“The Joe Rogan Experience” was the top podcast in the United States for the first quarter of 2026, extending Rogan’s long-running reign — as he ramps up criticism of the Trump administration over the war in Iran and its handling of the Epstein files.
Rogan's podcast has led Edison Research's podcast rankings since 2019. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
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Rogan’s podcast was the most-listened-to show among weekly podcast consumers in the United States in the first quarter of 2026, according to a survey by Edison Research, a market research firm that analyzes top podcasts.
His podcast remains enduringly popular with male listeners: About 78% of Rogan’s audience is men, according to data Edison Research shared with Forbes, and as of the fourth quarter of 2025, his podcast was more than 2.5 times as big as the second biggest podcast, “Crime Junkie.”
Rogan—who has led Edison Research’s rankings since 2019—kept his reign at the top even as he increased his criticism of President Donald Trump, whom he interviewed and endorsed in 2024.
The podcaster has emerged as a frequent critic of the war in Iran, saying in an episode last month it is “exactly the opposite of what we were told leading into this administration,” citing Trump’s “America First” campaign promise, while voicing fears the conflict could get “really ugly, because that’s how you start a World War III.”
Rogan took aim at the “Make America Great Again” movement in an episode last month, saying “a lot of them are dorks” and are “really weird, uninteresting, unintelligent people” who are lumped together as “MAGA” with “real, genuine patriots.”
Rogan has repeatedly criticized the administration over its handling of the Epstein files, saying in February redactions of the files look “terrible for Trump” while previously suggesting the administration carried out immigration raids to distract from the files.
Rogan’s biggest episode of 2026 by YouTube views is his interview with actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who appeared on his show in January to promote their new movie “The Rip.” He also scored millions of views on an interview with Bradley Cooper. Earlier this month, an interview about extraterrestrial life with a filmmaker and a man who claims to have been involved with an alien-related project at Area 51 netted 6 million views. Other popular guests Rogan has hosted this year include comedians Dave Smith, Duncan Trussell and Mark Normand. His conversation with podcast host Theo Von, in which they criticized the war in Iran, garnered more than 3 million views, and Rogan also interviewed political figures including Health and Human Service Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.; and Pierre Poilievre, leader of Canada’s Conservative Party.
Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson, both of whom have emerged as Trump critics over the Iran war, fell in Edison Research’s rankings for the first quarter of 2026. Kelly fell from No. 13 in the fourth quarter of 2025 to No. 19 in the first quarter of 2026, while Carlson fell from No. 20 to No. 29 over the same period. Trump has repeatedly attacked Carlson and Kelly on Truth Social, saying in a post Friday morning: “Tucker is a Low IQ person - Always easy to beat, and highly overrated!!! So are Megyn Kelly, ‘Candace’(Really Dumb and mentally ill!), and Bankrupt Alex Jones, who is completely ‘fried.’” Candace Owens’ podcast rose one spot, from No. 35 to No. 34, between the fourth quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026.
"The Dan Bongino Show," hosted by the former deputy director of the FBI, placed No. 43 for the first quarter of 2026 after Bongino returned to podcasting after resigning from the agency.
Rogan’s endorsement of Trump in 2024 was considered crucial, as he was one of several podcasters considered part of the “manosphere”—a loosely defined group of influencers who appeal to young men with a conservative tilt—to either interview or endorse Trump’s presidential bid. Trump appeared on several podcasts geared toward younger men, and increased his share of the young male vote in his electoral victory. Some of these podcasters, though, have broken with Trump in recent months, including Theo Von, who interviewed Trump ahead of the 2024 election. Von criticized the Department of Homeland Security for using one of his videos in a social media post, and he has emerged as a critic of the war in Iran.
Most of the top podcasts of the first quarter of 2026 are holdovers from the previous quarter. Behind Rogan, “Crime Junkie” ranked No. 2, “The Daily” by The New York Times ranked No. 3 and Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” placed fourth. “SmartLess,” hosted by actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett ranked fifth, “Stuff You Should Know” ranked sixth and “Dateline NBC” is No. 7. Von’s podcast, “This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von,” held at No. 8.
Conservative Podcasters Helped Get Trump Elected—Here Are The Ones Now Turning Against Him (Forbes)
Trump Attacks Podcasters—Again—As MAGA Media Rift Deepens Over Iran War, ‘Blasphemous’ Posts (Forbes)
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