NJ police bust podcaster for being naked outside an apartment

🎤 A NJ podcaster was caught naked outside an apartment door in Edgewater

🎤 A neighbor caught the rapper on their doorbell footage

🎤 The man has a history with sleepwalking, TMZ reported

EDGEWATER — A New Jersey podcaster and rapper has been charged with lewdness after he was reportedly standing naked outside of a neighbor's apartment door at a complex in Edgewater last month, according to police.

On Dec. 4, 2024, officers from the Edgewater Police Department went to an apartment complex just before 7:30 a.m. after a neighbor reported a man standing outside their apartment door completely in the nude.

The caller, who was receiving alerts from their doorbell camera, identified the naked man as 44-year-old Joseph Budden Jr., of “The Joe Budden Podcast.”

The doorbell security footage captured Budden unsuccessfully trying to enter a code into the neighbor’s keypad before returning to his own apartment across the hall, police said in a statement.

Budden was charged with lewdness on a complaint summons.

Budden has discussed on his podcast that he is a sleepwalker. He also recently talked publicly about strife with his neighbors, claiming he was kicked out of his apartment for continuing to record episodes of his podcast there, TMZ reported.

Following the police press release, Budden’s attorney, Nima Ameri slammed the Edgewater Police Department for making the details of the charges public.

Ameri told TMZ, “Mr. Budden is saddened by Police Chief Martin’s press release. Mr. Budden has been waiting weeks for his cross complaints to be processed which include substantially more serious charges including possible felony charges against the persons behind these charges against him.”

Ameri also added that the allegations against Budden are a minor charge, not even resulting in an arrest.

“The Chief’s comments are reckless, and in our opinion racially motivated. Our research has not shown a single press release on a disorderly person charge on the police website this year. His choice to single out Mr. Budden, in our opinion, is self-motivated and based on Mr. Budden’s race and celebrity status,” Ameri told TMZ.

Budden, who first gained attention from his promotional single, “Focus” which spent 17 weeks on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart, is due back in court on January 16.

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