As Taylor Swift’s fans predicted, her interview with boyfriend Jason Kelce on his “New Heights” podcast “crashed the internet” Wednesday, as the number of people watching in the first hour soared past Donald Trump’s highly rated appearance on Joe Rogan’s show last year.
On Wednesday, 1.3 million watched live during the first hour of the podcast on YouTube, the Daily Beast, Variety and other outlets reported. That number is significantly higher than the 800,000 people who watched the first hour of Trump’s appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience” last October in the weeks before the the 2024 election, CNN’s data analyst Harry Enten said.
Rogan’s Trump episode was ultimately watched 26 million times on YouTube in its first 24 hours, according to the Daily Beast. Sixteen hours after it premiered, Swift’s “New Heights” episode had nearly 10 million views on YouTube.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the ratings- and crowd-size-obsessed Trump pays attention to how these numbers shake out, given that he’s made his disapproval of Swift well known since she became an outspoken critic of his leadership. As recently as May, the president tried to suggest that the pop mega-star was “no longer hot” — or no longer a cultural force — because she didn’t endorse him in the 2024 election.
This album cover image released by Republic Records shows “The Life of a Showgirl” by Taylor Swift. (Republic Records via AP)
It’s certain that Swift’s fans, or Swifties, were wildly excited about her sit-down with Kelce and his “New Heights” co-host, brother Jason Kelce. The day before, she and the show promoted her appearance by teasing that she would share details about the Oct. 3 release of her new studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”
Following the live stream, CNN host Kate Bolduan declared that Swift’s appearance was “already on track to become one of the most watched podcasts of all time.” The “New Heights” X account celebrated the episode’s success, with NBC News Variety and Rolling Stone reporting that the surge of viewers crashed the YouTube live-stream at the 1 hour, 44 minute mark.
“Shoutout all the 92%ers and Swifties for actually helping us break the internet,” the “New Heights” account said The Kelce brothers call their podcast fans the “92 percenters,” a nod to the success rate of a quarterback sneak.
In response to the “New Heights” post, one fan said: “This was quite possibly the greatest Taylor interview we have ever been blessed with. Thank you guys for welcoming her and giving her a safe and comfortable space to share this gift with us!!!!”
Jason Kelce also said on X: “1.3 million views is the epitome of numerology,” referring to Swift discussing her love of the number 13 in the podcast.
Variety also reported that the subscriber count on the “New Heights’” YouTube Channel saw significant growth during the broadcast, rising from 2.85 million subscribers to 2.91 million. This remarkable uptick demonstrates Swift’s unparalleled ability to drive engagement across digital platforms, Rolling Stone said. The episode also is available on Amazon Music, Apple, Spotify and Wondery.
During the episode, Swift revealed the cover art for “The Life of a Showgirl,” her 12th studio album. Among other things, she discussed how her wildly successful Eras Tour was the main source of inspiration for the project.
“This album is about what was going on behind the scenes of my inner life during this tour, which was so exuberant and electric and vibrant,” Swift explained. “It just comes from the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place I was in in my life, and so that effervescence has come through on this record.”
