The highest-paid podcasters

From Podnews Daily - podcast industry news Podnews LLC

Sponsored by SpotsNow. Want to fill more ad space? SpotsNow's AI Search routes advertisers to the right shows by audience fit, at the time of planning. Set up a free account, list your shows, and requests land straight in your ad sales inbox. Book a demo today

Forbes has published a list of the twenty Highest-Paid Podcasters of 2026. The full list is, ironically, behind a paywall; the top five is Joe Rogan The Joe Rogan Experience($82mn) at #1, John Coogan and Jordi Hayes of TBPN($70mn), Steven Bartlett of Diary of a CEO ($45mn), Ashley Flowers of Crime Junkie ($42mn), and Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes from SmartLess ($37mn). Charlamagne Tha God is at #10, earning $27mn.
- For the networks, Spotify has four shows; SiriusXM has three; Red Seat Ventures and Wondery have two each.
- For context - the #2, TBPN seems to have about 6,800 views per episode on its YouTube podcast, and Podscribe suggests its audio podcast attracts an estimated 1,600 listeners a month.
Financial results: Apple released its Q3/26 financial results. "Services" revenue, under which Apple Podcasts revenue falls, was up +12% year-on-year to $30.7bn ... SiriusXM released its Q2/26 financial results. The company doesn't split out its podcast financials in its report, combining it with its declining Pandora business; however, in the earnings call, CEO Jennifer Witz revealed that podcasting revenue is up +30% year-on-year.
Audiobook publisher Podium Entertainment - different to podcast network Podium, or Podium - is to repurpose 35 Realm fiction podcasts into audiobooks. The audio will be reformatted as single audiobook releases.

Classifieds - your job or ad here

This one mistake kills podcast → client conversion — Most coaches & consultants accidentally design episodes that suppress sales. This free case study shows you the 3 elements every episode needs to attract, prime, and convert your ideal buyers fast.
AudienceLift.com - YouTube Growth + Subs 🌟 — 🌟 AudienceLift.com – YouTube Growth + Subs Get real subscribers, more views, and lasting channel growth. Your shortcut to YouTube success. Book Now!

Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Beehiiv, The $100 MBA, Podbean, Cloud10, The Podglomerate, Libsyn, Scicomm Media, RedCircle, Sounds Profitable, Simplecast, Podscribe, Cohost, PAVE Studios, Magid, The Content Creator's Accountant, Audiohook, audioBoom, Jar Podcast Solutions, Awesound, Podpage websites, Acast, We Edit Podcasts