This week, Forbes released its list of the highest-paid podcasters of 2026. And while many are congratulating Charlamagne Tha God and Joe Budden for being among the top-earning names in the podcast industry, many social media users noticed that of the 20 slots on the list, no Black women or women of color were named.
View on Threads
View on Threads
The absence of Black women-led podcasts has sparked numerous online conversations as social media users point to systemic and industry barriers they believe have contributed to this gap. However, in an interview with theGrio, Lex P and Drea Nicole the co-hosts of the “Pour Minds” podcast, explained how it reflects a larger pattern they’ve seen in their eight years of podcasting.
“Black women are an underserved and undervalued group of women,” Lex P shared. “I feel like every time there are podcasts or any type of content that comes out, it’s always geared towards everybody but us. When Black women are the tastemakers, we do start the trends, so we’re ahead of everything.”
“If I’m being honest, every time Drea and I are at a lot of these events, you know, being honored and things like that, there’s no other Black women podcast in the building,” she added.
View on Threads
View on Threads
It’s important to understand that Black women are not absent from the podcasting world. In fact, there are a number of top-charting, award-winning podcasts led by Black women. The real issue is that, unlike the high earners on Forbes’ list, these shows have not received the distribution deals, streaming contracts, or ownership stakes that generate millions of dollars. And one of the keys to getting these sorts of deals is having strong support, viewership, and engagement, so here are some Black women-led podcasts we’re loving and that we’ll hopefully see make the highest-earner list next year.
