is a born leader. As the eldest of seven children, the reality star-turned-podcast maven was familiar with taking the reigns and ensuring business was handled. Although many were first introduced to Mehgan as the no-nonsense go-getter from Bad Girls Club, that wasn't the Houston native's first reality television rodeo. Mehgan initially collided with unscripted TV in 2008 when she starred in 50 Cent: The Money & The Power.
However, it was Mehgan James's clapbacks that earned her viral fame courtesy of BGC—yet, when she added her name to the Basketball Wives L.A. roster, it only amplified her reputation. It was a rough time as she faced off against a cast of women who weren't kind to the then-newcomer. Still, Mehgan made the best of her appearance on the show and continued to push through the negativity and naysayers.
These days, James boasts 1.2 million followers on Instagram alone and is ready for a new chapter. It's been some time since those early TV times, and she's now a podcast host of The Hollywood Group Chat with a manifestation book who dabbles in the music industry. It may seem as if Mehgan is biting off more than she can chew, but according to her, it's an exploration of the self.
In our exclusive interview with the TV star, Mehgan James speaks openly about her ventures, continued career in the reality sphere, and why she doesn't want to be the bully she's faced in the industry. She also names her craziest podcast interview (take a wild guess!) and explains what she'd ask Cardi B if she ever got the chance.
This interview has been slightly edited for clarity.
HotNewHipHop: You're back on Basketball Wives, this time in Orlando. From your first appearance with the L.A. cast to making your mark here, how has that been?
Mehgan James: I was the new girl coming into [Basketball Wives L.A.] Season 4. So, I kind of got hazed. Everyone was super mean to me, they weren't welcoming. And I had to—it was like an uphill battle in every scene during Season 4. So, coming into Basketball Wives Orlando as an OG, it feels really good.
I remember that. They seemed to be at odds with you from the jump. How have you used that experience and applied the lessons to Basketball Wives Orlando?
It just made me not want to be a mean girl to the other cast members. I welcomed all of them with open arms. They would always call me off-camera to get advice on their scenes and stuff like that. And I was always, you know, willing to help because I didn't have anyone to help me.
I love that sort of support. And you're also introducing more of your personal life, your romance, into the storyline.
Yes.
I know a lot of people in reality television keep that aspect of themselves under wraps. Why did you want to bring that to the forefront?
I honestly just wanted people to see the real Megan. I feel like a lot of people over the years, they have only seen one side of me. And that's the angry, fighting messy side of myself, which everyone I feel has an angry side. But this season on the show, I wanted it to be who I really was. Me, my man being my real boyfriend at the time. I felt like it wouldn't be the whole me if he didn't make an appearance.
Read More: Soulja Boy Spits Game At Mehgan James: “You Balenciaga Beautiful”
That's understandable. And I also know that people are getting to know more about who you are and your personality on your podcast. How did that transition come? Why did you want to step into this podcast space in addition to unscripted TV?
I just feel like living in L.A. and working in the industry, there's always a struggle to stay relevant. And it's like, if you don't use it, you lose it. You kind of disappear. So, I just wanted to explore. I went like on a "me" month where I just wanted to explore different parts of myself that I liked, things that I like to do and things that made me happy.
And I just feel like I'm naturally funny. I enjoy entertaining people. So, I was like, maybe I should just start a podcast. I feel like people like to hear me talk, and they like to hear my opinions and views on certain things. I started reaching out to my celebrity friends to ask to come on, or people that I knew that had interesting stories, to ask to be guests for my podcast. It ended up working out.
Was there any moment with your guests, whether a friend or a stranger, that even shocked you beyond what you could think? Have you been thrown off?
Oh, my entire video interview with Tokyo Toni threw me off the entire interview.
[Laughs] I saw that!
Everything that came rolled off of her tongue...I was in shock, literally. She lied about a lot of stuff. She's so vulgar! But one thing I can respect about Tokyo is that she's herself. Have you ever watched reality TV and you're like, "Are these people really this crazy?" You know? Like the Tiffany Pollards and Jackie Christies. You always wonder: "Are people really this insane?" And I must say that Tokyo Toni is very much that.
Well, I mean, like you said, at least you know what you're getting at all times.
Yeah, yeah. She's no different from how she appears online at all.
You made it look easy. I also know that you have a lot of stuff going on with music, working on something for the Keyshia Cole biopic and having a song used for Basketball Wives Orlando. How are you able to balance creating music with everything else that's going on between reality TV, your manifestation workbook, and the podcast?
Um, well, I do music for fun, and it doesn't feel like work to me. Like, whenever I have spare days—I have a studio setup in my house. I'll just go in and just make music, and I don't really consider myself a real artist. I'm not going to perform the songs on stage or anything like that.
Ah, okay.
So, it just helped me broaden my creativity because I don't have to appeal to the masses, because the music that I do make is for television, video games, and commercial stuff like that. I can be more goofy; it doesn't have to be like bar for bar. It could be kind of corny, just whatever I want to do.
How did you tap into that space?
I'm really good friends with this super-producer named Streetrunner, who worked on DJ Khaled's album God Did, worked with Lil Wayne and Meek Mill. His wife is one of my best friends, and she also does synch music. So, I let her hear some of my stuff. She actually worked on my project with Soulja Boy, my very first single that I put out. And she's like, "You should do synch." She introduced me to her people over at Artists Publishing Group, and they signed me literally this same day.
That's amazing. Especially when you can be creative and not have that pressure that is all-encompassing of your career and still succeed. I want to ask about your manifestation book as well. When I first read the title, I was like, excuse me? [laughs] What inspired you to do that? I know you mentioned exploring yourself creatively and seeing what other things you can tap into.
I named it Good Head because I know it will be catchy, and people will be like, wait, what is this? But it's all about aligning your thoughts and actions for success. I'm a super firm believer in the law of attraction and thinking positive affirmations. What you think about the most is what you bring into your life. So, I actually wrote a book on my experiences through manifesting, and I have a couple of workbook pages within the book to help others manifest their goals.
As far as, let's say, sisterhood in the industry goes...we touched on you having some tension in those early Basketball Wives days, and especially during the time on Bad Girls Club. Who are some women that, in your rise and come up, were also supportive? We see the wars, but was there anyone who kind of reached out and gave you a pat on the back or encouraging words?
Honestly, I did it all by myself. There's not one woman in the industry that I can say she has actually helped me. Through my process, it's a lot of trial and error. I'm in my 30s now, and I've been on TV since I was 18. My very first show was one called The Money & The Power. 50 Cent was basically Donald Trump in his show. It's like it was like The Apprentice, but if 50 Cent was the Donald Trump. I've been in the entertainment industry for a really long time, and I've literally—everything that I've gotten—I've done it myself. But I do want to be a person to help others. I don't want it to have to be as hard as it was for me, for other people.
That eases into my next question. What wisdom do you have for a young lady who thinks she can just jump on social media and become famous tomorrow?
Honestly, you could. And that's the crazy part. Because when I first started getting on TV, Instagram wasn't even a thing. Instagram didn't come out until after I was off of Bad Girls Club. And that was in 2012, maybe, or something like that, maybe even later than that. But Instagram, and social media, wasn't even a thing. We just had Facebook and MySpace. But I would just tell people to keep going because, in the industry, you will get a lot of nos. I've gotten a lot of nos, a ton of nos. And at some point, somebody's going to give you a yes.
Your dream guest for your podcast?
I would love to have Cardi B on my podcast.
Ohh, nice. What angle would you spin on an interview with Cardi?
I just want to know her. I feel like Cardi doesn't really talk much about her struggles and her backstory. Everyone knows that she came from Love and Hip Hop and she used to be a dancer. But I just wanted to know like, what motivated her personally to keep going through everything she's been through.
I can see that. Is there anyone else you want to chat with?
Not really that I can think of that I would just love to have on the podcast. I'm super into the girl Rap scene. Like, I love the girls. I love—oh, Sexyy Red would be an awesome guest to have on my podcast. I'm just so happy for the girls. So, any of the females in Rap would be great guests for my podcast.
Sexyy Red is definitely dominating right now. It's her time. Okay, this is my last question that I ask everyone. You know more than most that celebrity in and of itself is an illusion. People think they know who you are. They know Mehgan based on all of these shows she's been on, her podcast, and social media. In reality, they're just projecting these expectations of you or who they think you are. What is something about the heart of Mehgan James that doesn't always translate to audiences because of that veil of celebrity?
I'm actually a very soft and sensitive person. I feel like I appear to come off as aggressive and very strong, but my feelings get hurt easily. I do read all the comments. I'm not one of those people that don't care what people think about me. I actually do care. So, I feel like that would be a shock for people to know.
I actually read every single Instagram comment, I don't care if it's 20,000. I'll go through my entire picture to see all the people who liked it or, you know, the comments. I read every single one, even if it's not on my personal Instagram. Say, like, The Hollywood Unlocked posts something about me. I'm going through each comment, literally. I feel like people don't know that side of me.
Keep up with Mehgan James and the ladies of Basketball Wives Orlando every Monday On VH1.
