Michelle Obama’s new podcast, IMO [In My Opinion], which launched in March with much anticipation, is struggling to make the impact its creators had hoped for.
Despite the excitement surrounding the debut of the podcast, it’s not performing as well as expected in the crowded world of digital media.
The Premise and Initial Reception
In IMO, Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson team up to share their thoughts on current events, give advice, and interview a variety of special guests.
However, the podcast has been underwhelming in terms of performance.
As of now, it sits at 34th on Spotify’s charts, a far cry from where it was hoped to land.
The show has dropped in rankings, with other podcasts like The Ezra Klein Show and The Determined Society gaining more traction in comparison.
Performance Compared to Competitors
On Apple Podcasts, IMO is ranked 19th, while other podcasts like The Mel Robbins Podcast, Good Hang with Amy Poehler, Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce, and The Joe Rogan Experience are outperforming it.
Poehler’s podcast, which launched just a month before IMO, already ranks second on Apple Podcasts and third on Spotify, even though it has released fewer episodes.
Episode Highlights and Special Guests
IMO started strong with two episodes on its launch day.
The first episode was titled “You Should Start a Podcast with Your Sibling,” and the second featured guest Issa Rae, titled “Some Friendships Need to Go.”
Since then, the podcast has included a variety of high-profile guests such as Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer, and Dr. Laurie Santos.
Despite the star-studded lineup, the podcast’s numbers have not matched the initial excitement.
The Production Behind the Podcast
The show is produced by Higher Ground, the media company co-founded by Barack and Michelle Obama, which has been behind successful projects like Leave the World Behind and Rustin.
Higher Ground also produced Michelle Obama’s previous podcast, The Light Podcast, which wrapped up in February 2025.
However, IMO hasn’t yet captured the same level of attention.
Subscriber Numbers and Comparisons
Michelle Obama’s YouTube account for the podcast has 67,000 subscribers, but this number pales in comparison to other popular podcasts.
For instance, Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy has 1.2 million subscribers, while The Joe Rogan Experience boasts an astonishing 19.6 million, and Jay Shetty’s podcast has 3.91 million.
These statistics highlight the gap IMO faces in terms of attracting a large, dedicated audience.
Slow Start and Political Context
The IMO podcast experienced a slow start, with the first episode only managing to gather around 50,000 views.
This lackluster performance comes at a time when Democrats are exploring ways to create a more impactful left-leaning podcast presence.
Conservative podcasts, such as those by Joe Rogan, Ben Shapiro, and Charlie Kirk, have a commanding lead in the podcast world, attracting millions of listeners. Left-leaning shows, including Trevor Noah’s, fall far behind in comparison.
The Growing Podcast Landscape for Democrats
In response, other prominent Democrats, like California Governor Gavin Newsom, have also entered the podcast arena.
His show, This is Gavin Newsom, launched just a few weeks before IMO, but has yet to see remarkable success either, currently sitting at 47th on Spotify and 57th on Apple Podcasts.
As the competition in the podcast space continues to grow, it remains to be seen whether IMO can find its footing and capture a larger audience in the coming months.
