Charlie Kirk Podcast Subscribers Surge 31% After Host’s Death.

Several radio hosts again appear in the quarterly list of the biggest conservative podcasts from the TheRighting. But the biggest jump in subscribers was to “The Charlie Kirk Show” following the host’s murder last month. The podcast grew its subscribers by nearly a third, increasing 31% during the third quarter compared to a year earlier.

It ended Q3 with 86,938 subscribers, compared to 66,299 subscribers at the conclusion of the second quarter, according to TheRighting’s analysis of Castbox data. While the data only represents subscribers to a single app, TheRighting says it offers insights into what is happening in the broader podcast marketplace.

“Despite Charlie Kirk’s death last month, his eponymous podcast has remained active with new programs available every day attracting thousands of new subscribers,” said Howard Polskin, President of TheRighting. “It’s a clear indication of his growing appeal to an ever-widening circle of listeners. His voice may be silenced, but his message continues to resonate.”

Kirk’s podcast may have seen the biggest bounce in subscribers, but it wasn’t the only podcast to experience gains during the quarter. The analysis shows Cadance Owens’ self-titled podcast “Candace” had a 20% increase in subscribers on Castbox vs. Q2, while “The Tucker Carlson Show” grew 15%.

TheRighting’s number crunch also shows that several talk radio hosts also have a loyal following in the on-demand world. Westwood One syndicated host Mark Levin has the most Castbox subscribers, followed by Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh, whose podcast is syndicated to radio by Salem Radio Networks. Premiere Network conservative talk show hosts Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity also have tens of thousands of subscribers on the Castbox app to the on-demand versions of their radio shows.

Satellite radio host Megyn Kelly continues to lead her broader counterparts, at least on Castbox. She saw another 13% bounce in subscribers to “The Megyn Kelly Show” during the third quarter. Kelly’s show has been growing quickly this year, and Polskin noted earlier that ever since she endorsed President Trump the night before the November 2024 election, Kelly’s podcast has been adding new subscribers.

SiriusXM has aired “The Megyn Kelly Show” on its Triumph talk channel since 2021. This month it announced it is giving the conservative commentator the entire channel to program. It will be rebranded as The Megyn Kelly Channel starting Nov 4.

TheRighting’s report is based on data that is updated daily from the podcast app Castbox, which according to the podcast-hosting platform Buzzsprout represents less than 2% of all podcasts that Buzzsprout serves. While it only offers a small slice of the podcast market overall, TheRighting says it provides a snapshot of the market for conservative podcast voices. It also points out that no other leading podcast app besides Castbox makes its data publicly available.