by L.A. Mood Comics and Games

By Dan Brown

If you’re a celebrity, and you really want to stand out from the crowd, there’s one sure way to set yourself apart.

Don’t launch a podcast.

That’s because, at this point in the evolution of podcasting, EVERYBODY in the entertainment industry has one.

Former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama has a podcast. Bowen Yang from Saturday Night Live has a podcast. So does Taylor Swift’s husband-to-be. 

Conan O’Brien has one, as do Oprah Winfrey, Amy Poehler, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Movie star Kate Hudson has a podcast, as well as Anderson Cooper, Anna Faris, David Tenant, Woody Harrelson, Ellen Pompeo, and Ricki Lake.

They are so ubiquitous, even reality star Snooki from Jersey Shore has a podcast. Yes, Snooki.

So at this point, those entertainers who don’t have a weekly show on YouTube are in the outnumbered minority.

Why would you want to be just another jerk with a podcast anyway? 

I guess the easy money is the lure. Just be your A-list self, tell all of your old boring stories, and get ready for the dollars to come rolling in. 

I realize it’s not that easy, but that seems to be the dream for many stars.

Celebrity podcasts in 2025 are like blogs were in about 2007.

At that time, everyone in the media felt like they had to have a blog.

I was once the new-media expert at a legacy-media outlet and I would have journalists coming up to me saying, “Should I have a blog?” not “I really want to blog.”

And when they discovered blogging wasn’t easy, and building an audience required a lot of effort, they would abandon their blogs after about three days.

The celebrity incursion into the podcasting world must also really burn people who are native podcasters – who actually put in the hours to make their podcast a success without the benefit of a well-known name.

There is one good aspect to this flood of celebrities, though. It makes the podcasts that are truly special stand out all that much more.

I’m talking about such shows as Under the Influence, which examines advertising culture, and Gracefully and Frankly, aimed at women of a certain age – queenagers. These are both pods I listen to regularly and they aren’t built on the fame of their hosts, but the quality of their content. They’re fun and educational.

These podcasts are worth a listen because they have engaging hosts who are talented broadcasters and thought-provoking conversationalists. Not because they met Tom Cruise at a party once. 

How out of control has the explosion of celeb podcasts become?

Yes, dear reader, even I had a podcast once. And I’m a nobody!

Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 33 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.