Taylor Swift rewrote podcast records when she appeared with Travis Kelce and his brother, Jason, on their New Heights episode Wednesday.

TNS

It was quite possibly Taylor Swift’s most intimate and organic interview—and it all happened on a sports podcast.

Swift Takes New Heights

Swift was the guest Aug. 13 on “New Heights,” hosted by Jason Kelce and his brother, Travis, who is, of course, Swift’s boyfriend. The episode attracted 1.3 million viewers on YouTube within the first hour.

That was just the beginning.

The stream of the 124-minute episode—which suffered an unexpected blackout at the hour and 45-minute mark–amassed more than 6 million views in just five hours, shattering podcast viewership records.

Launched in 2022 and named for the Kelces’ home area near Cleveland, “New Heights” started as a space for two Super Bowl-winning brothers to debate football. Swift’s appearance and revelations that followed turned it into must-watch viewing for Swifties, sports fans and everyone in between, propelling sports podcasts into an entirely new realm.

Record-Breaking Numbers

Attracting 13 million YouTube views within a day and another 400 million views from social media clips, the episode marked a milestone for video podcasting and showed the platform has transcended its conventional space.

The previous high-water mark: Joe Rogan’s October 2024 interview with presidential candidate Donald Trump, which drew 800,000.

It was a power move from one of America’s most powerful celebrity couples. The rarely interviewed Swift broke major news about herself—from her upcoming album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” to insights about the pair’s relationship, along with reflections on her Eras Tour and how she felt regaining posession of her song catalogue.

It was the ultimate home-field advantage for Swift to be interviewed by her romantic partner of two years, but she showed a side of herself rarely seen in public.

She also talked football, offering her views on coverage schemes, drafting tactics and player strengths—even trolling those who expressed fatigue over her exposure at NFL games with this line: “As we all know, you guys have a lot of male sports fans that listen to your podcast. And we all know that if there’s one thing that male sports fans want to see in their spaces and on their screens, it’s more of me.”

The episode, which boosted the show’s subscribers from 2.85 million to 2.94 million, proved that sports podcasts going beyond Xs and Os can become a mainstream cultural touchstone. The blending sports with personality, lifestyle, and entertainment pulled in an audience from far and wide.

From iPods to Influencers: Sports Podcasting’s Rise

The Swift and podcast eras concurrently launched in the mid-2000s. Apple’s release of the iPod and the rising availability of RSS feeds opened the door for the delivery of high-quality MP3 files on demand to personal devices. Swift released her self-titled debut album in October 2006, around the same time ESPN began re-releasing radio shows like “Mike & Mike” and “The Dan Patrick Show” as downloadable, conversational episodes.

Sports podcasting hit its stride in 2007 with Bill Simmons’ “The B.S. Report,” mixing NBA talk, pop culture, interviews, and storytelling.

In 2016 Barstool Sports brought “Pardon My Take” online, reaching a 2025 peak of 1.5 million listeners, making it arguably the most popular sports podcast.

Shows like “Knuckleheads” and “I Am Athlete” gave fans direct access to athletes—and vice versa—as YouTube and TikTok led to the rise in video podcasts.

When Travis and Jason Kelce jumped into the podcast fray, the brothers were already known for their fan and media engagement. Travis was a two-time Super Bowl winner with a healthy stable of endorsement deals. Jason, who celebrated the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2018 Super Bowl championship dressed as a Mummer, is embedded in the city’s sports lore.

The podcast provided a way to connect with fans without mainstream sports journalism filters.

Their family focus put Jason’s wife, Kylie, in the spotlight as well. Her highly successful podcast, “Not Gonna Lie (with Kylie Kelce)”, launched in December 2024, talking parenting and women in sports. Kylie’s visit on the “New Heights” podcast had produced the show’s highest ratings—until Wednesday.

From Bro Culture to Broader Appeal

Sports-focused podcasts have long catered to a “bro culture”–hyper-masculine banter and locker-room-style humor and a tone built around male insiders. For many audiences, it works.

Shows like “The Pat McAfee Show” and “Spittin’ Chicklets” thrive on that model of men talking sports in a way that appeals to other men.

“New Heights,” however, breaks the mold.

Even before Swift’s appearance, the show’s light-hearted banter around football, family and pop culture resonated with women and men alike. Female listenership was at 32%. After Swift and the Kelce connected, the audience rose to a 50-50 split.

A Blueprint for the Future

Whatever Taylor Swift does attracts outsized attention, and her debut on the Kelce brothers’ podcast was no exception. But the impact may extend far beyond a ratings spike.

The show’s blend of sports, entertainment and personal storytelling isn’t just a winning formula for one episode on one night. Instead, it’s evidence of where sports podcasting is going.

If “New Heights” is any indication, the most successful shows moving forward will do more than break down players and games; they will redefine sports as part of a larger cultural and societal conversation.