Radio and TV personality, Rickey Smiley and Ebony Steele has ironed out their differences.

A few years ago, the 15+ year friendship and working relationship between Rickey and Ebony came to an end as it was publicized that Ebony had been fired from her radio gig. At the time, the public wasn’t aware of exactly what caused Rickey to let her go, but STACKS Magazine did speak with Ebony to hear her side.

According to Rodney Ho at the AJC, the two former cohorts have found a place of peace. Ebony says that it was her mother’s passing in April that brought the two together.

“He was crazy about my mother,” Steele said in an interview. “He came to her service. That helped soften things between us. Our hearts were in the same place. At that moment, common ground was there to start a dialogue.”

During a recent segment on the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, Smiley expressed his apologizes for jeopardizing their friendship.

On the show, Smiley told her: “I have been trying to figure out how can I air this out. What can we do to build together?”

Steele: “You’re the only platonic friend I must tell you I’ve ever had that broke my heart.”

Smiley: “From the bottom of my heart, I sincerely apologize.”

Steele: “You don’t have to say anymore because I knew you may have been going through something… Whatever it was, it was your show. For whatever reason, you didn’t feel I needed to be there at that time. I had to accept and understand that. I also have to remember you were the dude who helped me and put me on. What hurt me the most I think was that I felt like you left me. I never stopped loving you.”

Smiley: “Same here. It’s one day at a time trying to right every wrong. I’m not perfect. I apologize for everything.”

Steele: “You don’t ever have to say that again.”

Smiley: “I know your heart.”

Steele: “There’s a difference between happiness and joy. I realized that the seven eight years we were on radio brought me happiness. But the 15 plus years we were as friends brought me joy. When you have joy, you can’t take that back. That was the what was so frustrating. You took my best friend way from me. You took that away from me.”

 

A short time after her departure, Steele signed on to do a weekly syndicated talk show called “Coffee With America” along with Sasha Rionda of CNNI and CNN Espanol. She’s now joining comedican Rudy Rush in Dallas, Texas to do the syndicated, “Rush Hour With Rudy and Ebony Steele.”

Glad to hear that these two made amends.