Black women are shaping podcast culture—so why aren’t they among its highest earners?

No Black women made Forbes’ 2026 list of the highest-paid podcasters. Here are 12 Black women-led podcasts we hope to see on it next year.

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. 

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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. 

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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. 

IMO podcast co-hosted by Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson

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IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson (@imopodcasts) • Instagram photos and videos

Baby It’s Keke Palmer hosted by Keke Palmer

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Baby, This is Keke Palmer (@kekepalmerpodcast) • Instagram photos and videos

Flagrant and Funny co-hosted by Cari Champion and Jemele Hill

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Flagrant and Funny (@flagrantandfunny) • Instagram photos and videos

Pour Minds co-hosted by Lex P and Drea Nicole

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Pour Minds Podcast (@pour_minds) • Instagram photos and videos

Relationsh*t with Kamie Crawford

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Relationsh*t w/ Kamie Crawford (@relationshit) • Instagram photos and videos

The Oprah Podcast hosted by Oprah Winfrey

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The Oprah Podcast (@oprahpodcast) • Instagram photos and videos

Naked Beauty Podcast hosted by Brooke DeVard

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Naked Beauty Podcast ♥️ (@nakedbeautyplanet) • Instagram photos and videos

Awf the record Hosted by Mona Kosar Abdi and Jeannette Reyes

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Awf The Record (@awftherecordpodcast) • Instagram photos and videos

(Mis)treated hosted by Nam Kiwanuka

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(MIS)Treated (@mistreatedtvo) • Instagram photos and videos

Higher Learning co-hosted by Rachel Lindsay & Van Lathan

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The Higher Learning Podcast (@higherlearning) • Instagram photos and videos

The Cutting Room Floor hosted by Recho Omondi

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The Cutting Room Floor (@thecuttingroomfloor) • Instagram photos and videos

She’s So Lucky podcast hosted by Les Alford

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She’s So Lucky Podcast (@shessoluckypod) • Instagram photos and videos