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Podcasting has risen in popularity as a go-to source of entertainment.
Whether interview-based, true-crime or comedy, the people behind the mic have attracted massive engagement and are earning eight figures from their shows through distribution, brand partnerships, and other lucrative deals.
Forbes compiled a list of the highest-paid podcasters in the space. Among them is Jay Shetty, who kickstarted his podcast “On Purpose” in 2019. He spoke to the outlet about how it has transformed throughout the years in a medium where visuals weren’t initially popular.
“Now we had the four largest streamers bidding for the show,” Shetty said in an interview with Forbes. “To see that kind of interest and enthusiasm was pretty amazing – for me and for the industry overall.”
Who are the highest-paid podcasters? See if your fave made the list
Here are the top paid podcasters for 2026, according to Forbes.
- Joe Rogan (“The Joe Rogan Experience”) – $82 million
- John Coogan and Jordi Hays (“TBPN”) – $70 million
- Steven Bartlett (“The Diary of a CEO) – $45 million
- Ashley Flowers (“Crime Junkie”) – $42 million
- Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes (“SmartLess”) – $37 million
- Mel Robbins (“The Mel Robbins Podcast”) – $35 million
- Jason and Travis Kelce (“New Heights”) – $35 million
- Alex Cooper (“Call Her Daddy”) – $32 million
- Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer and Tommy Vietor (“Pod Saves America”) – $28 million
- Charlamagne Tha God (“The Breakfast Club”) – $27 million
- Dax Shepard (“Armchair Expert”) – $25 million
- Amy Poehler (“Good Hang”) – $24 million
- Bill Simmons (“The Bill Simmons Podcast”) – $22 million
- Jay Shetty (“On Purpose”) – $21 million
- Joe Budden (“The Joe Budden Podcast”) – $20 million
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected].
