Former first lady Michelle Obama just launched a new podcast with her brother, and despite lots of hype from a number of major media outlets, the venture appears to have fallen mostly flat.
Disclose TV posted on Wednesday that the podcast — which so far has dropped two trailers and two episodes — had only amassed some 12,000 views in the first 14 hours it was live. Reports since indicate that the number of viewers had barely doubled by the 24-hour mark.
“NEW – Michelle Obama’s new podcast ‘IMO,’ gets only 12,000 views in 14 hours despite mass-marketing campaigns,” Disclose.tv posted.
In the opening episodes of the podcast, titled “IMO,” Obama and her brother Craig Robinson discuss divorce and personal life lessons, among other topics, but largely avoid politics.
Critics were unimpressed with Obama, saying they had expected as much despite the fact that multiple outlets hyped the podcast in the days before its release.
“Inherently unlikeable. The carefully crafted Obama veneer has finally been shattered,” Jeff Carlson said.
“The Obamas have lost their mojo. Republicans were never going to watch this. Dems (correctly) perceive that Obama was the man behind the curtain pulling the strings that led to the Biden / Kamala candidate switch debacle, so they blame him for Trump. And here we are …,” another added.
Red State’s Bonchie added, “‘Girl from the South Side…’ These people can’t help but be cringe.”
“How long before YouTube hides subscriber count like they did the dislike button?” another asked.
“To put this into perspective: Our podcast gets downloaded about 200,000 times per day and we’re a regional morning radio show from Texas,” Radio host Kenny Webster commented.
CNN Republican commentator Scott Jennings saw the writing on the wall earlier in the week, predicting during a panel discussion that the former first lady — in spite of her popularity — is no longer quite the queen bee that people thought she was.
Noting that both Michelle and former President Barack Obama had campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris — and had lost in spectacular fashion — Jennings argued that the Obama name no longer captivated the attention of Americans as it had in the past.
“I’m rethinking the premise of — that she’s the answer to the future, or that any politician is the answer to the Democratic Party —” he said.
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