We are just days into 2026, and the internet has already collected its first meme of the year courtesy of Cam Newton. Recently, the athlete-turned-media personality invited rapper Lady London onto his “Funky Friday” podcast. Amidst the conversations about her career and creativity, Cam Newton showcased his own creativity when asked to describe his style in one word.
Newton was so creative that he created his own word. When the former quarterback responded “inclectic,” London attempted to gently correct his pronunciation of eclectic to which he shared:
“No, no, no, no—it’s my word. “N-c-l-e-c-t-a. Inclectic. Do you want to know what the ‘n’ stands for?”
“N*ggatry?” London replied, earning what seemed to be a handshake of approval from Newton.
While the rapper gracefully brushed off the moment, jokingly encouraging the host to contact the Oxford Dictionary and admitting that she’s “pretty big on words,” considering its how she makes her money, social media could not help but share a collective chuckle (or cackle) at the now-viral moment.
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London, a proud Howard University alum who deferred her admission into medical school to pursue her rap career, captivated viewers throughout the interview as she cleverly handled Newton’s muddled commentary and responses to simple questions like, “What is your sign? When is your birthday?”
@maniaye now CAMERON! just lying 🤣🤣🤣 #camnewton #ladylondon #camnewtonpodcast #fypage #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp ♬ original sound – Mani Aye 🇹🇹🇻🇨🐝
However, beyond the memes and social media jokes, the entire interview served as a visual reminder of a 2024 Pew Research study, which revealed that young Black women are significantly outpacing Black men academically, while also spotlighting Newton’s pseudo-intellectualism.
“The Cam Newton vs Lady London interview is a prime example of what successful, intelligent Black women who have and are doing the inner work have to endure when trying to date men who match or supercede them financially,” one user wrote on Threads. “Cam represents how arrogant, mentally combative, internally ignorant, and absent of true substance ‘successful men’ tend to be because money, talent, and status is enough til you are in front of a real woman.”
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Now, only time will tell if Oxford or the Merriam-Webster dictionary will acknowledge Newton’s new adjective.
