Richest Podcasters – From The Obamas To Bill Gates To Oprah
Podcasting has been around since the early 2000s. Today’s richest podcasters include some of the people you already saw on TV, in the movies, and in public service.
Author:Alex MercerReviewer:Nathanial BlackwoodJul 05, 202219.7K Shares821.7K Views
But before presenting them, here’s a quick trip down memory lane about podcasting, plus a bit of info.
If a blog is an online journal/content and a vlog is a video vlog, a podcast is an audio blog. One can listen to it on or download it from the internet.
A podcast host, aka podcaster, is basically someone who does podcasting. He/she hosts a podcast and could even be the writer.
In his article “Audible Revolution,” published by The Guardian in 2004, Ben Hammersley used the term “audioblogging.”
The British broadcaster likewise mentioned “podcasting.”
Hammersley acknowledged iPods as one of those that revolutionized online radio.
In 2005, during Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference, Steve Jobs (1955–2011) introduced the term “podcasting” to the audience.
Donning his signature look of long sleeve black shirt and jeans, the late Apple co-founder said:
“„‘Podcasting’ . . . is a concatenation of ‘iPod’ and ‘broadcasting.’
Long after his demise, Jobs, who’s net worth when he died at 56 was $10.5 billion, per The U.S. Sun, has been a podcast topic from time to time.
Disclaimer, though: the richest podcasters mentioned here did not get wealthy from podcasting.
They were already well-heeled before they tried podcasting.
In addition, the net worth of the richest podcasters mentioned below are in U.S. dollars and are just estimates.
Digital Download: Podcast trends for 2022
Ladies First – Richest Female Podcasters
In a 2019 interview with Voice of America, Melinda Gates underscored once more women empowerment.
For Gates, an empowered woman is one who can freely express herself.
“„If she has her voice and can take any decision, then she is fully empowered . . . [and] they empower everybody else around them.”
Among the richest podcasters right now are women who decided that it’s time to speak their minds on important matters.
Feel free to listen to these empowered women:
1. Katie Couric, 65 (net worth: $110 million)
The multi-awarded journalist hosts Next Question with Katie Couric.
In June 2022, Couric talked entirely about abortion, a current trending topic in the U.S.
2. Michelle Obama, 58 (net worth: $70 million)
Citing a 2022 estimate by Forbes, however, another online source indicated an amount way bigger than that.
Per CAknowledge.com, it’s $110 million.
In 2013, according to The Richest, the former first lady’s net worth was $11.8 million.
A 2019 Spotify deal led to The Michelle Obama Podcast.
CNN reported in April 2022 that Spotify didn’t renew the deal, which will expire in December 2022.
Obama signed a new podcasting deal with Audible, an Amazon podcast service, in June, according to Fortune.
3. Oprah Winfrey, 68 (net worth: $2.5 billion)
As of July 5, 2022, that’s the real time net worth of the African-American woman hailed as the “Queen of All Media,” according to Forbes.
In 1995, Oprah’s net worth was $340 million.
She became a billionaire in 2003, reported Business Insider, at the age of 49.
Listen to her sharing her thoughts and feelings at Oprah’s Super Soul.
A seasoned journalist, an ex-FLOTUS, an iconic media personality – they belong to today’s richest podcasters.
And they’re all women.
The Talking Men – Richest Male Podcasters
In her book The Female Brain (2006), American neuroscientist Louann Brizendine, M.D., made a controversial claim.
According to the Washington-based nonprofit organization National Public Radio (NPR), that line is this:
“„A woman uses about 20,000 words per day while a man uses about 7,000.
Nearly a year after her book came out, the journal Sciencepublished in 2007 a study showing that men are as talkative as women.
Aside from being “talkative,” these men also happen to be some of the richest podcasters we have now:
1. Bill Gates, 66 (net worth: $124.1 billion)
Per Forbes, that’s his real time net worth.
Melinda Gates has been empowering women across the globe since she and her ex-husband established the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000.
Too bad she didn’t have a podcast – but her former hubby did.
The Microsoft co-founder found a podcasting partner in the daughter of distinguished musician-composer-record producer Quincy Jones.
The two talked about, among other things, COVID-19 and climate change in Bill Gates and Rashida Jones Ask Big Questions.
Their last podcast, Can People Really Change?, was uploaded on December 14, 2020.
Jones, 46, an actress-screenwriter, has a net worth of $25 million, per Celebrity Net Worth.
2. Reid Hoffman, 54 (net worth: $2 billion)
Some three years after its creation, the LinkedIn co-founder sold the popular social network to Microsoft in 2016.
For how much? For a cool $26.2 billion.
Apparently one of the richest podcasters, Hoffman hosts Masters of Scale.
Started in 2017, the podcast, according to its website, aims “to democratize entrepreneurship.”
In Hoffman’s latest podcast, Break It ’Til You Make It, Michael Dell, the 57-year-old founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, joined him as guest.
3. Barack Obama, 60 (net worth: $70 million)
The former POTUS (the 44th; 2009–2017) shares that net worth with wife, Michelle, whom he has been married to since 1992.
Mr. and Mrs. Obama have a separate podcast.
Barack Obama teamed up with singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen to host Renegade: Born in the USA
Their podcasts primarily covered key issues in the country, such as the “American Dream,” “income inequality,” “cultural appropriation,” and “American unification.”
They also talked about the “American innocence” of the ‘60s and their views on starting a family and being a father.
4. Joe Rogan, 54 (net worth: $120 million)
The former host of the hit American reality show Fear Factorhave worn several hats these past years.
Joe Rogan is a TV and film actor, an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) commentator, and a stand-up comedian.
In 2020, through a contract with Spotify for The Joe Rogan Experience, he debuted as a podcaster.
Based on various sources, the podcasting deal was reportedly worth $200 million.
Currently he’s one of the richest podcasters people – approximately 11 million per episode, according to The Hollywood Reporter – listen to.
Prior to his podcasting, Rogan’s net worth as of 2019, per Money Inc, was $25 million.
5. Dave Ramsey, 61 (net worth: $200 million)
For those seeking professional guidance from a proven financial expert and successful entrepreneur, then tune in to The Ramsey Show.
Ramsey offers advice on money, taxes, career, real estate, insurance, retirement, etc.
According to his website, he captures an estimated 23 million listeners (podcasts and radio shows) every week.
Per Investopedia, Ramsey’s net worth when he was 26 was a little above $1 million.
6. Bill Simmons, 52 (net worth: $100 million)
If sports is what you crave for, then tune in to The Bill Simmons Podcast.
This sports writer and analyst founded the sports website The Ringer, launched in 2016.
Its eponymous YouTube channel, with approximately 427,000 subscribers, has already gotten 121.1 billion views as of this writing.
In March 2020, reported Forbes, Spotify acquired “The Ringer” and paid Bill Simmons a whopping $155 million.
But that’s just the “initial pay-out,” according to Forbes.
The Verge reported that the total sale could reach almost $200 million, with Variety mentioning the specific amount of $196 million.
As of June 4, 2020, Forbes placed the net worth of Simmons at $82.5 million.
The richest podcasters in this category bank on their personal and work-related experiences to deliver to the public authentic and valid pieces of advice.
Waving The Rainbow Flag – Richest LGBT Podcasters
Under this category, the first mentioned came out in public as gay only in 2012 at 45. The second one has been proud and loud, so to speak, since the ‘90s.
Here are two of the richest podcasters belonging to the LGBTQ+ community.
1. Anderson Cooper, 55 (net worth: $50 million)
Care listening to this ex-Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren model and a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) intern?
The Emmy-winning broadcast journalist hosts Anderson Cooper 360.
In a USA Today article dated October 2021, it stated his net worth at $200 million.
The article dwelled on his decision not to give inheritance to his 2-year-old son, through surrogate pregnancy, Wyatt Morgan Cooper.
Celebrity Net Worth also indicated the same figure, as cited by Yahoo! Finance when it published a report in July 2021 about Cooper’s fortune.
As of writing, Celebrity Net Worth listed his net worth at $50 million.
2. RuPaul, 61 (net worth: $60 million)
What goes on in the mind of the one considered in America, according to Britannica, as “the most famous drag queen . . . in the 1990s and early 21st century?”
Then listen to RuPaul: What's The Tee with Michelle Visage?
Born RuPaul Andre Charles, he has been a judge at the reality competition show RuPaul’s Drag Racesince 2009.
He and close friend Michelle Visage (born Michelle Lynn Shuck) started podcasting together in 2014.
Visage, 53, according to Celebrity Net Worth, has a net worth of $2 million.
Sounds Familiar – Richest Celebrity Podcasters
These celebritiesmade it on the list of richest podcasters when they tried connecting to their fans and the general public through podcasting:
- Alec Baldwin, 64 (net worth: $60 million) – Here’s The Thing with Alec Baldwin
- Kate Hudson, 43 (net worth: $80 million) – Sibling Revelry with Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson
- Trevor Noah, 38 (net worth: $100 million) – The Daily Show with Trevor Noah: Ears Edition
- Demi Moore, 59 (net worth: $200 million) – Dirty Diana(a drama podcast)
- Conan O’Brien, 59 (net worth: $200 million) – Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
- Shaquille O’Neal, 50 (net worth: $400 million) – The Big Podcast With Shaq
- Gwyneth Paltrow, 49 (net worth: $200 million) – The goop Podcast
- Snoop Dogg, 50 (net worth: $150 million) – Snoop Dogg’s GGN Podcast(GNN Double G NewsPodcast)
- Bruce Springsteen, 72 (net worth: $650 million) – Renegade: Born in the USA
- Jon Stewart, 59 (net worth: $120 million) – The Problem with Jon Stewart
Keep Talking
Joe Rogan, one of the richest podcasters mentioned here, makes approximately $800,000 for each episode of The Joe Rogan Experience.
That’s according to podcast hosting platform Castos in a May 2022 article.
Similar to blogs, Facebook pages and YouTube channels, podcasts can be monetized.
Podcasters can earn from ads, affiliate sales, and sponsorships, just to name a few.
Per Statista, there were 120 million podcast listeners in the U.S. in 2021. By 2023, there could be over 160 million of them.
That’s definitely a great motivation for anyone aspiring to become one of the richest podcasters someday.
Alex Mercer
Author
Alex Mercer is a seasoned author and analyst specializing in wealth research, with a keen focus on evaluating the net worth of individuals across various industries. With over a decade of experience in financial analysis and wealth assessment, Alex has developed a nuanced understanding of the factors that contribute to an individual's financial status, from investments and assets to market trends and economic policies. His work involves in-depth reviews and analyses, providing insightful observations on wealth accumulation, management strategies, and the socio-economic implications of wealth distribution.
Throughout his career, Alex has become known for his ability to distill complex financial data into understandable and engaging narratives, making the subject of wealth and net worth accessible to a broad audience. His expertise is not just in numbers but in telling the stories behind them, highlighting the journeys, strategies, and decisions that lead to financial success or challenges. Alex's contributions to the field of wealth research are valuable resources for anyone looking to understand the dynamics of wealth in today's world, offering a unique perspective that bridges the gap between financial analysis and human interest.
Nathanial Blackwood
Reviewer
Nathanial (Nate) Blackwood is a distinguished financial journalist with a decade of experience in net worth analysis. He holds an Economics degree from the University of Finance and a Data Analysis certification, enabling him to blend thorough insights with engaging storytelling. Nate is known for making complex financial information accessible to a wide audience, earning acclaim for his precise and reader-friendly analyses. Beyond his writing, Nate is dedicated to financial literacy, actively participating in educational forums and workshops.
He is the founder of PureNetWealth, a platform that demystifies the financial achievements of public figures by exploring the strategies and decisions behind their fortunes. Nate's work bridges the gap between intricate economic concepts and the general public, inspiring a deeper understanding of wealth dynamics. Follow Nathanial Blackwood for essential insights into the financial narratives shaping our world.
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