Overview of the Controversy

In a recent episode of WFAN's "Boomer and Gio," host Gregg Giannotti made his stance clear: he does not buy the assertion that Kylie Kelce's new podcast, “Not Gonna Lie,” has overtaken "The Joe Rogan Experience" as the top podcast on platforms like Spotify and Apple, especially after just one episode.

Giannotti's Reaction

Giannotti expressed his disbelief at the hype surrounding Kelce’s debut episode, aired on December 5, stating, “It’s just so absurd that Spotify would actually claim that. I mean, seriously?” He continued to challenge the credibility of the numbers being reported, emphasizing the vast difference in audience size. “If you look at any of Joe Rogan’s YouTube views compared to whatever the Kelces are doing, come on ... Kylie Kelce has more listeners than Joe Rogan? That’s just not plausible.”

The Impact of Joe Rogan

Highlighting the influence of Rogan’s podcast, Giannotti remarked, “Joe Rogan essentially had an impact on the 2024 presidential election. I didn’t even know [Kylie] had a podcast until now.” Co-host Boomer Esiason quickly joined the discussion, referencing Rogan’s high-profile interviews with prominent figures like Elon Musk and Donald Trump, which he argued swayed many independent voters leading up to the election.

Podcast Metrics

The conversation took a deeper dive into podcast metrics when a producer mentioned that Kelce’s first episode garnered 611,000 views on YouTube. In comparison, Rogan reportedly drew in a staggering 35 million views shortly after launching his early episodes, underscoring the monumental gap between their audiences. As of Wednesday, Kelce’s debut episode has seen an increase to 653,000 views, which, while impressive, still pales in comparison to Rogan’s staggering numbers.

Conclusion and Future Implications

In a world where podcasting has become a battleground for listeners' ears, Giannotti’s skepticism raises an interesting question: Can a fledgling podcast realistically challenge the titans of the industry? As more celebrities dive into the podcasting pool, the competition is only going to heat up, but dethroning someone like Joe Rogan will certainly take more than a single successful episode. What does this mean for the future of podcasting? Stay tuned as we continue to track this compelling story!