Cam Newton & Ashley Nicole Moss Talk '106 & Sports’
Cam Newton & Ashley Nicole Moss Keep ‘106 & Sports’ Cultural, Classic & Completely Its Own [Exclusive]
With their dynamic presence, Cam Newton and Ashley Nicole Moss elevate the '106 & Sports' experience, preserving its classic appeal while infusing it with a modern touch.
Two decades after106 & Park shaped a generation, BET is launching a new chapter inside Tyler Perry Studios, where soundstages named for Black icons set the scene for106 & Sports.
“The fresh cultural hub where athleticism, identity, and community collide is, according to hosts Cam Newton and Ashley Nicole Moss, not a reboot but a new lane built on legacy, personality, and real conversation.”
Source: Sydney A. Foster for BET
According to Ashley Nicole Moss, stepping onto the 106 stage is more than another hosting opportunity; it’s a moment she still hasn’t fully absorbed.
“It’s major,” Moss said. “I think Cam and I both, it was such a huge part of our upbringing. Me being from New York, obviously 106 and Park meant something a little bit extra special. Everybody who graced that set, graced that stage, I just thought was the coolest.”
Source: Sydney A. Foster for BET / Sydney A. Foster for BET
She added that joining the franchise still feels surreal.
“For me as someone who’s wanted to be on TV as a broadcaster my entire life, it was a dream job. And to just be part of not only the BET family, but the 106 family, it’s very surreal. It’s a full-circle moment, and it’s not something that I take lightly.”
Her co-host, Cam Newton, made it clear that although the show carries the legacy of a cultural classic, comparing the two misses the point.
Cam Newton Rejects The Word “Rebrand”
Newton said the connection between 106 & Park and 106 & Sports is symbolic, but they serve different worlds.
Source: Sydney A. Foster for BET / Sydney A. Foster for BET
“I wouldn’t consider it a rebrand,” he said. “I just would consider it a new opportunity to showcase something, especially on the platform of BET.”
He continued:
“I don’t think that 106 should just always be tied to what we have once known it to be. 106 & Sports will never compete with 106 & Park because it is two different communities, two different target audiences, and two different types of strategies for consumption.”
Even so, the essence remains.
“Are there certain principles or certain factors that are still the same? Yes. It’s still Black as hell, which we love. It’s still cultural topics. And it’s also the countdown methodology.”
Newton said the respect for 106 & Park is foundational.
“We have the utmost respect for the forefathers that came with the 106 and Park tagline. But for us, using the tagline of 106 and Sports attacks content in a very different way.”
On Set at Tyler Perry Studios: HBCU Students, Directors’ Cues, & Real Audience Energy
Before speaking with the hosts, BOSSIP’s very own Lauryn Bass attended the season finale taping at Tyler Perry Studios, where BET invited HBCU and Atlanta-area college students to experience the production firsthand. From Clark Atlanta, Savannah State, Morehouse, and others, the spirit in the room was full of pride.
The set came alive with real-time reactions, countdown cues, and the choreography of live television. From directors signaling when the crowd should cheer, laugh, or lift the energy, to audience members getting a chance to network and interact directly with Newton and Moss between tapings, you could truly feel the vibe of “Lights, Camera, Action!”
Tyler Perry Studios provided a backdrop that matched the show’s cultural mission. Soundstages named after icons like Halle Berry and Denzel Washington framed an environment where young Black creatives could witness how a show centered on sports and culture is built from the ground up.
Two attendees shared their reactions after spending nearly a full day inside the experience.
Music artist Latasha Bailey said the revival of the 106 brand from a sports angle feels timely.
“It’s been a great experience. It’s good to see the 106 and Brand come back,” she said. “We’re used to 106 and Park, but to see it from a sports perspective, I think it’s giving maybe a fresh idea for the people that are major sports fanatics.”
Bailey said the lineup added to the excitement.
“It’s just been a good experience thus far to see some of your sports favorites, your Hall of Famers, your newcomers, your people that are in between,” she shared. “I really hope they get to come back and do a new season as well, that it continues the way 106 and Park did.”
Audience member Ernest Owens echoed the sentiment, noting the energy that carried from afternoon into night.
“I enjoyed being on set for 106 and Sports,” he said. “Good hosts, good crowd, good guests coming out. It’s been a good experience and I can’t wait to see when it comes on national TV.”
He added that the earliest taping block stood out.
“I think the first set had the best energy. We had bigger stars. We had the tennis star, and we had the NBA star too. So it was lots of fun early in the morning.”
The taping showcased exactly what Newton and Moss later described: a show grounded in culture, elevated by personality, and shaped by its audience. There were even keepsakes that guests walked away with of cute sports trinkets.
Tyler Perry Studios Adds Weight To The Vision
During our conversation, Ashley Nicole Moss credited Tyler Perry Studios with amplifying the show’s impact.
Source: Sydney A. Foster for BET
“Tyler Perry Studios is absolutely phenomenal,” she said. “What he’s been able to do with that land, and to drive in there and see the different sound stages named after prominent Black people in the entertainment industry: the Halle Berry studios, the Denzel Washington studios, it’s incredible.”
Newton connected even more personally with the location.
“This is a dream come true,” he said. “Especially being from College Park. I remember riding Marta and seeing that piece of land. I never would have thought of it that way.”
He said Perry’s blueprint fuels his own ambition.
“What Tyler Perry has been able to do is grant an individual from Atlanta, Georgia, and Cam Newton, a North Star,” he said. “If I have any questions, I can look right under my nose and say, Tyler Perry started from somewhere.”
Guests Bring Cultural Conversation, History, & Humor
Moss highlighted two moments that capture why the show is resonating with viewers.
“One was just the banter between Cam and Ocho Cinco, just from a comedic aspect,” she said. “That unfiltered kind of conversation you used to get from 106 & Park that you really can’t get anywhere else.”
But the show also pushes deeper cultural conversations.
“I absolutely loved when we had Ryan Howard on the show, and he gave us the history lesson on the Negro League,” Moss said. “We had the conversation about why minorities don’t play baseball, why we don’t see as many Black faces in the sport as we once did.”
She added that Taylor Townsend’s segment brought more insight into barriers in tennis.
“Those types of conversations..those are the moments where I was like, see, this is what we need a show like this for. These are the conversations we aren’t having anywhere else.”
Other guests brought the humor fans expect.
“When you see people that look like you, it unlocks different levels of your personality,” Moss said. “That’s exactly what we got in that Ocho and Cam conversation, or when we had Boogie on the show and he was talking about, ‘I definitely dropped you,’ and the creator was like, ‘You ain’t dropped me.’ You don’t have those conversations everywhere.”
Source: Sydney A. Foster for BET / Sydney A. Foster for BET
A New Cultural Home For Sports Television
106 & Sports extends the spirit of the original 106 franchise without trying to recreate it. Newton and Moss are shaping a space that blends athlete insight, cultural storytelling, and comedic moments within a format grounded in Black community.
106 & Sports is in its next chapter, built with intention, rooted in legacy, and ready to grow.
