Obadiah says goodbye…
Let’s get the difficult part over first:
After more than twenty years of service, I am leaving RadioU. It’s harder to type than it is to read. The internet would no doubt ask, “Why though?” Read on for more.
Usually when people leave an organization it’s because something is wrong with them (the person) or with the organization. In this case, neither is true. In prayer, the Lord told me that it was time for me to leave RadioU. When I started here a long time ago, He told me that a time would come when He would have something else for me to do.
It’s time.
I love RadioU with all my heart. I believe strongly in what we do and why we do it. I’m asking you to continue to support, not just financially but with your ears as well. The RIOT will now be Nikki and Hudson. Show up for them. Send them text messages. Pray for them. Pray for me as I continue to seek God’s guidance for what this “other” thing is that I’m going to go do.
I am overwhelmingly grateful to the staff and management of RadioU for their decades of support to me personally and especially grateful to Nikki for being one of the best friends I have ever had. She has seen me at my worst and kept showing up and pulled me along through difficult times. You couldn’t ask for a better friend or finer co-host.
Thank YOU for listening and supporting and allowing me to work a dream job. Jesus is with us and will continue to be there every single moment of every day! Let’s continue to put our faith in Him as things change.
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!
— Love, Obadiah
I can’t even begin to express the thoughts, fillings and emotions for Obie leaving. You will be always be loved, and greatly appreciated. I will miss you. God will guide you, as he always has.
Hey Obie,
God bless, hope all goes well with the roommates;)
Obadiah, I’ve listened to The Riot for about 10 years now and refer to you guys and your content all the time. I programmed 88.7 in my boyfriends truck (for me) and I told him yesterday, “you are not going to believe this, Obadiah is leaving The Riot.” He said, “Ya, his last day is Friday.”
Okay- I was shocked that he knew that because I didn’t think he listened to the show at all unless I was around. I guess he’s been listening to you sporadically which was a nice surprise.
I wish you the best of luck and hope to run into you someday around Cbus.
Thanks and good luck to Nikki and Hudson as well, they will do great with The Riot 2.0.
Thank you Obi for all you’ve done for RadioU. I started listening online back in 2012 because my husband loved you guys. You’ve spoken into the lives of countless people and I know God is going to lead you into great things. You will be missed! Praying for lots of blessings for the future. <3
You will be deeply missed brother. Hope you invite us to your next adventure and hope one day we can meet and shake hands. God bless you and your family.
Obi,
You will be greatly missed but I am confident that you are following the Lord’s direction and that your future will be full of unexpectedly good things. You have been a faithful servant and have sown innumerable seeds through being transparent and publicly vulnerable.
I’ve listened for many years and all I can say is thank you.
~ Anthony in Michigan
Obi!!! You have become one of my favorite voices to hear each morning and you always crack me up! I’m sure your family there at RadioU is sad to see you go, but I can’t wait to see what happens next. There is always a plan and a purpose. All the best❤
Me and my husband enjoy listening to the riot in the morning. We will miss you Obadiah, and are happy that you are obeying God’s will for your life. We wish you much success! We are excited for Hudson to join Nikki. Thank you for bringing many laughs and joy to our mornings. God Bless you and keep you.
I am so sad to hear this news. Obadiah and Nikki have been my go to for podcast listening for years and years now. Obi will be missed, you’ve brought so much laughter and I loved hearing your thoughts on games, movies, whatever the topics were for the show, the serious ones and the ridiculous ones, lol. Thank you for all of your hard work and I wish you well in this next chapter of your life!!
I have listened for many years and I must say losing you will be losing a member of the family. From the afternoons to taking over as host on the RIOT it was never a dull moment. My God richly bless you and all that you do after this. You’re still youngish so your journeys aren’t over yet, but you know this. Keep in touch dude
Thank you for all the laughs, and for all the talks you’ve given about God’s love. Both have helped me a lot over the past several years.
I remember one morning from a couple years ago when I was just feeling down. I couldn’t get myself to feel happy. (I had recently lost my grandma.) Then, on my way to work, as I was listening to The Riot, I heard Obi say something hilarious. I was laughing my head off! And I really needed it that day. So thank you, Obi!
I will be praying for you as you find out what God has in store for you.
Sincerely,
Ryan
A while back, a cohosts of the radio station my work played was retiring. All day people called in sobbing and saying goodbye. I thought it was ridiculous. They didn’t know this guy, he didn’t know them. I thought those people were nuts. But now I get it. You don’t know me, but I still feel a deep friendship with you and Nikki and all the others at RadioU. God has used you so many times to speak to me threw out the years. I cannot thank you enough for the time and effort you’ve put in. It has been a true privilege to listen to you and Nikki over the past 17 years. Thank you.
Obi. I’ve been a regular listener for the last few years and you’ve brought many a smile to my face. The music is great, but I always looked forward to hearing the nerdy uplifting and crazy banter between you and Nikki. You will be missed. I pray the Lord leads you to exactly where you need to be. If you ever want to just hang out on Discord and/or play some games online, shoot me an email. We’re all only one click away. God bless you.
Last day. Wow. I’ve been listening to The Riot since I moved to Columbus 17 years ago. While I was away from home for the first time, Obadiah and Nikki felt like home. A couple people who I related to and looked forward to listening to and laughing with every morning. Obadiah, you will be greatly missed. I hope you call in with updates on how you’re doing. I think we’ll all be wondering and thinking of you daily. Thank you for not being afraid to share your realness and quirks with the world. It helped us crazy, allergy – suffering people to feel normal. ;) Best of luck and prayers for your “next thing.”
So what’s next…. I am sad I cant listen to you and Nikki banter in the morning… Be praying for you to find something you seem to enjoy as well as you have done on the riot!
My older sister and I started listening to The Riot over twelve years ago while we were attending college (we are loyal listeners from New Mexico).
Obadiah- thank you for the countless laughs throughout the years. You are our favorite radio personality. We will miss you. We wish you all the best. God bless.
Well I guess the temporary job of hosting The Riot had to come to an end sometime!!!!! ;)
We are going to miss listening to you every day.
I think you are going to do one of the following jobs.
Review movies with two little robots.
Being a DJ at a 24/7 Stryper radio station.
Lifting weights all day to participate in the worlds strongest man contests.
You’re the new A/V guy at your local house of worship.
I started listening regularly on my way to work about 7 years ago. When we switched to work from home I listened every morning on the app to maintain some semblance of normalcy.
I will definitely miss Obadiah’s humor. The Riot was a great, light-hearted way to start my day. After listening for years it feels like a friend is moving away.
PS – thanks for introducing me to Rusty Wharf burgers and the Babylon Bee. I frequent those places more often than I should now : )
Thank you for so many years of bringing us hours upon hours worth of laughter and and fun, nerdy content to brighten our days, Obi. Prayers for you as you begin a new phase of your journey. We’ll definitely miss you, but we’re cheering on Hudson and Nikki as they bring a new duo to the Riot.
You will be missed, brother! {{{hugs}}}
Prayers being uplifted for you, that the LORD would continue to guide you in your next chapters and forevermore, for the “new” R!0T, and for RadioU in general. While your departure is sure to leave a big hole to fill, the LORD will provide, as the LORD has always provided!
Nikki: [Relates to what she reads by quoting “War Of The Worlds”]
Obadiah: “My work here is done.”
But, seriously, thank you Obie for all you have contributed. Humans use mass production, but everything God does is bespoke. You are irreplaceable. Godspeed on your next adventure. And may God give the team at RadioU wisdom, vision, integrity and success as they pursue their ministry goals.
Obadiah, You’ve been a part of our family (morning commutes) for 12+ years! We are so thankful for the Riot & Radio U! You & Nikki have kept us listening and laughing, and I’m going to miss regularly hearing my kids shout from the backseat, “Mo-om…Obadiah said, ‘stupid’!!” :) Blessings to you in your next adventures!
I’ve been listening for as long as I can remember. Your presence on the show saw me through middle school, high school, graduation, my first job, and my marriage. Thank you for all the memories and the enjoyment over the years