YouTube Leans Into Podcast Creators For Next Wave Of Originals.

It wasn’t just ad tech and marketing opportunities that were on display during the upfront presentations. YouTube also used the stage to announce a new content partnership with “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper. She will expand her Unwell Network with four upcoming shows on YouTube. 

“It’s all about finding the right show for the right platform,” Cooper says in Q&A. “YouTube is where we can move fast, experiment, get feedback from our audience in real time, and build something we own. For these specific shows, for this specific audience, at this specific moment, YouTube made the most sense.”

Starting in late-summer, Cooper will introduce a reality competition show called “Unwell Games” where top creators and reality stars live under one roof, battling for power and prize money by day while alliances, relationships and drama unravel by night.

Then on Thanksgiving weekend, Unwell will debut “Pot Stirrer.” The competition show turns a holiday dinner into a high-stakes social experiment when two secret “Pot Stirrers” are planted among a volatile group of reality stars and internet personalities — each working to sabotage the night from within for a shot at a massive cash prize.

Next winter, Unwell will premiere “Hard Launch,” a show about two strangers that come together as a fake couple during a family holiday. And next spring, Cooper will release “Before The Steps” leading up to the 2027 Met Gala.

Noah, who hosts the “Now What?” podcast, also announced a new partnership with YouTube.

The travel series titled “Trevor Noah’s World Tour” will see the host journeying around the globe with friends, collaborators and surprise guests.

Comedian Kareem Rahma, co-host of the “SubwayTakes Uncut” podcast, has launched the “Keep the Meter Running” show. In each episode, he hops into a yellow cab and asks the driver to take him to their favorite place while the conversation dives into the driver’s world and a moving exploration of the American Dream.