“I was on a date in Chicago and I said that I said that I do digital strategy at first,” he recalled in an interview. “So she kept pressing and I was like, ‘Actually, I produce podcasts.’ Now, maybe it’s because I lied and said I did digital strategy first that she was not into it, but I also just think when she heard podcast, it was a cause of concern for her.”
Mr. Rush added that she followed with, “don’t tell me you’re like doing like a Joe Budden podcast or anything like that.”
Scrutiny of the podcast bro archetype has also appeared in other areas of pop culture. In the Netflix comedy “You People,” Ezra, a white broker played by Jonah Hill, reveals to his date that his dream job is to do his hip-hop culture podcast full time, which is first met with laughter, followed quickly by judgment and concern.
Mr. Rush, who has worked for Marvel, iHeartMedia and the podcast network Wondery, said he understood the wariness, given the many things women have to be afraid of when it comes to dating men; a podcast is just another thing to worry about.
“It’s like a new chivalry or etiquette that we’re trying to figure out,” he said.
Logan Mendoza, 23, is one of four hosts of SweeTalks, a video podcast on YouTube. He said they often get direct messages from men who enjoy their content, which he described as mostly “guy talk” and debate. He said he didn’t consider SweeTalks to be like some of the more offensive shows.
“At the end of the day, you want to entertain the listeners and the viewers, so to do that you’re going to have to say some crazy stuff,” said Mr. Mendoza, who lives in Orange County, Calif. “Sometimes we’ll say stuff, but we don’t really fall in line with it. Sometimes we’ll disagree on a topic just to have that argument with each other on the podcast and have different point of views.”
