AF Post, a publication that claims to post news "from an America First perspective," shared a screenshot via its account on X, formerly Twitter, showing a new list of the current most popular U.S. podcasts on Spotify. The top four include several conservative names.
At the top is Joe Rogan's The Joe Rogan Experience, which has come under fire for platforming the far-right and white nationalists as well as for lending credence to anti-vaxxer views and COVID-19 conspiracy theories. Recently, Rogan mocked transgender people and vaccines in a new Netflix comedy special that was a hit among conservatives.
The Tucker Carlson Show is just beneath it—concerning for a program hosted by a man who was dismissed by Fox News and had his show canceled after being named in the Dominion Voting Systems v. Fox News Network defamation lawsuit for airing false claims about the plaintiff company's voting machines. Fox News settled the case for $787.5 million and was required to acknowledge that the broadcasted statements were false.
At number three is Candace, hosted by far-right personality Candace Owens. Owens has repeatedly attacked the LGBTQ+ community on her program, particularly transgender people. She has referred to gay people as "perverts" and claimed she would beat her own grandchild if she ever found out they were transgender.
And in fourth place, though unrelated, is Talk Tuah, hosted by Haliey Welch, who became known as the "Hawk tuah girl" earlier this year after she went viral for a response she gave during a street interview describing the sound made when spitting on a man's penis during oral sex.
You can see the post below.
Spotify
People certainly had thoughts about what these stats say about our current polarized political moment.
A 2023 Pew Research Center study revealed that Republicans who listen to podcasts tend to trust the news they hear on these platforms more than from other sources. They are also more likely to report encountering information they wouldn’t find elsewhere, along with hearing political opinions.
Most podcast listeners from both parties believe the news they hear is generally accurate, with 88% of Democrats and 87% of Republicans agreeing. However, 46% of Republicans say they trust podcast news more than other media sources, compared to just 19% of Democrats. Additionally, Republicans are less likely to follow podcasts linked to traditional news outlets (14% vs. 26% of Democrats).
This pattern could reflect the broader distrust many Republicans have toward mainstream media. Forty percent of Republicans say they frequently hear news on podcasts that they wouldn’t find elsewhere, while only 21% of Democrats feel the same.
Republican listeners are also more inclined to consume political content through podcasts, with 31% tuning in to shows featuring opinions on government and politics, compared to 21% of Democrats.
