The Big Picture

Funky Dineva’s rise in reality TV began with witty banter on Love & Hip Hop.
He transitioned from being part of mainstream shows to hosting content on his YouTube channel.
By realizing the power of social media, he has returned to his roots with a daily series on YouTube.

Quentin Latham, better known as Funky Dineva, has been a staple of reality television since its conception. His no-holds-barred commentary has taken him from making reaction videos on YouTube to sitting across from some of your favorite Housewives. National viewers first met Latham as his wig-donning alter ego, “Funky Dineva,” in 2012 as an opinionated audience member in the reunion episode of Season 1 of VH1’s Love & Hip Hop. His witty and outspoken banter with the cast made him a quick hit with viewers. Latham would go on to be a curated part of the Love & Hip Hop franchise, acting as an “ear to the streets,” revealing how the public felt about the cast.

Latham continued his rise in pop culture commentary as the co-host of The Queen’s Supreme Court with LGTBQ+ trailblazerTs Madison. In 2020, he finally leaped the mainstream as one of the hosts of Fox Soul’s daily round table-style show, Tea-GIF. Along with Claudia Jordan and Al Reynolds, the series became a favorite for its funny approach to breaking down current pop culture and mainstream media events. While all seemed well on the show, Latham abruptly exited Tea-GIF at the end of 2023. Social media was abuzz with speculation about the reason behind his departure.

Since then, the influencer has revived his YouTube with a daily series, bringing back his original commentary style. Collider recently spoke with Latham about how returning to where you started may be the perfect thing to help you move forward.

The Origin of Funky Dineva Is Rooted In Career Upset

Latham’s career began after being fired from his “boring corporate accounting job.” He told CL: “I used to sit at work and just run my mouth on social media. I got fired from my job one day, and instead of going out and looking for more accounting work, I said, ‘You know what? This blogging thing, people seem to like it’,” he recalled.

On December 1, 2010, his first video on his YouTube, Funky Dineva, featured the creator in a shoulder-length wig, which gave birth to his catchphrase, “My hair is laid like…” He also had a successful website blog in conjunction with the YouTube channel, but he ended the blog to devote more time to his YouTube, as it was more profitable.

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Although Latham’s posting had no rhyme or reason, he began to find his niche reviewing the outlandish antics on newly introduced reality series such as Real Housewives of Atlanta and Basketball Wives. “I don’t think any of us at that time knew what we were doing,” he admits. “If I were to sit here and say, ‘I was so strategic,’ I would be lying to you. I was literally flying by the seat of my pants.”

Latham’s ability to “read the girls for filth” put him and his alter ego in the eyesight of television producers such as Mona Scott-Young. Within six months of giving life to his online persona, Latham had landed on television – wig in tow.

The Funky Dineva Persona Allows Him to Be His Best Self

As Funky Dineva began to pop up on VH1, Bravo, and BET, the scrutiny of the “man in the wig” came with it. However, the harmful words didn’t deter Latham. “Believe it or not, that’s where I’m comfortable. The wig and the drag character were armor for me,” Latham stated. When he sat down to focus on the next level of his career, he dropped his armor.

“I knew Quinton Latham could get into places Funky Dineva could not. I can’t go on CNN and do commentary looking like a hot da*n mess wearing a wig and red lipstick. I can’t go into all of these other spaces, so the decision to take the weight off was conscious,” the creator revealed.

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Latham’s conscious decision led to several opportunities, including becoming the host of a new pop culture commentary series on the new streaming channel, Fox Soul. He joined veteran television hosts Claudia Jordan and Al Reynolds, where they became one of the go-to sources for commentary on pop culture and social media for three years.

When speaking about joining the cast, Latham said, “It was an amazing opportunity because it was a step forward to where I always wanted to go.” The show quickly became the face of the channel, but as blissful as things seemed, Latham realized having a “big brand behind him” didn’t always add up. He admitted, “When you start getting your paycheck, and you’re like,’ Oh, this is great, but I can do even more than this on my own…I knew it was time to go.”

Funky Dineva Is Back to the Basics on YouTube

Just as he did when leaving his corporate 9-5, Latham realized his ability to reach the masses via YouTube. His daily series, Funky Diva Live, follows a similar format of conducting celebrity interviews and dissecting current events and pop culture. With over 437K subscribers tuning in Monday through Thursday at 8 pm, Latham knows his niche and is happy sticking with it, with or without a wig.

To learn more about how Quentin Latham has turned commentary into a career, check out his full conversation with Collider above. Stream his commentary daily on YouTube.

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