- Former Adulting star BU Mthembu is at the centre of a storm after a phone call between him and MacG went viral
- The drama follows Mthembu's explosive revelation about his R12,000 salary on the All the Smoke podcast
- Mthembu's heated audio has divided South African social media, with many questioning his attitude and motives
Source: Instagram
South African social media was sent into a frenzy on Saturday, 25 October 2026, after a leaked telephone conversation between former reality TV personality BU Mthembu and Podcast and Chill's MacG began circulating online.
The drama traces back to Mthembu, who is known for his appearance on the reality series Adulting, opening up about his time at the All the Smoke podcast on a separate platform. He disclosed that his pay at the show had been R12,000, a revelation that triggered significant backlash.
Entertainment SA reported that Mthembu initially framed his departure from All the Smoke as a result of the platform's toxic culture, before later walking back the comments and saying his exit was simply about having too little time to commit to the show.
What the call revealed
The leaked call, however, has added a whole new dimension to the saga. In the audio clip, the former Adulting star, Mthembu, sounds rattled and defensive as he addresses claims that his team had allegedly sent an email describing him as the biggest star on the Podcast and Chill network. He denies both the sentiment and the language, insisting his team would never speak that way, and threatens to fire those responsible if the email can be confirmed. He also offers an apology of sorts, acknowledging that comparing pay cheques was inconsiderate, specifically referencing remarks made by fellow podcaster Sol.
Watch the leaked call that has everyone talking:
South Africans watching the clip had little sympathy for Mthembu's position.
@odedanilo remarked, "Does he know how ridiculous he sounds with the fake accent?"
@MogolwaneMaatla pointed out the perceived entitlement, writing, "This guy really moves like a b, ey like why would he want to compare himself to Sol, does he even know how long Sol has been with the network. You can't come less than 6 months and expect to get more than 50k like what, aii🚮"
@iKenziiMufasa suggested the network itself needed to sharpen its recruitment process, writing, "Podcast n Chill needs to tighten recruitment and properly vet recruits; they don't need this kind of negative energy."
Not everyone was focused on Mthembu's attitude, though. @uMaster_Sandz was stunned that the call was made public at all, reacting with, "The hell!!! 🙆🏽♂️😱…. Did he have to leak this call, mara?"
@HloniCloni aimed at Mthembu's credibility, writing, "This guy thinks this is those Netflix shows he bags because of those fake Instagram followers he has. Podcast is real. Those millions you see on views are real, real."
Source: Briefly News