Podcasting has grown into one of media’s most lucrative arenas, and a new ranking has put the industry’s biggest earners in the spotlight.
On Thursday, Forbes unveiled its list of the 20 highest-paid podcast stars of 2026, drawing from major names across entertainment, sports, business and technology.
Some of the top performers have built their empires around high-profile interviews, including Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper, while Charlamagne tha God continues to lean into a more classic shock-jock radio style with his flagship program The Breakfast Club.
Others have found success through different lanes, including author and host Mel Robbins, whose self-titled podcast has turned a self-help format into a major commercial force.
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for the top 10 podcasters on the list for comment.
At No. 1 is no surprise: Joe Rogan, the interview powerhouse behind The Joe Rogan Experience.
On Thursday, Forbes ranked the 20 highest-paid podcast stars of 2026 across entertainment, sports, business and tech. Several of the names highlighted are known for major celebrity interviews, including Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper, pictured in January in Beverly Hills
Others have built their brands on a more traditional shock-jock radio approach, including Charlamagne Tha God, co-host of The Breakfast Club; he is pictured in 2024 in Austin, Texas
The author and eponymous host of The Mel Robbins Podcast (pictured in 2018), has managed to succeed with a winning self-help formula
According to the publication, the 58-year-old comedian–turned–actor–turned–podcaster earned an astounding $82 million this year.
Rogan has interviewed many of the biggest names in numerous industries in recent years, even as the controversy surrounding him has only grown.
The talk show star’s embrace of right-wing figures and pseudoscience peddlers, as well as his endorsement of Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 US presidential election, has made him a lightning rod for controversy.
Rogan’s spot at the top of the list elicited a fiery response from comedian and talk show host Chelsea Handler, who jumped into the comments of Forbes’s Instagram post announcing the list.
She was particularly incensed at Rogan’s salary, which she found unwarranted due to misinformation shared on his show.
‘WHO IS PAYING JOE ROGAN 82 million? Give that to our vets, or our children!!!’ she wrote in a fury.
Handler wondered how it was possible that Rogan could be paid ’82 million to be completely uninformed and say “whoopsie doodle,” every time he’s wrong, which is FREQUENT?’
Not far behind Rogan on Forbes’s list are John Coogan and Jordi Hays of the Technology Business Programming Network (TBPN), who collectively earned a reported $70 million for 2026.
Topping the list is – unsurprisingly – interview juggernaut Joe Rogan, the host of the Joe Rogan Experience. According to the publication, the 58-year-old comedian–turned–actor–turned–podcaster earned an astounding $82 million this year; seen June 13 in Washington, DC
Rogan’s embrace of right-wing figures and pseudoscience has outraged many listeners, and his spot at the top of the list elicited a fiery response from comedian Chelsea Handler, who jumped into the comments of Forbes’s Instagram post announcing the list; seen in May in LA
She was shocked at how much Rogan was making and suggested better ways to use the $82 million, including giving it to ‘our vets, or our children!!!’
The tech-focused podcast has had incredible growth, going from attracting $5 million in advertising in its first year to $30 million the following year. TBPN got another massive payday when OpenAI bought the network for around $150 million in cash and stock options.
The third spot on the list belongs to a similarly business-focused host, Steven Bartlett of the Diary Of A CEO podcast.
According to the publication, Bartlett — who hails from the United Kingdom — earned $45 million this year. The show reportedly posted its highest revenue to date in the first quarter of 2026 after airing for nine years.
Fourth on the list is true-crime hitmaker Ashley Flowers.
Flowers is the host of the Crime Junkie podcast, which reportedly made $42 million in 2026.
She is also the founder of the podcast network Audiochuck, which scored a $150 million deal for distribution with Tubi and Red Seat Ventures.
The next podcast, SmartLess, departs from the other entries in the top 10 thanks to its hosting trio of film and television stars.
Longtime pals Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes lead the interview program, which reportedly earned them $37 million this year.
The third spot on the list belongs to a similarly business-focused host, Steven Bartlett of the Diary Of A CEO podcast. According to the publication, Bartlett — who hails from the United Kingdom — earned $45 million this year; seen in June in Cannes, France
Fourth on the list is true-crime hitmaker Ashley Flowers. Flowers is the host of the Crime Junkie podcast, which reportedly made $42 million in 2026; pictured in 2024 in Beverly Hills
SmartLess, departs from the other entries in the top 10 thanks to its hosting trio of film and TV stars. Longtime pals Will Arnett (center), Jason Bateman (R) and Sean Hayes (R) lead the interview program, which reportedly earned them $37 million this year; seen in January in LA
Even as the actors have joined forces to interview a who’s-who of Hollywood stars, they’ve managed to stay busy with their on-screen projects.
The sixth highest-paid podcaster of 2026 is the self-help author Mel Robbins, who hosts The Mel Robbins Podcast.
Robbins, 57, was said to have earned an impressive $35 million this year thanks to her podcast, and she had already made a windfall with the success of her self-help book The Let Them Theory, which was published toward the end of 2024.
Taylor Swift fans will recognize the seventh highest-paid podcasting duo, Travis and Jason Kelce.
The brothers and NFL stars have been co-hosting their hit show New Heights since 2022, and their popularity has boomed thanks to Travis’s high-profile relationship with – and now marriage to – Swift.
The brothers have secured a massive payday for years to come after scoring a $100 million deal with the Amazon-owned Wondery in 2024, and Forbes reported that they earned $35 million this year.
Alex Cooper landed at number eight on the list due to the success of her Call Her Daddy podcast.
According to Forbes, Cooper, 31, was paid an eye-watering $31 million for 2026 as part of a deal she signed with SiriusXM in 2024 for as much as $125 million.
The sixth highest-paid podcaster of 2026 is self-help author Mel Robbins of The Mel Robbins Podcast. Robbins, 57, earned an $35 million this year from her podcast, and she already made a windfall with her self-help book The Let Them Theory; seen in April 2025 in Boston
Taylor Swift fans will recognize the seventh highest-paid podcasting duo, Travis and Jason Kelce. The brothers and NFL stars have been co-hosting their hit show New Heights since 2022, and Forbes reported that they earned $35 million this year; seen in February
Alex Cooper landed at number eight on the list due to the success of her Call Her Daddy podcast. According to Forbes, Cooper, 31, was paid an eye-watering $31 million for 2026 as part of a deal she signed with SiriusXM in 2024 for as much as $125 million; seen in February
The only purely political podcast in the top 10 is Pod Save America, the liberal talk show co-hosted by Obama administration veterans Jon Favreau (far left), Jon Lovett (not pictured), Dan Pfeiffer (center left) and Tommy Vietor (center right); pictured with California Governor Gavin Newsom in 2024
The quartet was reportedly paid $28 million this year for Pod Save America. In 2017, three of the four hosts founded Crooked Media, which has focused on similarly left-of-center politics; co-host Jon Lovett is pictured in 2018 in Boston
Rounding out the top 10 is The Breakfast Club co-host Charlamagne tha God, who was paid $27 million for 2026; pictured in 2018 in Boston
Cooper was swept up in controversy early this year when she and fellow podcaster Alix Earle began feuding publicly after Cooper’s podcast network Unwell dropped Earle’s show Hot Mess.
The only purely political podcast in the top 10 is Pod Save America, the liberal talk show co-hosted by Obama administration veterans Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer and Tommy Vietor.
The quartet was reportedly paid $28 million this year for Pod Save America. In 2017, three of the four hosts founded Crooked Media, which has focused on similarly left-of-center politics.
The show and its network’s fortunes looked bright after Crooked Media signed a deal with SiriusXM in 2022, but the network proved to be big enough to switch over to the distributor Audioboom earlier this year to reportedly allow it to keep more of its operations within the fold.
Favreau, Lovett, Pfeiffer and Vietor are also expanding into television via a deal with MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), which will edit Pod Save America episodes to be broadcast on TV.
Rounding out the top 10 is The Breakfast Club co-host Charlamagne tha God, who was paid $27 million for 2026.
The 48-year-old shock jock’s show signed a massive contract with iHeart Media in December 2025, and the five-year deal could be worth up to $200 million.
