Khristal Witta Eye is upset at the way she said she was laid off from the 615 Wake Up morning show at 92Q. But the Nashville comedian, whose given name is Khristal Majors, also told The Tennessean she's recovering and moving forward with new projects.
Majors said management called her at home Aug. 6 while she was recovering from a mental health episode she'd experienced at the station the day before.
"That morning, I had broke down, crying," she said. Majors, 47, said she has been diagnosed with and treated for bipolar disorder, depression and PTSD for years.
She said she wishes she had gotten the news in person and after she had stabilized.
"I’m not messed up with losing the job. It was the way it was done," said Majors. "Cumulus was very insensitive
to call me in the middle of a mental health crisis and lay me off," she said.
Cumulus Media owns five radio stations in Nashville, including 92Q, and nearly 400 more nationwide.
Station officials did not respond to emails, texts or phone calls seeking comment.
A Nashville native who graduated from McGavock High School in 1997, Majors had been one of three hosts on The 615 Wake Up morning show on R&B/throwbacks station WQQK for the past year. Before that, Majors was one of four cohosts on the Kenny Smoov morning show for two years.
Her departure comes amid dozens of layoffs nationwide for the Cumulus Media radio stations ownership group, chronicled by industry news site Ramp in an August report titled "Cumulus Cuts Painfully Continue."
In Nashville, personalities laid off by Cumulus this summer include 7-year 92Q morning show personality Sissy Brown, 18-year country radio personality Amy Paige, who was let go from 95.5 WSM-FM and 21-year 92Q personality Kenny Smoov.
Smoov, a fixture of Nashville's Black culture scene, had an in-studio celebration Sept. 4, his last day on air, with appearances by Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell, Davidson County Register of Deeds Karen Johnson and Davidson County Clerk Sharon Hurt.
Majors and Brown had no such farewell.
She said the layoff sparked days of depression, and she didn't eat or drink or move much from her couch.
Majors said this week her appetite had started to return and that she had performed at a Clarksville, Tennessee, comedy club with more gigs on the way.
And she is planning to launch a solo podcast, Khaotic Konversations with Khristal Witta Eye, in December.
Majors said she has started to incorporate her diagnosed struggles with depression, PTSD and bipolar disorder into her performances and media appearances. She encouraged her fans and friends to take mental health issues seriously.
"Mental health is real. You never know how your actions can affect someone. So be kind. And check on your strong friends. Some smiles are hiding a lot of pain."
Reach Brad Schmitt at brad@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Khristal Witta Eye said she was laid off from 92Q amid mental health crisis | Exclusive
