Angie Nwandu launched The Shade Room in 2014 as a side hustle, which grew from an Instagram-only celebrity tabloid into a media company with a 40-person staff. Today, it reaches 29 million social media obsessives by tapping into their appetite for drama.
The Shade Room pioneered a unique brand of digital media, merging elements of fan culture around celebrity news. However, Nwandu says the platform has slowly branched into different coverage areas, including politics, investigative reporting, and spirituality, as part of a larger plan to eventually move beyond celebrity gossip.
Nwandu has expressed a sense of responsibility for the content posted on the platform. She has moved away from posting clapbacks and has instead focused on positivity. “I want to leave a better legacy behind. Now it’s—what positivity can we bring?” she says.
With the presidential election approaching, Nwandu has taken a different approach to coverage. She wants to give all candidates unbiased coverage, presenting information without manipulating the audience. To achieve this, The Shade Room has hired a consulting firm to help with politics.
Nwandu acknowledges that The Shade Room has been called out for spreading misinformation and harmful rhetoric in the past. However, she emphasizes the platform’s efforts to present information in a fair manner, citing interviews with candidates such as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
Nwandu’s goal is to create a platform that is not just centered around celebrity gossip but also covers politics, music, and fashion. She wants to use her influence to promote positivity and unbiased information, rather than spreading drama and negativity.