In this episode of Karamo, the host mediates a heated confrontation between an 18‑year‑old teen (identified as Fred) and his mother, Nina. Fred recounts a pattern of being kicked out of the house, police being called for curfew violations, and repeated expulsions that have left him sleeping outside, missing school, and feeling homeless. He admits to smoking weed, drinking alcohol, and missing school, and expresses a lack of love and respect from his mother. Nina, in turn, accuses Fred of disrespect, describes him as “sleazy” and “a witch,” and justifies her actions as protecting herself from his behavior. The dialogue oscillates between accusations, emotional outbursts, and attempts by Karamo to clarify facts, hold both parties accountable, and foster empathy. Karamo highlights the impact of the mother’s strict, punitive upbringing on the current conflict, points out the teen’s need for stability, and offers concrete help: reconnecting Fred with school, providing counseling, and encouraging both sides to work toward mutual respect and open communication. The episode ends with Karamo urging Nina to reflect on her actions and promising to assist Fred in getting back on track.
Chapters
I gotta ask first, what does your mom mean when she says you try to break into the house?
Yeah, she called the cops on me or whatever.
How many times has she called the cops on you?
Way too many times.
And it's all for trying to come into the house after curfew?
Yeah, well, most of the time, but sometimes I don't like—
Okay, all right, how old are you, 18?
Yes.
So did she let you back in?
No.
She didn't let you back in?
No, and that's when I tried to break in and I was banging on the window. And it was just like, I don't know, I couldn't get back in. And so she called the cops and I ran from them and then I hid. And then I, you know, she was on the phone with me while the cops was at the house and she was telling me to come back and come grab my stuff. And I was like, no, I'm not coming back because I'm thinking like it's a setup. Like she gonna try to get me locked up, you know? So I'm like, no, I'm not coming back.
So you think your mother would actually try to set you up to like get you locked up when she, 'cause it sounded like she was saying to come back.
If she calls the cops on me, yeah, I'm pretty sure, like, you know?
So where did you end up staying that night?
Outside.
Outside, okay. So was this the first time she kicked you out?
No.
Okay, how many times you been kicked out before?
Multiple times.
And where would you go?
I don't be having nowhere to go first, so like I would just try to find my way around, you know, text my friends.
And so let me just make sure, 'cause I'm gonna hear your mother's side of the story as well. So is this just for missing curfew or there's other behaviors?
There's other behaviors, disrespect, not listening, but.
Okay, disrespect. Now, 'cause I wanna hear from your own mouth, what do you think, why you think your mother did it?
And I can take accountability of my actions and mistakes for myself.
You smoke weed?
Yeah.
Does your mother agree with that?
No.
Okay then. And what time is curfew?
12.
12 o'clock, okay. When you would get kicked outta the house, you would still go to school?
Not all the time. I would miss school most of the time because I had to worry about where I'm gonna shower, where I'm gonna sleep, you know, stuff like that. And I didn't really have clothes.
Yeah, so you had, you would miss school?
It was embarrassing to the point where I just stopped going to school.
Are you in school now?
No, I'm currently trying to get back in.
Okay. I heard you got into an argument last night with your mother. What happened?
So basically I went to the liquor store, I grabbed something to drink.
Were you grabbing liquor? Yes. Or just like a, you grabbed like some liquor? Yeah. Okay.
And so she got upset because they didn't ID me or whatever. Like she literally left out the store. She left me. We is in a whole different state. Why are you leaving? Why would you leave me? That's not right at all.
You think your mother likes you?
No.
You think your mother loves you? When was the last time you heard your mother say I love you?
Probably like before I turned a teenager.
Well, I wanna hear what your mother Nina has to say about this situation. So everyone please welcome Nina to the show so we can hear her side of the story. Hi Nina, thank you for being here.
Thank you.
Yeah, so how do you feel about just what was just said?
She lying.
She lying?
Yeah.
Okay.
I'm lying about what?
Damn near everything.
Tell me, what?
You try to act like a little angel when you really a little witch. I wanna call you a bitch, but you know.
So you think she's a witch?
Yeah.
Okay, are you worried about her whereabouts when she goes out?
No, I don't, 'cause she doesn't care that I care.
But you are overprotective. I don't understand. You were a teen once too, so why is it why?
But I was nothing like you though.
Okay, but I'm not a whole person. I'm my own person.
Okay, and I understand you're your own person.
I don't have to be like you just because you weren't like that.
And I'm not saying, okay, and I'm not saying that you gotta be like me.
You weren't so much open when you were younger. I don't have to be like that. I'm my own person.
I understand you're your own person. I'm not saying that you have to be anything like me. We're two different people. Yes, that's true. But the thing that I want is respect from you, okay? I need you to open up more.
So you don't feel like she lets you into what's going on in her life?
She doesn't, and I don't understand why. She knows that I'm very understanding. I don't snap and just have attitude just to have it. But it's just like, I don't know what's wrong with you.
But why would I tell you anything if you don't like me? You always tell me you don't like me, that you hate me and a lot of stuff that you say. I do, I do.
Yeah, I don't like her because she's nothing like, like I said, we are our own person.
What happened last night from your point of view?
Man, okay, so we're visiting here, she wanna sit up here and roam around or whatever. So we decide to go to a store. So we asked a couple of gen— well, she asked a couple of gentlemen, you know, where's the store at? So they lead us there, you know, it's two different stores, they're not too far from each other, you know, she wants some alcohol. I'm like, I'm not doing that. So she's just standing there like she's looking for me to get it. I'm like, no. So I walk, I'm gonna move around. I go to another store, you know, and then she come back with a bottle. How dare they have the audacity to even sell to her? She's only 18, she's a minor.
But once again, it doesn't really matter, to be honest.
It do matter. It does matter.
How?
No, you're not grown, but you're not 21 though.
Yeah, okay, but still, it don't matter.
It does matter.
I can, it's always just—
Did that turn into an altercation? It did. What was the altercation?
It did. She got upset because I left. I'm the type, I'm not gonna stay around, you know?
So my producer tell me that they printed something here that they want me to read that's about y'all altercation last night. "Bro, where you at? You doing too much. How you mad 'cause I brought liquor with my money and you was AirTV drinking?" And then, "Mom, you said bitch, fuck, don't text me." And then you said, "Bro, Ian doing shit to you. You left me. What the fuck? I came out here to the store and you nowhere to be found. Yes, you walked back to the room." "What else am I to do?" Okay.
So why do you say to your daughter, "Bitch, fuck you?" Because for one, she is, and y'all ain't in my household to even know how she is, okay? For two, she have no right to even be trying to purchase alcohol.
I hear you, I hear you.
You know, it's attitude this, attitude that, disrespect this, disrespect that towards me when she don't get her way, you know? And I can't stand that.
Okay, so let me go back to the house stuff. So why not let her back in the house?
She dressed too sleazy for me. She's disrespectful.
That, that is jealousy.
That's not jealousy. That's not, that's not jealousy.
Why can't I be comfortable wearing my own clothes?
Okay, but that's not jealousy. You came from me though. You came from me though. That's not jealousy. That's not jealousy, honey. You came for me. How am I to be jealous?
Exactly. So why don't you uplift me?
Why can't you tell me that I look pretty? But when I wear what I want to wear, not dressing revealing or sleazy. We should cover ourselves.
Really?
Really?
Really? Bitch, this bitch— I don't call you a bitch.
Don't, don't say she's not old enough to drink, but you think she's old enough to sleep out on the streets?
So now I'mma— okay, look, so now I'mma say this, Karamo.
I know, I'm listening.
She is very disrespectful. Okay? So with me not being that way, that's hard for me to take in. Okay? So I'd rather, yeah, give her the boot, she can go. Sometimes she leaves willingly. Sometimes she leaves willingly, she don't even care, you know? So it's like, okay, go before something escalates to something dangerous.
And I can tell your upbringing influences the way you choose to parent because in your house, it was a strict household, you did certain things and you had to follow those rules. And so you feel like because she doesn't do that the same way you were raised, is disrespect and those things.
I got you, I hear you. Yeah, I expect respect.
So what are you hoping for today?
Just for her to respect me more, open up more. I need her to open up to me more. She doesn't open up to me enough.
You want her to let you in.
Why would I open up to someone who doesn't like me?
You're right, I don't like you. I love you, okay? But I can't stand you. 'Cause she's disrespectful.
At the same time, I don't feel the love. I don't feel the love.
You don't feel the love, why? 'Cause you don't be around to feel the love. You're not a family-oriented person. You rather rip and run the streets, okay? Be around shit, doing this, doing that, selling this, selling that.
No. Selling what?
You know what. Drugs.
Okay, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, this is the thing right here, Mom. Here we go, okay? And this is real, and I'm gonna use your own thing. You want your daughter to let you in, but you keep kicking her out. And that's point blank. Hold on, let me just, let me, hear me out. 'Cause you know, I stayed silent, I listened to everything you said. And I agree, your child has been disrespectful to you. So let me just say right then and there, I don't even want that to be a question. She came out here and the first thing she said, yes, I've been disrespectful. Yes, I don't listen. And yes, I have missed curfew. She admitted to all of that. So everything you said, she's admitted to, she knows. But on this stage as well, while she's admitted to that, you have told her that she is a witch, that she is sleazy, that she, these are your words, she's bullshit, she's nonsense, I don't like her, I don't care about her whereabouts, she's not family-oriented, I can't stand you. When I asked you about her sleeping on the streets, you totally went right by that. You said to something else, She just turned 18 a couple of days ago. Hear me out, hold on, hear me out now. Because y'all know that my career was based in child protective services. And at the end of the day, this is a child.
That you put here.
Okay, but you don't act like child behavior though. If you gonna sit up here and act grown, then go out there and be grown then. Okay?
That's not how life works.
Let me tell you real quick, hold on, hear me out. That's the type of train of thought that is breaking our families apart. Just because you acting grown, you go be grown. She's not grown. She is a child that was sleeping on the streets, that felt too dirty to go to school. And if your daughter ended up dead and the police came to your door, they're not gonna say, we found this adult woman. They're gonna say, we found your child dead in the streets. Let that sink in for a second. Do you wanna meet her halfway and start to correct this behavior of how you talking to her? Allow her a chance to be a child, believe that she could be a child that can grow, model the proper behavior. Can you do that?
Of course, yeah.
Tell her.
I'm willing to compromise and work through things if you're willing. You know, if you can't and you won't, then it's no need for us to be around each other. And you know, and you know that because you know how you are and you know how I am.
So I've opened the door for you to mend this relationship and I've asked you a couple times to walk through it. And unfortunately I see it's gonna take you some more time to walk through this. What I wanna offer to you right now is if you really want support and getting back into school and figuring out how to do these things, We gonna figure out how to help you get back there. And mom, I ask you to watch this back and listen to what I'm saying and then watch your own actions, okay? Because your daughter took a step on this stage and you did not. These people are telling you, okay? I know you frustrated, but it can't be this many strangers who don't know your life lying to you. We have tried to help you to see what could help you mend your family. Watch this back. But in the meantime, while you're figuring that out, we got your daughter, all right? All right, stay with us, Fred. We'll be right back with more.
