Rye began her career in legislative advocacy at the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, an umbrella association of 120
historically black colleges and universities in the United States. Upon moving to
Washington, D.C., Rye joined IMPACT Strategies, an organization founded prior to her arrival by attorneys Joe Briggs and Kendra Davis Briggs as well as public policy advisor David Johns, who served as director from 2007 to 2013. IMPACT was focused on the economic empowerment, civic engagement, and political involvement of young professionals. The group later invited Rye to help form partnerships with the
National Bar Association,
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation,
National Urban League,
Rainbow/PUSH, Congressional Black Caucus Political Education and Leadership Institute, Black Leadership Forum, and other organizations. She also serves as a senior advisor to the Government Technology and Services Coalition and is a member of
The Links, Incorporated. Rye is one of few recurring guests on
The Breakfast Club radio show. On December 6, 2016, She was invited by
Charlamagne The God (real name Lenard McKelvey) after he received backlash from tweeting that he wished women of color had a platform "like Tomi Lahren did". In January 2017, she made her first appearance on
The Breakfast Club and frequented the show regularly, often discussing the
Trump administration and other pop culture topics. As of October 2024, Rye continues to serve as a guest host of
The Breakfast Club. She also served as a senior advisor to the
House Committee on Homeland security, where she helped develop the general political strategy, focusing on modernizing government contracting practices and assisting small businesses. She then served as the executive director and general counsel to the Congressional Black Caucus for the 112th Congress. During her time as director, she was "tasked with developing the overall legislative and political strategy for the Caucus". Rye left her role at CBC after just over a year. Rye was a political commentator for
CNN, but was released by the network shortly before the 2020 presidential election. In 2022,
ESPN announced that Rye was hired as a special correspondent to provide perspective on sports-related matters of race, culture, and social justice issues. In 2024, Rye began hosting the Native Land Podcast alongside political analyst
Tiffany Cross and politician
Andrew Gillum. The podcast bills itself as a show that guides viewers / listeners "through the political landscape, wielding insights and unapologetic analysis". ==Criticism==