Michelle Obama’s brand new podcast has drawn low views and subscribers in its first few days.
The former first lady’s podcast with her brother Craig Robinson, titled IMO, premiered on Wednesday.
According to her YouTube page, she has managed to obtain only 19,000 subscribers on the platform as of Thursday.
As well as the subscriber count her videos have also gathered little views, with her first podcast clocking in the most with just over 50,000 views.
Other podcasts, which have been on the internet for much longer like ‘Call Her Daddy’ has over 1 million subscribers on YouTube, and Joe Rogan’s ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ boasts 19.5 million on the site alone.
Rogan had signed a deal to see his show available on Spotify for three years, the streaming giant had previously said he would average 11 million listeners per episode.
Last year he again signed a partnership deal worth $250 million with Spotify, which would allow the show on other platforms.
Football stars Travis and Jason Kelce also have their own podcast, ‘New Heights’, which has over 2.5 million subscribers on YouTube.
The Democratic Governor of California Gavin Newsom has also recently launched his own podcast, which again a low subscriber count with 25,000 on YouTube.
Despite the low numbers, his videos have gathered some large views with his sit down with Charlie Kirk breaking over 700,000 views.
While other legacy podcasts have of course had longer to gain momentum, some critics have been quick to note that Michelle Obama’s position as former First Lady ought to have created better traction in her launch week.
With her already-celebrity status, successful book deals under her belt, and her powerful position in world politics, Michelle Obama’s numbers so far have shocked some social media users.
One person wrote: ‘I had to go and check to see if these numbers were real. Genuinely astonishing. I could upload a video of me picking my nose and get more views/subs than this.’
Another added: ‘Podcasting isn’t like other forms of media. Star power isn’t why people listen. They listen because they’re either interested or trust the person in the roll. You can’t draw an audience if you have star power. You have to connect with your audience.’
Others gave Michelle the benefit of the doubt: ‘It’s the first 2 episodes. Wait for the word to get out.’
Michelle’s podcast was announced by Higher Ground, the production company founded by the Obamas in 2018.
Guests for the project will include a mix of celebrities such as Tyler Perry, Seth Rogen and Jay Shetty. Writer and actress Issa Rae was the guest for the second episode.
She is hosting the podcast alongside her brother Craig Robinson, with the two offering advice from their own experiences but refrain from talking current affairs.
In their first video they chatted about growing up on the South Side of Chicago, with Robinson also touching on his divorce.
Robinson has said that the pair will be joined every week by a guest who will add their own spin on the topics the two discuss.
Future listeners will also be able to send in questions for the podcast, according to the show.
In a summary on their Spotify profile, the podcast is described as: ‘ This podcast will leave you laughing, reflecting, and feeling more prepared to tackle life’s challenges.’
Robinson, who is known to enjoy a close relationship with his sister, is the executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches which is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.
On Wednesday’s show, Michelle said that she wouldn’t have been able to ‘get through’ her eight years in the White House without her ‘big brother’.
‘Being married to the president of the United States [is a] thing that that none of us kind of banked on. We knew Barack was smart and ambitious, but, you know…’ she said.
Michelle, who has long been open about her dislike for politics, also revealed that she never wanted her husband to run for the highest office.
It was her brother, she said, who convinced her to support her husband’s political ambitions.
‘You talked me into supporting his run. He was smart enough to know that he needed to come to you and sell you on the idea. Because I was definitely like, no, no way,’ she said.
Michelle also confessed that she was irritated by Obama’s lack of punctuality at the start of their relationship.
‘Barack had to adjust to what on time was… you know, I’ve got this husband who, when it’s time to leave, he’s getting up and going to the bathroom.
‘And I was like, dude, like 3 three o’clock departure means you’ve done all that. ‘It’s like, don’t start looking for your glasses, you know, at the 3:00 departure.
‘He’s improved over 30 years of marriage,’ she said. Robinson, whose first marriage ended in divorce, responded with a joke that the former president, who was born in Hawaii, was ‘on island time.’
Their new venture comes amid ongoing speculation that there’s trouble in the Obamas’ marriage.
The pair have done their best to dampen the rumors, sharing loved-up social media posts and public words of affirmation. But they’ve not been seen together publicly for months.
