Despite any challenges she has and continues to face, Shameika Rhymes was destined for journalism. Late May, the award-winning journalist, producer, and host chatted with SBC about her rise in the industry. Whether it’s racism, sexism, health scares or blunt judgement, Rhymes remains undeterred.
“I wanted to be in front of the camera,” Rhymes recalled. “The news directors at the time, nobody would give me a shot. One would tell me, ‘You just don’t have the look.’ Another would say, ‘Yeah, you’re better at producing.’ And I’d be like, ‘Just let me do this.’ So I would still go out, put packages together and do all that, but it was very discouraging applying for reporter jobs and getting nothing.”
Today, her career spans nearly two decades across print, digital, and broadcast media. Her bylines include publications such as Essence, Ebony, Jet, Parade, USA Today, Vanity Fair, Shondaland, WeTV.com, while her on-camera work has extended to platforms like TMZ Live, Entertainment Tonight Canada, and The Grio. Currently, she is the host of her own show, Check the Rhymes TV (where Gen X meets pop culture) Soulibration on BlackDoctor.com, just to name a few. She has received multiple honors including a trailblazer in the Black Female Therapist Top 25 Mental Health and Wellness Class of 2025 and Charlotte’s (her hometown) Best of the City Awards.
Her passion began as a youth with inspirations from classic shows like American Bandstand, Soul Train (where she would later work), the The Phil Donahue Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Sally Jessy Raphael Show, and especially, The Arsenio Hall Show.
Check out the episode to learn more about Rhymes and her personal growth, insights, crucial advice for the next generation of journalists, whether she’d ever write a book, her compelling interview and relationship with Ananda Lewis, and much more. For more information, visit Rhymes official website.