DECATUR, Ga. — City Schools of Decatur Superintendent Gyimah Whitaker is under scrutiny following revelations about her husband’s controversial podcast and her use of his studio to record hers.
Whitaker, through a spokesperson, said CSD did not pay her husband’s studio for helping to produce her Words With Dr. Whitaker podcast. Gyimah Whitaker’s husband, Jason Whitaker, is the owner of Podium Studios, according to his LinkedIn profile and records obtained via the Georgia Corporations Division.
“The venue was available to the City Schools of Decatur at no cost,” a CSD spokesperson said. “The Podium has never received school district funds.”
Whitaker said she was conducting the podcast in her official capacity as CSD’s superintendent.
The studio is located at 1685 Terrell Mill Road SE, Suite 105, Marietta, Ga. School Board Member Lorraine Irier confirmed that she taped an episode of Gyimah Whitaker’s podcast shortly before she joined the board in January. She said Whitaker did not inform her about her husband’s involvement with the studio.
“I participated in the podcast at the superintendent’s request, before I officially became a board member, and did not know until today that it was recorded at her husband’s studio,” Irier said.
Other board members also appeared on Gyimah Whitaker’s podcast, including School Board Vice Chair Hans Utz, Board Chair Carmen Sulton and previous board member Jana Johnson-Davis. CSD staffers have also appeared on it, including Chief Operations Officer Jarvis Adams, Chief Financial Officer Lonita Broome, Deputy Superintendent Karen Newton-Scott, and Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Jennifer Burton. CSD’s lobbyists also appeared on an episode of Whitaker’s podcast.
Utz said he did not know Gyimah Whitaker’s husband was involved in Podium Studios.
“I had no idea who owned the studio when I was on the superintendent’s podcast,” Utz said.
Sulton responded on behalf of the school board.
“The Board is aware of concerns that have been raised regarding district leadership, we take them very seriously, and we are looking into it,” Sulton said. “The board does not believe there is any place for hate in our community.”
Her husband’s podcast, The JWhit~ Podcast, features a wide array of right-wing commentary, including comments against transgender people and Muslims. In an interview with Hatun Tash, a woman who converted from Islam to Christianity, Jason Whitaker mentioned a “mosque not too far from my house.”
“And on Fridays, I see a whole bunch of people walking around here looking like ghosts of Christmas past walking around down the street,” he said in the episode published four months ago. “Why? Because they’re looking like sixth-century goat herders and they can’t examine it and apply it in real time. So the best all they can do without asking questions being low-IQ people is to impersonate a sixth-century goat herder, which is crazy work.”
In another video reviewed by Decaturish, Jason Whitaker provided commentary on a Senate hearing in which transgender issues were discussed. It was published in 2022, before Gyimah Whitaker was sworn in as superintendent.
“God made man and woman. There is no such thing as trans men, trans women, other binary groups or cis men, cis women. There’s no such thing,” he said about a woman speaking in the video. “Those are made-up, fairytale terms. She might as well have just said purple dinosaurs. She could’ve got away with talking broccoli. That would have been just as ludicrous and just as foundational as what she’s saying right now, because she’s talking foolishness.”
When asked if she shares her husband’s views, the spokesperson said Gyimah Whitaker does not.
“While The Podium may accommodate a diverse range of podcast recordings, the views and opinions shared in the CSD Words with Dr. Whitaker Podcast reflect the superintendent’s values and uphold the City Schools of Decatur’s commitment to ensuring equitable outcomes for every student,” the spokesperson said.
The podcast immediately provoked the ire of Decatur residents.
Lena Kotler-Wallace, a parent of transgender children in CSD, was forcibly dragged out of a school board meeting last year when she objected to the school board’s decision to rescind the district’s equity policies, a decision the board later reversed. She was removed because she didn’t make her remarks during the designated public comment period and for calling board members “cowards.”
Kotler-Wallace said the controversy surrounding the podcasts “breaks my heart.”
“For my own family, it feels like a validation of our experiences and pain for the last three years and calls into question [Superintendent Whitaker’s] leadership, particularly as it concerns our LGBTQ students and families, that this is a tolerated belief or behavior in her personal life,” Kotler-Wallace said. “But more importantly, this is yet another spotlight on the ways in which City Schools of Decatur has lost sight of its own identity and the values we claim to uphold as a community.”
CSD parent Jessica Cino said she wanted the superintendent to address the matter directly.
“But the larger issue is leadership and accountability,” Cino said. “This is not about the leader of a private company. These are children. Many families in Decatur have vulnerable and marginalized children who are directly targeted by the hateful rhetoric associated with Mr. Whitaker. Families choose Decatur because they expect their children to be safe, respected, and supported.”
Irier also condemned Jason Whitaker’s podcast on her official Facebook page.
“Regardless of politics or personal beliefs, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of hate have no place in our community,” she said.
Irier called for the board to investigate the situation.
“Given the seriousness of the concerns and questions that have now been raised, I believe the board has an obligation to review the matter carefully and exercise appropriate oversight through established processes,” Irier said. “I am likewise very concerned as a parent and member of this community, and I will try to be as transparent as possible while respecting the board’s role and any applicable legal or personnel considerations.”
The Decatur School Board announced that it will hold a closed-door executive session at 4 p.m., May 28, to discuss a “personnel matter.”
This story was provided by WABE media partner Decaturish.
