Your one-stop, weekly drop into the creator economy.
Ciao bellos,
If you want to make it in podcasting, you need two things: curiosity and passion.
“You can't fake those two,” Eric Nuzum, co-founder of the podcasting company Magnificent Noise, told me. I spoke to Eric earlier this week about what Stephen Colbert’s next steps may be after his late night show comes to an end next year. That’s especially sage advice considering the fact that the podcasters of today seem to share a lot of DNA with the late night hosts of yesterday.
At times, that’s a literal statement. Conan O’Brien launched “Conan Needs a Friend” while he was still hosting his TBS show. Three years ago, he signed a deal with SiriusXM over the podcast reportedly worth $150 million. But some of the biggest names getting the biggest paydays in the talk show space are podcasters. Last year, saw several major podcasting deals including:
- Joe Rogan signing with Spotify for $250 million
- Alex Cooper signing with SiriusXM for $125 million
- The Kelce brothers signing with Amazon’s Wondery for $100 million
And there’s evidence that this popular space is only getting bigger.
A study released this week by Edison Research found that time spent listening to podcasts has jumped 355% since 2015 and that podcast consumption in the U.S. now averages 773 million hours per week. Edison also reported record numbers when it comes to overall, monthly and weekly podcast consumption. A lot of that has to do with the popularity of video podcasts.
It’s also not a coincidence that smaller celebrities like Marc Maron, Theo Von and Dax Shepard became household names thanks to their podcasts. In Eric’s experience, a buzzy name will ensure that the first two episodes get big numbers. But after that if the host isn’t invested in the show, the listening base tends to plummet. It’s a symptom of an entertainment medium that prioritizes authenticity and is far more intimate than others. People don’t sit down to listen to a podcast; they often listen to them to make the dull minutia of life more interesting.
Despite the podcasting boom, Eric feels less certain about the industry itself. “The podcasting industry doesn't really know what it wants to do or what it wants to be. It is kind of flailing around, trying everything and seeing what works and doesn't work, which is fine,” he said. “There's no universal answer for everyone.”
Late night may be dying, but people still want their parasocial relationships and celebrity interviews. While podcasting hasn’t fully taken over that space, it’s getting closer than ever.
Now onto what you may have missed the rest of the week.
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Kayla Cobb
Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com
P.S. You don’t want to miss a livestream roundtable I'll be moderating, "Creator Power: The Business of Influence," at noon PT on Aug. 14. Sign up today here.
What's New
Ms. Rachel was the 7th most-watched show on Netflix in the first half of 2025
Pretty impressive considering the children’s creator only has four episodes on the streamer. During Netflix’s second quarter earnings call, Ted Sarandos noted that the company is excited about “a wide variety of creators and video podcasters” who are coming to the streamer. That growing list now includes “Bachelor” star-turned-podcaster Nick Viall, who will host the upcoming reality series “Age of Attraction,” and reality star and YouTuber Harry Jowsey, the subject of “Let’s Marry Harry.”
“Call Her Daddy” is the No. 1 podcast on YouTube
Alex Cooper has usurped Joe Rogan, at least on one platform. During the week of July 14 to 20, “Call Her Daddy” ranked as the most-watched podcast on YouTube, beating “The Joe Rogan Experience." Only two other podcasts have taken the top spot from Rogan — "Kill Tony" last week and "Rotten Mango" in May.
Roblox and Instagram add new children protection features
Video game creation platform Roblox is testing out age-screening tech from ID company Persona that allows users to chat with “trusted connections.” The platform will use facial analysis to determine whether a user is 13 years old or older. Meanwhile, Instagram has beefed up its Teen Accounts feature, now giving younger users more information about and control over who they’re chatting with. That's big news considering that kids’ safety continues to be a hot button topic across social media.
Media's Next Act
Dave Jorgenson leaves the Washington Post
The funniest reporter in town is striking out on his own. Dave Jorgenson, the man whose snappy yet informative videos are largely responsible for the Washington Post’s 1.9 million TikTok subscribers, will be launching his own thing called Local News International. Jorgenson describes it as “The Daily Show” meets Ron Burgundy from “Anchorman.” Watch out Jon Stewart. Speaking of …
Josh Johnson makes his “Daily Show” hosting debut
One of the youngest members of the Comedy Central team sat behind the “Daily Show” desk for the first time Tuesday. Though he’s on a major cable network, chances are high you know Josh Johnson better for his TikTok, where he has 2.2 million subscribers. Few comedians hustle on social media harder than Johnson, who’s constantly workshopping new material with his followers.
Bari Weiss seeks more than $200 million for Substack media company, The Free Press
Weiss, former The New York Times op-ed editor and writer known for her controversial takes, reportedly met with Skydance owner David Ellison about selling her latest venture. According to Financial Times, valuation for The Free Press is anywhere from $200 million to $250 million. Just goes to show that even your wildest Substack dreams may one day come true.
Who to Watch
Ryan Trahan
Only five more days to go in Ryan Trahan’s ambitious 50 states in 50 days series, and the YouTuber has already raised over $9.4 million for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. There have been countless TV specials designed to raise money for charity. But there’s an intimacy and sense of community to Trahan’s project that goes beyond the typical charity play.
Bonus Content
Inside Zuckerberg’s AI Playbook: Billions in Compute, a Talent Arms Race, and a New Vision for Meta (via Wired)
AI-generated songs are showing up under deceased artists on Spotify (via Mashable)
YouTube Shorts is adding an image-to-video AI tool, new AI effects (via TechCrunch)