Meghan Markle dethrones Joe Rogan as most popular podcast on Spotify – despite critics panning show

On Aug 25, 2022

Meghan Markle has officially dethroned Joe Rogan as the most popular podcast on Spotify – despite critics panning the first episode of her $18 million show as ‘preposterous’ and filled with ‘vapid conversation.’

The former Duchess of Sussex, 41, knocked Joe’s show, The Joe Rogan Experience, out of the number one spot on Spotify’s most-listened to chart on Thursday, two days after releasing her highly-anticipated Archetypes podcast.

During the 57-minute-long first episode, the wife of Prince Harry, 37, discussed some of the struggles that she has faced for being an ‘ambitious’ woman with guest Serena Williams, and made a numerous bombshell revelations about her time as a royal – claiming she was once forced to attend an event moments after her son Archie narrowly escaped a fire in his bedroom.

Her podcast was listened to by millions of people across the globe, and it quickly climbed to the top position in the US, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

Meghan Markle has officially dethroned Joe Rogan as the most popular podcast on Spotify – despite critics panning the first episode of her $18 million show as ‘preposterous’

The former Duchess of Sussex, 41, knocked Joe’s show, The Joe Rogan Experience, out of the number one spot on Spotify’s most-listened to chart with her Archetypes podcast

During the first episode, the wife of Prince Harry, 37, discussed some of the struggles that she has faced for being an ‘ambitious’ woman with guest Serena Williams (seen in 2014)

Meghan and Harry reportedly signed an $18 million, three-year podcast deal with Spotify for the new show – however, they actually inked the contract back in December 2020, so it’s taken them almost two years to produce the first episode.

Despite the long wait, it quickly became the most-listened to show on app, which is most likely a blow to Joe – who has held the top spot on and off for more than two years.

Joe discusses everything from current events and politics to science and philosophy on his weekly podcast, which first premiered back in December 2009.

By October 2015, it was reported that his podcast was being downloaded 16 million times each month, and in May 2020, he signed a licensing deal with Spotify worth an estimated $100 million.

While Forbes reported that the podcaster has prominently stayed on the top of Spotify’s most popular podcast list, this isn’t the first time that he was knocked down to number two.

In September 2021, gaming podcast Banter With Sapnap and Karl Jacobs was briefly ranked number one, and in May 2022, the fiction series Batman Unburied overcame Joe’s podcast.

According to the outlet, each of his episodes now get an upwards of 11 million listeners.

Joe and Meghan actually have a rocky past – as he received hate online when he called the mom-of-two a ‘little American hussy’ in a February 2021 episode of his podcast; soon after, all 113 of his episodes were mysteriously removed from the platform, but returned one week later after he issued an apology.

Her podcast was listened to by millions of people across the globe, and it quickly climbed to the top position in the US, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom

Meghan and Harry (seen in 2019) signed an $18 million podcast deal with Spotify for the new show back in December 2020, so it’s taken them almost two years to produce the first episode

Despite the long wait, it quickly became the most-listened to show on app, which is most likely a blow to Joe – who has held the top spot on and off for more than two years

‘There’s been a lot of s**t from the old episodes of the podcast that I wish I hadn’t said, or had said differently,’ he wrote on Instagram, while addressing the Meghan comment, as well as a racist derogatory that was used on his show.

One month before that, he also came under fire for featuring a doctor named Robert Malone on his podcast, who was accused of sharing miscommunication about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joe discusses everything from current events and politics to science and philosophy on his weekly podcast; each of his episodes now get an upwards of 11 million listeners. He is seen in July

Artists like Joni Mitchell and Neil Young went as far as to remove their music from the platform because of it, with Joni calling on Spotify to ‘establish a clear and public policy to moderate misinformation on its platform’ in a letter posted to her website.

In it, she slammed Joe for ‘promoting baseless conspiracy theories,’ and blasted the streaming service for ‘enabling its hosted media to damage public trust in scientific research and sow doubt in the credibility of data-driven guidance offered by medical professionals.’

A spokesperson for Spotify told the Washington Post at the time, ‘We want all the world’s music and audio content to be available to Spotify users.

‘With that comes great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom for creators.

‘We have detailed content policies in place and we’ve removed over 20,000 podcast episodes related to covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.’

In a wide-ranging discussion on the first episode of her long-awaited Archetypes podcast, Meghan hit out at those who criticized her for being ‘ambitious’ when she started dating Prince Harry; she also spoke out about the ‘pain’ that she has suffered ‘behind closed doors.’

Joe and Meghan actually have a rocky past – as he received hate online when he called the mom-of-two a ‘little American hussy’ in a February 2021 episode of his podcast

Meghan (seen promoting the podcast) hit out at those who criticized her for being ‘ambitious’ when she started dating Prince Harry in the first episode

‘The misconception that if you’re an ambitious woman you have an agenda, you must be calculating or selfish or aggressive, or a climber,’ she said

‘I don’t ever remember personally feeling the negative connotation behind the word ambitious, until I started dating my now husband,’ she stated.

‘And apparently ambition is a terrible, terrible thing. For a woman that is, according to some.

‘So since I felt the negativity behind it, It’s really hard to unfeel it. I can’t unsee it either in the millions of girls and women who make themselves smaller, so much smaller on a regular basis.

‘The notion of ambition comes with many judgements and nuances – especially for women.

‘The misconception that if you’re an ambitious woman you have an agenda, you must be calculating or selfish or aggressive, or a climber.

‘And that if you’re that fierce or strong, or brave then you somehow deserve whatever gets thrown at you – however disproportionate or unfair it may be, and even when it’s more than most could endure. Most men, most anyone.’

She later recalled a horrifying moment that took place in the fall of 2019 while the family was visiting South Africa for a royal tour, in which her toddler son’s nursery caught fire.

‘There was this moment where I’m standing on a tree stump and I’m giving this speech to women and girls, and we finish the engagement, we get in the car and they say there’s been a fire at the residence,’ she said.

‘What? There’s been a fire in the baby’s room. We came back. And, of course, as a mother, you go, “Oh, my God, what?”

‘Everyone’s in tears, everyone’s shaken. And what do we have to do? Go out and do another official engagement. I said, “This doesn’t make any sense.”‘

She later recalled a horrifying moment that took place in 2019 while the family was visiting South Africa, in which her son’s nursery caught fire. The family is seen in during the trip

She claimed she was forced to attend an event moments after the incident, despite being in ‘tears’ and very ‘shaken’ up. She is seen in South Africa

The couple had dropped their son off at the housing unit they were staying in for a nap straight after flying in for their visit, but the pair immediately had to leave to start their tour.

Archie’s then nanny, named only as Lauren had taken him downstairs with her while she went to get a snack, just as the heater in the nursery caught fire.

Meghan explained: ‘In that amount of time that she went downstairs, the heater in the nursery caught on fire.

‘There was no smoke detector. Someone happened to just smell smoke down the hallway, went in, fire extinguished. He was supposed to be sleeping in there.’

The duchess described wanting to tell people what had happened but not being able to.

‘I was like, “Can you just tell people what happened?” And so much, I think, optically, the focus ends up being on how it looks instead of how it feels,’ she continued.

She also stressed the need for more understanding of the ‘human moments behind the scenes.’

‘We had to leave our baby… and even though we were being moved into another place afterwards, we still had to leave him and go do another official engagement,’ she said, to which Serena replied: ‘I couldn’t have done that.’

Archetypes also beat out HBO Max’s House of the Dragon podcast, in which people from the network discussed moments from the new Game of Thrones’ prequel series, as well as Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt’s Girls Next Level podcast.

While the first episode was widely listened to around the globe, it didn’t receive the best critical reception – especially in the UK, where she and her husband-of-four-years used to reside.

While the first episode was widely listened to around the globe, it didn’t receive the best critical reception – especially in the UK, where she and her husband used to reside

The Sunday Times called her podcast ‘preposterous’ and a ‘tastefully sound-tracked parade of banalities, absurdities and self-aggrandizing Californian platitudes’

As fans know, the couple announced that they were stepping back from their royal duties and cutting ties the monarchy in 2020, and have since moved to Los Angeles, California, where they are raising their two kids, Archie, three, and Lilibet, one, in a $14 million mansion.

The Sunday Times called her podcast ‘preposterous’ and a ‘tastefully sound-tracked parade of banalities, absurdities and self-aggrandizing Californian platitudes,’ claiming that it ‘ripped apart the boxes women have been placed into for generations.’

‘The effect of all the tinkly music and vapid conversation is to make you feel you’ve been locked in the relaxation room of a wellness spa with an unusually self-involved yoga instructor,’ the outlet wrote.

‘Even those sympathetic to Meghan’s plight (and I had once thought I might be one of those people) will find that the full hour of an episode of Archetypes will put them in an unusually grumpy mood.’

A reviewer for the Daily Telegraph also said, ‘If the rest of the season is anything like the premiere, what we’re really going to be listening into week after week is Meghan interviewing herself.

‘Maybe the former actress doesn’t realize she’s doing this. Or maybe the plan was always to invite a series of foils on to debate cultural and societal unfairnesses that Meghan has (coincidentally) also been a victim of. Certainly, this week’s offering allows for maximum navel-gazing.’

Reviews of Meghan Markles’ Archetypes podcast

THE TIMES

‘The Duchess of Sussex’s almost entirely preposterous new podcast Archetypes promises to ‘rip apart the boxes women have been placed into for generations’. On the evidence of the first episode – an interview with Serena Williams – it won’t really do this at all.’

‘The podcast is a tastefully sound tracked parade of banalities, absurdities and self-aggrandizing Californian platitudes. The effect of all the tinkly music and vapid conversation is to make you feel you’ve been locked in the relaxation room of a wellness spa with an unusually self-involved yoga instructor.’

DAILY TELEGRAPH

‘The podcast is an interview with this inspirational sporting figure in name only. If the rest of the season is anything like the premiere, what we’re really going to be listening into week after week is Meghan interviewing herself.’

‘Even the anecdote about how Meghan first met her supposed interviewee – at a 2010 Super Bowl party – is somehow turned into self-aggrandizement. Spotting Serena heading towards someone, Meghan wondered who on earth could have sparked this special woman’s interest, and – oh, my goodness! – it was her.’

‘Every woman has had a girlfriend like Meghan: the one who turns every confidence back to them and hijacks every distressing anecdote with one of their own – only theirs is longer drawn-out, more distressing.’

THE SPECTATOR

‘Harry has been shoved into the background, natch, so that Meghan can concentrate on talking about herself – sorry, Mr S meant to say, ‘on the labels that try to hold women back.’ Labels don’t try to do anything, of course, they are labels. But we should never let common sense get in the way of rich women talking about female empowerment.’

‘The first guest is Serena Williams, but tennis enthusiasts who tune in might be a bit disappointed. The show is in fact all about Meghan, since it takes 11 minutes for Serena to barely get a word in edgeways.’

‘It’s hard to believe that it took 28 people, including eight executive producers, to make the episode – plus Meghan herself, who is also listed as an ‘executive producer’ in the credits.’

THE INDEPENDENT

‘I have never found it hard to understand why Markle and her husband chose to resign from their duties as royals, but if I did, this story [about Archie and the fire] would probably bring me some clarity.

‘There is something so relatably frustrating about that situation. Being confronted with a problem that could easily be solved with a little bit of pragmatism (they could have released a statement explaining what had happened and pushed back official engagements until the next day) and being told it can’t be for completely amorphous reasons (optics, stiff upper lip, ‘it’s not the way things are done around here’) is uniquely infuriating.

‘The more I hear about the royal family these days, the more it seems clear that the monarchy isn’t working for anyone – including the royals themselves. And from what we’ve heard on her podcast, it’s clear Markle made the right decision when she cut and ran.’

THE TIMES

‘In hindsight, I should have beaten myself unconscious an hour ago with a copy of Finding Freedom. Instead, I’ve listened to 57 minutes and 28 seconds of Meghan Markle’s syrupy California drawl, while rocking back and forth and moaning softly under my breath.’

‘It seems to be an allegory of all the many ways in which she, a fierce, strong, brave woman was wronged and traduced in the ten minutes she lived in the UK and was fêted as the best thing to happen to the royal family in years. Her podcast is pure, narcissistic gibberish and next week she’s ‘in conversation’ with Mariah Carey. Shoot me now.’

GOOD MORNING BRITAIN

‘One of the things I admire about British sensibility is a desire to prick people’s balloon heads when they get too big, which I don’t think is a bad thing. The thing for me is ambition is only worth celebrating if what you’re being ambitious is worthwhile.’

‘The problem with Meghan Markle and other celebrities or royals, very kind of powerful professional women, talking, whining I think, about the fact that it’s so hard when all you’re doing is trying to be ambitious is that it comes across I think to your average woman – maybe the ladies who are watching this morning trying to get the kids ready to go out, or hoovering the sitting room, or off to their job – as just the kind of professional middle class feminism, whining about not being celebrated enough.’

GB NEWS

‘Outside looking in, there’s an ulterior motive here with this podcast and that’s settling scores.

‘With this episode, you kind of see her go after Tom Bower, responding to his claim that she’s ambitious and scheming. The book also say that Serena Williams told a media contact they weren’t necessarily good friends and he also questions her Procter and Gamble story. She goes into all those things in the very first episode in her podcast, I think that those might be related.’

MEGHAN MCCAIN

‘It’s boring in its familiarity, and it’s self-aggrandizing, mostly because it sounds like she is reading off a well-written script. The most popular podcasts have one thing in common. [They] are all naturally conversational. You feel like you are in the room hanging out with friends. Nothing comes across scripted or rehearsed. There is also conflict, debate and genuine conversations. Meghan’s is the opposite.’

‘Is she only ever going to interview close friends and ignore any debate? Is she planning on inviting anyone who challenges her world view or disagrees with her? Or – and I’m taking a wild guess here – is this just a medium for which the Duchess will interview sycophants who want to ruminate on how difficult it is to be a rich woman, yet have no concrete solutions on how to fix it?’

‘Because far from solutions about how to better the lives of the average woman, all I heard were excruciatingly banal conversations you’d get at an expensively exclusive women’s retreat in northern California.’