California Governor Gavin Newsom granted 19 pardons on Thanksgiving evening, including one to a Pulitzer Prize finalist who produced the popular podcast “Ear Hustle” while incarcerated at San Quentin.
Earlonne Woods, of the award-winning podcast, received a “full and unconditional” pardon from Newsom on Wednesday after the governor “recognized the work he has done to transform himself.”
Woods helped found “Ear Hustle” in 2017, the year before his release from San Quentin. He still co-hosts the show outside the state’s oldest prison.
With around 80 million downloads, the show brings listeners into the infamous lock-up to hear about the daily lives and struggles of its residents. “Ear Hustle” was the first audio show to be named a Pulitzer finalist in 2020 when it earned that title.
According to Deadline, Woods is working with actor Morgan Freeman’s entertainment company on a docuseries.
In 1989, at the age of 17, he was first sentenced to 10 years in prison in Los Angeles for burglary and kidnapping. Ten years later, he was sentenced again to a possible life sentence after attempting to rob a victim at gunpoint, the pardon said.
Former Governor Jerry Brown originally commuted Woods’ second sentence in 2018.
Newsom first announced plans to seek a pardon in May, but that would require a signature by the state Supreme Court because Wood had been convicted of multiple felonies.
Newsom has issued more than 200 pardons during his time in office.
