Vlad appeared on a recent episode of the Spears & Steinberg podcast, where what was seemingly intended to be an opportunity for the two men to clear the air quickly turned into nearly two hours of accusations, insults and unresolved grievances.
According to Complex, much of the tension stems from a disagreement over Spears’ compensation for his previous appearances on VladTV. Their working relationship reportedly dates back roughly a decade, but things deteriorated earlier this year after Spears wanted more money for future interviews.
Vlad has publicly maintained that Spears went from being paid $1,000 per appearance to $4,000, while Spears has disputed portions of Vlad’s version of events. The disagreement eventually spilled onto social media, with Vlad discussing Spears in subsequent interviews and Spears threatening legal action over some of the claims being made about him.
So naturally, inviting Vlad onto Spears’ own podcast to hash everything out seemed like a perfectly reasonable idea. It was not. Spears accused Vlad of launching what he described as a campaign to smear his name after he changed his mind about doing another interview. “Because I, for lack of better words, left you hanging, you decided to go on a campaign to just smear my name, talk sh*t about me,” Spears said.
Vlad argued that there are consequences when someone backs out of an agreement, but Spears wasn’t trying to hear it. The former MADtv star proceeded to call Vlad a “liar,” “phony” and “narcissist” as the conversation became increasingly hostile. Then came a criticism Vlad has heard plenty of times before.
Spears brought up accusations that Vlad is a “culture vulture,” explaining that he had previously defended the media personality against that characterization but would no longer be doing so. “Part of this culture is about keeping it real and keeping it honest,” Spears told him, before accusing Vlad of failing to do either.
For years, Vlad has faced criticism regarding his place within Hip-Hop culture while simultaneously building VladTV into one of the genre’s most recognizable interview platforms. Vlad has repeatedly pushed back against the “culture vulture” label and defended both his business practices and contributions to the space.
The sit-down somehow got even more petty from there. The pair argued over Vlad allegedly disrespecting Spears’ co-host Andy Steinberg, Spears’ treatment of VladTV staffers and even Vlad previously clowning the comedian for wearing makeup during interviews.
By roughly the 40-minute mark, Spears had apparently heard enough. “I’m done, I got nothing else,” he said. “You’re a f*cking liar… Hey, we’re done, dog. You can leave now.” Vlad obliged — although he awkwardly had to return for his phone and water before making his exit. And because apparently neither man was willing to let common sense end things there, Vlad eventually came back after a break and the conversation continued.
Things were considerably calmer during the second half, but no grand reconciliation came from the sit-down. The two continued debating their respective versions of events without ever really finding much common ground.
So, did Aries Spears and DJ Vlad finally settle their differences? Not quite. But nearly two hours of two men accusing each other of ego, dishonesty and disrespect while debating who has contributed what to the culture? The internet was always going to eat that up.
You can watch the some of their exchange below.
