Joe Rogan has been dethroned as America’s number one podcaster on YouTube by a staunchly anti-MAGA, “pro-democracy” show.
After months of sharply criticizing President Donald Trump’s actions, decisions and rhetoric, the left-leaning MeidasTouch Podcast overtook the Joe Rogan Experience for the first time last week, according to YouTube’s weekly ranking of top podcast shows.
While Rogan’s 20.1 million YouTube followers dwarf MeidasTouch’s 5.2 million, the podcasting giant’s show finished in second place. Progressive YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen and conservative-leaning Sean Ryan’s shows also made the top ten.
The MeidasTouch Podcast saw its rankings climb in July as Trump attempted to appease Congress, the media, and voters over his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case, with episodes zeroing in on the president’s past ties to and comments about the disgraced financier.
According to a May New York Times report, with the rise of video podcasting, YouTube is now the most popular platform for listeners with a one-third market share.
“We’re thrilled to see our audience continue to grow,” MeidasTouch Network co-founder Ben Meislas said in a statement Wednesday. “It's not just about the numbers. It's about building a movement powered by truth, accountability, and the people.”
On Spotify, however, Rogan remains king, taking the number one spot, while MeidasTouch secured the 73rd spot on the audio streaming company’s U.S. podcast charts.
A similar trend appeared on Apple Podcasts’ U.S. charts, where the Joe Rogan Experience ranks second, bested only by ABC News’ Cold Blooded: Mystery in Alaska, and the MeidasTouch Podcast comes in 17th.
According to data analyzed by Newsweek using podcast analytics platform Podscribe, the MeidasTouch Podcast was the most downloaded podcast overall between June 7 and July 7.
The data showed MeidasTouch amassed 124 million views in that period, with Rogan scooping the second spot with 39.2 million views.
The three brothers who produce the show, Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas, say they have seen ratings soar since Trump returned to the White House in January.
The siblings formed the self-styled “pro-democracy” MeidasTouch Network in March 2020 as a super PAC with the sole purpose of preventing Trump from being reelected in that year’s presidential contest.
While the PAC changed its name to Democracy Defense Action, the MeidasTouch Network name continues to be used as a news organization.
By February this year, the MeidasTouch Podcast was ranked the most downloaded podcast, according to Podscribe data.
“We're proving that pro-democracy voices are not just necessary but in demand,” Brett Meislas told Newsweek at the time. “The American people are rejecting the idea that MAGA is mainstream.”
These latest numbers mark a shift from the dominance of Rogan and other conservative-leaning hosts like Adin Ross, Lex Fridman, and Ben Shapiro, many of whom hosted Trump as he courted the so-called “bro vote” ahead of the 2024 election.
Many of those figures appear to be breaking away from Trump, including Rogan, who said Trump’s lack of transparency over the Epstein case is “a line in the sand.”
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