Rahsaan Thomas of ‘Ear Hustle’ released from prison a year after commutation from Newsom

Earlonne Woods, from left, Nigel Poor and Rahsaan Thomas on Wednesday after Thomas was released from San Quentin State Prison. Rahsaan Thomas was released from San Quentin State Prison on Wednesday, more than year after he was granted a commutation from Gov. Thomas’ sentence was commuted by the governor in January 2022 and he was granted parole by the board in August, but as of Tuesday remained in San Quentin State Prison. In his commutation, Newsom praised Thomas for completing college courses and an array of self-help programming saying he has “dedicated himself to his rehabilitation.” Thomas had received dozens of recommendations for clemency, including wide support from fans of his journalism covering prison life. If you decided it’s safe to let me go, why drag it out?” Thomas could not be reached for a statement on Wednesday, but a spokesperson for “Ear Hustle” said they “couldn’t be happier” about his release and called him “an important voice.” “The ‘Ear Hustle’ team looks forward to working with Rahsaan on the outside to keep bringing audiences stories about life during and after incarceration,” a spokesperson said.