Sherwood News

Podcasts have become a huge part of the election cycle

Joe Rogan’s Trump interview has racked up 34 million YouTube views since Saturday.

10/28/24 12:15PM

Thousands of Donald Trump supporters were left waiting at a rally in Michigan on Friday, after the Republican candidate rearranged his packed schedule to record a three-hour interview with Joe Rogan — a clear testament to the power of podcasting in this year’s election.

Though he’d previously ruled out hosting Trump on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which currently counts just under 16 million global Spotify followers, Rogan — like many other podders this election cycle — opened his platform to the presidential candidate, covering topics from election fraud to environmental concerns across the interview. The episode has a good chance of becoming the most-watched video on the channel, having already racked up 34 million views in just three days. The current tally already puts the Trump episode in fourth place out of the 3,200+ videos that have propelled the JRE YouTube channel to more than 5.5 billion total views.

It’s not just Donald Trump sitting down for interviews with big names in the space like Rogan, Theo Von, and Logan Paul, either, with Kamala Harris appearing on Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” and hit podcast “All The Smoke” within the last month or so. Doing the rounds on popular podcasts has become an essential part of campaigning this year as the medium’s popularity continues to grow. A record 47% of Americans aged 12 and over reported listening to a podcast in the last month, per Edison Research’s annual The Infinite Dial report.

While Joe Rogan, who renewed his Spotify deal (minus the exclusivity clause) for an estimated $250 million earlier this year, is way out in front in terms of Spotify followers, Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” boasts a not inconsiderable 4.3 million followers around the world, while Theo Von’s “This Past Weekend” counts 1.4 million.

Millie Giles

AWARDS FUNDS

3/13/26

It might be less expensive to make an Oscar-winning movie than you think

Three of the 10 Best Picture nominees at this year’s Academy Awards had production budgets of $10 million or less.

Saleah Blancaflor3/9/26

Prediction markets show “One Battle After Another” leads in Oscar race for Best Picture

It’s finally Oscars week — and with voting officially closed, all that’s left to do is count the ballots and wait to see who wins this Sunday night.

This year, the acting categories have been the most interesting to watch, especially the showdown between “Marty Supreme” star Timothée Chalamet and “Sinners” actor Michael B. Jordan for Best Actor. While Chalamet was long the favorite, Jordan has caught up and overtaken him after winning the Actor Award.

(Event contracts are offered through Robinhood Derivatives, LLC — probabilities referenced or sourced from KalshiEx LLC or ForecastEx LLC.)

But perhaps the most exciting race of all is for Best Picture. Out of the 10 nominees, the two at the top are Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” and Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” both of which are studio releases from Warner Bros. Discovery.

Which will win the top prize seems to be split among award pundits and experts. As of Monday afternoon, Gold Derby still has “One Battle After Another” as the front-runner with odds of 76.87%. AwardsWatch, AwardsRadar, and Numlock Awards are also still predicting that “One Battle After Another” will take the statue for Best Picture.

On the other side, reporters from some major trade publications like Variety’s Clayton Davis and The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg predict that “Sinners” will take the top honor.

Odds in the prediction markets currently show that “One Battle After Another” is still ahead of “Sinners,” with the former priced in at 75% while the latter is priced at 23%.

Millie Giles

not into mezzo

3/9/26

Timothée Chalamet has upset opera and ballet fans a week before the Oscars

The actor’s comments have riled up the classical arts communities with the Academy Awards fast approaching.

Millie Giles

ALL-TIME SOLO

3/6/26

Dinner and a show — for one. More Americans are doing things solo.

With searches for dining alone peaking and a fifth of Broadway theater tickets now being bought by single visitors, the solo leisure market appears to be booming.

Saleah Blancaflor3/2/26

Prediction markets show Jordan catching up to Chalamet following Actor Awards

The Screen Actors Guild hosted its Actor Awards on Sunday, with the film awards closely monitored ahead of the Academy Awards. The Best Supporting Actor and Actress races remain suspenseful as Sean Penn (“One Battle After Another”) and Amy Madigan (“Weapons”) took home the Actor Awards in those respective categories, shifting the odds in both markets predicting who’ll take home the Oscar.

(Event contracts are offered through Robinhood Derivatives, LLC — probabilities referenced or sourced from KalshiEx LLC or ForecastEx LLC.)

But the most exciting race is for Best Actor. Several award pundits and experts predicted that “Marty Supreme” star Timothée Chalamet was a lock for the Actor Award despite his loss at the BAFTA Film Awards the previous weekend. But a few suggested that either “Blue Moon” lead Ethan Hawke or Michael B. Jordan could receive the honor instead. And that’s exactly what happened when the “Sinners” star was announced as the winner.

While some have pointed out that the Actor Awards aren’t a reliable signifier for who will win the Oscar (Demi Moore and Chalamet received the SAG honors last year, but didn’t win the Oscar), it certainly puts Jordan at a higher advantage and makes the Best Actor race closer than it’s ever been. Chalamet previously had a higher lead in the prediction markets, but markets are now pricing in a 49% chance he takes the Oscar while Jordan’s odds have risen to 40%.

Podcasts have become a huge part of the election cycle

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Prediction markets show “One Battle After Another” leads in Oscar race for Best Picture

Prediction markets show Jordan catching up to Chalamet following Actor Awards

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