No. 1 in the podcast rankings

When a podcast hosted by Kylie Kelce, a 32-year-old field hockey coach, dethroned The Joe Rogan Experience being the most listened to show in the United States this month, reactions were strong.

There was anger and denial, particularly among Mr. Rogan’s most loyal listeners. There was joy and esteem among M’s fans^moi Kelce and Mr. Rogan’s detractors.

Of course, three of Kylie Kelce’s loved ones are celebrities. There’s her husband Jason Kelce, former center for the Philadelphia Eagles, soon-to-be late-night host at ESPN and one of the most charismatic stars in American sports. They are expecting their fourth daughter in April.

There’s also his brother-in-law, Travis Kelce, wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs, who is dating Taylor Swift, the biggest pop star in the world. The two brothers host their successful video podcast, New heightswhich Wondery, an Amazon subsidiary, purchased the rights to in August for more than $100 million.

But there was also a question: Kylie Kelce? Who is it ?

“And that makes me smile: I don’t want people to know who I am,” Mr.^moi Kelce during a rare interview in his studio at the family home near Philadelphia. In fact, she prefers not to be known.

Until now, Kylie Kelce had rather remained in the shadows, appearing only twice in New heights (its first presence, in 2023, remains the most watched episode). For listeners of his show, I’m not going to lie with Kylie Kelcethat’s part of its appeal: in this world where so many people fight for glory, M^moi Kelce had his ear pulled.

Too bad the average

Its success also reflects the evolving tastes of listeners. With a few exceptions, the Spotify and Apple charts are dominated by comedies, news shows, and talk shows hosted by men.

M^moi Kelce talks mostly about “mommy stuff,” as she puts it, but often spiced with salacious swearing. She also talks about women in sports, as fans, athletes and wives of athletes.

“It reaches a very wide audience,” notes Michaela Hammond, president and co-founder of OffBall, producer of sports and cultural content. “People who are interested in sport, but on a more conversational level, to be able to talk about it around the coffee machine. »

In an interview, his first since his first podcast on December 5, M^moi Kelce attributes her success to her frankness: like saying – which caused a stir – that her husband doesn’t take care of the kids if she’s busy (she calls a babysitter). “Maybe it’s a promise that won’t lie to you,” she said.

M^moi Kelce isn’t the first to surpass Mr. Rogan on the list. New heights reached #1 on Spotify in January, but only lasted two days and didn’t make headlines like M’s show^moi Kelce.

Two weeks after its launch, I’m not going to lie was still, at the time of publication of this article, number 1 on Apple Podcasts. His show topped Spotify for ten days and still holds the top spot. top 5 Today.

Besides their propensity to be outspoken and swear on air, M^moi Kelce and Mr. Rogan don’t have much in common. Episodes of M^moi Kelce does not exceed 45 minutes, to respect, she says, “the schedule and priorities of busy women”. At Mr. Rogan’s, we talk for two or three hours, sometimes more; New heights lasts between 60 and 90 minutes.

Talking about Joe Rogan doesn’t interest him at all. She avoids naming him. “I don’t care about the winners at all,” she said after arriving at the photoshoot munching on a piece of bagel.

But Joe Rogan fans, so upset that she beat him to it, even momentarily? Or the sports radio hosts who mocked her or doubted her ratings? She seems to revel in their annoyance: “It stimulates me. »

“I’m focused on putting out content that people enjoy consuming,” she says, sitting on a couch stained with her children’s scribbles. “If it means we stay [au sommet] a week is good. If that means we stay longer, that’s cool. But I don’t need to fuel the conflicts this creates. »

Overall, Mr. Rogan still has a much greater reach. Spotify’s ranking, for example, is determined by a combination of recent unique listeners and total subscribers. However, Mr. Rogan has 16.3 million subscribers. M^moi Kelce and 172,000.

25 million listeners in the first week

However, during its first week, I’m not going to lie has accumulated 25 million audio downloads and views, according to Wave Sports+Entertainment, the show’s producer, making it Wave’s most successful launch.

Wave is also responsible for launching podcast shows by basketball players Carmelo Anthony and Paul George, as well as New heights.

M’s show^moi Kelce, for her part, is not motivated by the popularity of a sport, emphasizes Tunde St. Matthew-Daniel, vice president of original content at Wave. It is carried by what the host gives off and by the fact that the audience recognizes themselves in her.

Which in itself is not obvious. After all, M^moi Kelce is the kind of woman who was the guest of honor at Milan Fashion Week and WrestleMania (two events, however, where she said, “I didn’t have to be there.”).

Almost everything she says instantly goes viral on social media, especially if there’s a connection – real or imagined – to her brother-in-law’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift.

(M.^moi Kelce says she started her podcast in part because she wanted a space to “set the record straight” about her family in a time of need.)

But she has traits that make her approachable: her house is messy, which she totally accepts; she dresses without pretension; she coaches a sports team at the public high school she attended; she plans for her daughters to also attend public school.

If her life had been normal, she would have been able, during the elections, to openly express her political opinions, which she considers to be resolutely left-wing.

Instead, on social media, some assumed her family was “MAGA,” others assumed she thought like Taylor Swift and supported Kamala Harris. One day, a procession of honking vehicles with Trump flags and signs “slowly drove past [sa] house, said Mr.^moi Kelce. “I think it was a way of saying, ‘We know where you live.’ »

(The Kelce do not live in a closed neighborhood. According to a relative of M^moi Kelce, it’s not uncommon for drivers to drive past to take a look or for fans of her husband’s Eagles team to yell Come on, birds! passing in front of the house.)

When asked if politicians would be welcome I’m not going to lie – as they were The Joe Rogan Experience in October –, M^moi Kelce didn’t hesitate.

“I would love to speak with Michelle Obama,” she said. I know she doesn’t want to run, but I wish she would. »

She would also like to receive the governor of Pennsylvania, Democrat Josh Shapiro, whom she says she admires for his initiative to provide students with free tampons and sanitary napkins in school toilets.

M^moi Kelce knows that revealing her Democratic political views might cause a stir among her audience and the Internet at large, but that doesn’t seem to bother her.

“I say it in the most respectful way possible,” she said. And if we take her to task, she “doesn’t care what others say”.

This article was published in the New York Times.

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