Former First Lady Michelle Obama has been struggling to build an audience with her new podcast just one month after it first launched.
Launched on March 12, the podcast IMO (In My Opinion) hosted by the former first lady has gotten off to a rocky start despite a highly-publicized launch and popular guests, with a “notable drop-off in viewership on YouTube,” per Mediaite. The show has also been lagging behind other podcasts on the charts.
Though the first episode began strong with 335,000 views, the subsequent episodes have seen a steady drop in viewership, from 252,000 views all the way down to just 62,000 views on YouTube five days ago when it was first uploaded.
“The situation on audio platforms isn’t much better for Obama and Robinson. As of Monday, IMO was ranked 34th on Spotify’s podcast chart, and 19th on Apple Podcasts – respectable numbers, but not exactly the breakout success many would expect given the star power involved,” noted Mediaite.
Launched with her brother Craig Robinson (not to be confused with the actor), Michelle Obama billed the podcast as a space to ask honest questions about family and faith.
“My brother Craig and I launched the IMO podcast to create a space for people to come as they are, ask honest questions, give their opinions, and have thoughtful conversations about life,” she said. “There is no single way to deal with the challenges we may be facing — whether it’s family, faith, or our personal relationships — but taking the time to open up and talk about these issues can provide hope.”
Michelle Obama launching her podcast coincides with California Gov. Gavin Newsom launching his own as part of a larger trend in the Democrat Party to branch out into new media after it helped propel President Trump to victory over Kamala Harris last November.
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
