Fake Podcasts

About

Fake Podcasts refer to the practice of filming videos in a way that they appear to be a clip taken from a podcast (such as recording with a microphone and headphones on camera), usually with the purpose of giving the person in the clip more credibility due to them appearing influential enough to be invited on a podcast. First noticed in 2022, the practice drew major attention in March 2023 as several fake podcasts went viral on Twitter.

Origin

The practice of faking being on a podcast to appear more credible originated at some point before October 2022. Falling into the same niche as infomercials, fake podcasts have been primarily used to peddle various goods, such as health supplements and beauty products, appearing as ads on Instagram.^[1]

On October 25th, 2022, YouTuber Justin Whang was one of the first to draw public attention to the influx of sham podcast videos, posting a fake podcast clip in which he elaborated on the topic to TikTok^[2] and Twitter.^[3] The video gained over 535,000 views and 67,800 likes on TikTok and over 86,000 views, 570 retweets and 4,300 likes on Twitter in six months (shown below).

Spread

In December 2022, controversial fitness influencer V Shred faked being a guest on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, running the clip as an ad to sell supplements and fitness programs. On December 21st, 2022, Redditor UsingStew4 posted a screenshot from the clip to the /r/moreplatesmoredates^[4] subreddit, where it gained over 430 upvotes in four months (shown below, left). On January 10th, 2023, TikToker^[5] @jaredkhammond posted a video exposing the scam that gained over 53,000 views and 750 likes in three months (shown below, right).

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7187228396613831982

The trend drew significant attention in late March 2023 after fake podcasts by Instagram user and adult actress Vicky Banxx (used to promote her OnlyFans account) and by TikToker @carolinebaniewicz (of comedic nature) went viral.

On March 13th, 2023, TikToker^[6] @carolinebaniewicz posted a humorous fake podcast in which she and Twitter user @meg_bano talked about hustle culture and capitalism, with the clip getting increasingly absurd as it progressed. The clip received over 11.5 million views and 1.8 million likes on TikTok and 6.9 million views on Twitter^[7] in three weeks (shown below).

hustle mindset @meg_bano pic.twitter.com/FVHXRY92pB

— caroline baniewicz (@carolinebano) March 13, 2023

On March 23rd, 2023, @carolinebano then posted a similar comedy fake podcast video that gained over 7.6 million views on TikTok^[8] and 600 retweets, 4,600 likes and 141,000 views on Twitter^[9] in 10 days (shown below).

Got to start prioritizing your time if you want to be a millionaire by the end of 2023 @meg_bano pic.twitter.com/kVYriEx7aG

— caroline baniewicz (@carolinebano) March 23, 2023

On March 6th, 2023, vickybanxxtv posted a fake podcast in which she claimed that she gave her man "six to seven orgasms per day," with the clip gaining over 52,100 likes on Instagram^[10] in one month. On March 29th, 2023, Twitter^[11] user @Da1nOnlyCMart reposted the clip, commenting, "I'll pass lol. Nothing about this sounds enticing" (shown below), with entertainment news account @barstoolsports reposting it the following day. The video accumulated over 9.7 million views on Twitter in one week.

I'll pass lol. Nothing about this sounds enticing. pic.twitter.com/zYyNYPLDFH

— TerrorChris🇯🇲🇯🇲 (@Da1nOnlyCMart) March 29, 2023

On March 31st, 2023, investigative journalist Ryan Broderick tweeted^[12] that the clip was from a fake podcast, with the tweet gaining over 1,700 retweets and 15,500 likes in four days (shown below).

Later that day, Twitch streamer Hasanabi then tweeted^[13] about the phenomena, with the tweet gaining over 950 retweets and 31,600 likes in three days.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References