‘The Telepathy Tapes' Creator Is ‘Just Breaking Even' Despite Viral Success

The Telepathy Tapes has captured the attention of many Americans, including Joe Rogan, but making money on limited podcast series remains difficult
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Hello and welcome back to Soundbite. Many times over the past couple of years, I've written about the struggles that narrative podcast creators face. People often credit Serial, a limited series, with the advent of the podcast gold rush in 2019. But in recent years, companies' appetite to finance these type of operations has diminished. Could one of the buzziest podcasts in recent memory, The Telepathy Tapes, provide a glimmer of hope?
More on that below. As always, reach me through email.

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Newsweek

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Prince Harry and Meghan's Biggest U.S. Scandals

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Meghan re-created the curtsy she said she performed, bowing at the waist and spreading her arms wide in either direction. "I mean, Americans would understand this," she said. "We have Medieval Times Dinner & was like that." She had previously described the meeting to Oprah Winfrey in 2021 without mentioning any issues with her curtsy, and Harry went on to say it was "flawless" in his memoir, Spare. Many came away feeling the mock curtsy had disrespected a long-standing British tradition, and the fact that the queen had died three months earlier no doubt did not help. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend the Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada, on February 9, 2025. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend the Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada, on February 9, 2025. Samir Hussein/WireImage Prince Harry Mocked Over Frostbite Harry's book, Spare, was released a month later and led to ridicule after he described in detail applying his mother's favorite Elizabeth Arden lip cream to his frost-bitten private parts. "My penis was oscillating between extremely sensitive and borderline traumatized," he wrote. "The last place I wanted to be was Frostnipistan. "I'd been trying some home remedies, including one recommended by a friend. She'd urged me to apply Elizabeth Arden cream. My mum used that on her lips. 'You want me to put that on my todger?' "'It works, Harry. Trust me.' I found a tube, and the minute I opened it, the smell transported me through time. I felt as if my mother was right there in the room. "Then I took a smidge and applied there. 'Weird' doesn't really do the feeling justice." Suffice it to say, the passage attracted the attention of quite a few late-night U.S. comedy shows. 'F****** Grifters' and the Collapse of Spotify Just months later, the Sussexes' Spotify deal collapsed, and just as their team was reassuring journalists the two had parted ways by mutual consent, up popped an executive at the streaming giant to derail the PR strategy. Bill Simmons used his own podcast to fire a parting shot at the couple: "I wish I had been involved in the Meghan and Harry leave Spotify negotiation. 'The F****** Grifters,' that's the podcast we should have launched with them. "I gotta get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry, trying to help him with a podcast idea. It's one of my best stories." Meghan a 'Dictator in High Heels' Meghan had long been fending off allegations that she bullied staff at Kensington Palace as a working royal. The scandal migrated to America in September 2024 with an article from The Hollywood Reporter headlined: "Why Hollywood Keeps Quitting on Harry and Meghan." 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'South Park' and the 'Worldwide Privacy Tour' Harry's memoir sparked a collapse in the couple's U.S. approval rating, and in the same way that a picture can tell a thousand words, an episode of South Park ridiculing the duke and duchess appeared to tell the story of a shift in American perceptions. The episode, titled "The Worldwide Privacy Tour," depicted the "Prince and Princess of Canada" campaigning for their privacy in the aftermath of the death of the "Queen of Canada." In one scene, the couple appears on a fictional Canadian morning show, holding "We Want Privacy" placards. The anchor asks the prince: "Let me start with you, sir. You lived a life with the royal family, you had everything handed to you but you say your life has been hard and now you've written all about it in your new book: Waaagh." The princess said: "I was totally like, 'You should write a book 'cause your family's, like, stupid and then so are, like, journalists." The interviewer says, "So you hate journalists? And now you wrote a book that reports on the lives of the royal family? So, you're a journalist." Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page. Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@ We'd love to hear from you.

New York Post

9 hours ago

• New York Post

Hollywood and Obama should be judged for covering up Joe Biden's frailty

One year ago this month, attendees packed the 7,100 seats inside the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles to watch a parade of A-list celebrities — George Clooney! Julia Roberts! Barbra Streisand! — unite in a common goal: to raise more money for President Biden's re-election campaign than had ever before been tallied for a single fundraising event. By that standard the evening was a smashing success: Over $30 million, a record, was raised. 6 George Clooney, Joe Biden, Julia Roberts and Barack Obama at the Los Angeles fundraiser last June 15th, the beginning of the end of the wide-scale cover-up of Biden's inability to maintain his presidential campaign. X/Chris Jackson 'How important the event was to his re-election bid could be seen,' the Associated Press reported, 'in Biden's decision to fly through the night across nine time zones, from the G7 summit in southern Italy to Southern California, to attend.' Advertisement Nothing was left to chance. Outside the Peacock, riot police ringed the Gaza protesters; inside, the biggest weapon was rolled out. Former President Barack Obama appeared onstage with his old No. 2, the pair of presidents interviewed by the ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. Their recurring theme: A second Trump presidency would ruin America. Obama called the current moment 'a by-product of 2016,' when, he said, 'a whole bunch of folks . . . sat out . . . Hopefully, we have learned our lesson, because these elections matter.' When Roe v. Wade came up, and the audience hissed, Obama scolded them: 'Don't hiss; vote.' 6 Within weeks of the event at the Peacock Theater, Biden would bow out of the campaign, which passed onto Vice President Kamala Harris. AP Still sharp, still charming, the familiar smile still beguiling, the forty-fourth president deployed all his gifts to urge the high rollers at the Peacock — and by extension, all Americans — to support Biden with money and votes: the most precious commodities a civic-minded American can be asked to invest. Advertisement The only problem was: Biden. At the event's end, as he and Obama waved goodbye with Kimmel, the incumbent became catatonic, just as he had five days earlier, at a Juneteenth concert at the White House. His whole body froze, as if immobilized by a science-fiction ray-gun. Obama had to guide his friend, gently but firmly, off the stage. As the Washington Post later reported, the commander-in-chief, keeper of the nuclear option, appeared 'slow . . . frail.' 'Even with Kimmel posing softball questions, and Obama frequently interjecting to provide support,' the story said, 'Biden struggled to explain key parts of his campaign platform, with attendees saying that the president frequently stumbled over his remarks, trailed off or was simply confusing.' 6 Pres. Obama has staked his post-presidential legacy on moral authority, clarity and legitimacy. His role in clouding Biden's health demands that legacy be reconsidered. AP Advertisement By June 27, Biden's disastrous performance in the CNN debate with former President Trump in Atlanta had triggered an open revolt, with leading Democrats and rank-and-file primary voters clamoring for Biden to withdraw from the contest. Throughout the incumbent's long political death-spiral, former President Obama — who had urged Biden against running in 2016 and 2020, worried the older man might 'embarrass himself' — remained silent. In what the Associated Press called 'the most delicate political moment for Democrats since former President Bill Clinton's impeachment,' Obama was seen struggling 'to balance his role as a party elder and an honest broker for Democrats seeking advice while avoiding being seen as betraying his former vice president.' Missing from this depiction was a key group: the American people. In Biden's season of torment, Obama may have deemed it prudent to keep his own counsel; but that doesn't explain his presence at the Peacock Theater in the first place. Could someone as perceptive and politically astute as Obama, a bestselling memoirist and two-time winner of the Electoral College, really have failed to discern Biden's unfitness until the fundraiser? Advertisement 6 Despite being enabled by sycophantic aides — and his Vice President — Biden's deterioration was well-known among much of Washington. 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His actions since 2017 matter, too; and in covering for Biden for so long, Obama displayed a contempt for our democracy, and his own party, unbefitting of a two-term president. Jimmy Carter's post-presidency helped lift his standing in history. For Barack Obama, at least so far, the narrative runs in the other direction. James Rosen is chief Washington correspondent at Newsmax and the author, most recently, of 'Scalia: Rise to Greatness, 1936-1986.'

Time​ Magazine

2 days ago

• Time​ Magazine

Sabrina Carpenter Is Not the Problem

America, we have a problem: No one is having sex anymore. With the exception of Gen X women, there is a sharp decline in sexual activity across the nation. The consistent attacks on birth control and reproductive rights, in addition to the rise of tradwives and more traditional forms of motherhood, have no doubt contributed to an environment in the United States where sex feels like not only a means to an end (a baby), but also an inherently fearful act. To put it plainly: we do not live in a sexy economy. So, when Sabrina Carpenter released the cover art for her upcoming album Man's Best Friend, it was no surprise that she ruffled a few feathers— and became yet another placeholder for America's sexual frustrations. On the cover of Man's Best Friend, Carpenter is seen in a black mini-dress, while an out-of-frame man pulls on her hair, insinuating a sexual act. The cover was instantly dubbed as 'controversial,' though Carpenter is no stranger to that. Her recent stage performances and choreography have become the topic of conversation online among parents who view her as a bad role model for children. In a Rolling Stone cover story, the singer said that her critics are responsible for her music's notoriety. 'It's always so funny to me when people complain,' Carpenter explained. 'They're like, 'All she does is sing about this.' But those are the songs that you've made popular. Clearly, you love sex. You're obsessed with it.' She's not wrong. There is a lack of attention towards her acoustic numbers, which are often simplified, intimate moments where she waxes poetically about heartbreak, as compared to her exaggerated, risque acts, in which she engages in touch-in-cheek roleplay with her dancers. (Think her Eiffel Tower reference at her Paris show) The latter is heavily documented and shared on social media platforms, while the former is rarely shown outside of her tour stops. She's also not the first pop star to be accused of sexual immorality. In fact, it is a perverse rite of passage in our pop culture landscape. Just think about the scores of pop stars that have had to endure the same thing: Janet Jackson, Madonna, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera. Ronald Reagan was in office when Jackson released her euphoric single 'Pleasure Principle.' George H.W. Bush was in the midst of a presidential election campaign when Madonna published her 'scandalous' Sex coffee book, which was banned in several countries. George Bush was Commander in Chief when Spears and Aguilera left their girl-next-door personas in favor of sexier images. Sexism is not unique to the music industry, nor is racism, but the standards placed upon women in the music industry are reflective of the societal and cultural norms of the era in which they are performing. The existence of conservatism, which is as rampant as ever in President Donald Trump's second administration, runs in direct opposition to sex-positive pop stars. Although the majority of Americans are not having sex, the overt response to Carpenter's album cover points to the fact that, perhaps, they want to. But instead of being honest about their sexual desires, people pin their frustrations onto society's most visible. This includes pop stars. Because here's the thing: The problem is not that she is emulating sex positions on stage, or that she is on her hands and knees on her album cover. It is neither an attempt to glamorize intimate partner violence nor is it an introductory 101 course on pup play. The problem is the federal actions that have been taken to defund and restrict access to sex education services in the U.S.. The problem is the nation's swing back to conservative idealism, which disproportionately (and negatively) impacts women, people of color, and queer and trans people—all in the name of 'family values.' The problem is we are farther away from making sex fun—and pleasurable—for women than we've ever been. Perhaps Carpenter did not intend to be a participant in the ongoing culture war of sex and conservatism in the U.S. when she released the cover art for Man's Best Friend. Perhaps she is one of the few Americans not experiencing a sex recession. (Which, good for her!) But this album cover does feel like her attempt to participate in a cherished tradition for women in pop music. It is her declaration that women should have agency over their sexuality—just like so many pop stars have done before her. Above all, the Man's Best Friend cover art did reveal a deep truth in our insecure American consciousness: The inability to engage in healthy sexual behaviors, which is exacerbated by the influx of conservative content on social media, makes women who are confident in their sexual wants and desires the subject of unfair criticism and attack. It's scary to them just because of how free it looks.