At 7 p.m. on Wednesday, August 13, the internet erupted when superstar singer-songwriter Taylor Swift joined the “New Heights” podcast alongside her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and his brother Jason Kelce, a future Hall of Fame center who played for the Philadelphia Eagles.
The episode streamed on YouTube, but will it break the record for the most-viewed podcast ever?
Could Taylor Swift’s ‘New Heights’ Appearance Break the Podcast Viewership Record?
The episode’s premiere drew 1.3 million live viewers — the most concurrent podcast listeners ever. According to Front Office Sports, Swift’s appearance on the “New Heights” podcast has achieved these milestones so far:
• 379 million views on Instagram
• 61.6 million views on X
• 34.5 million views on TikTok
• 15 million views on YouTube
• 1.3 million live viewers
• Episode stream crashed
• Passed 3 million followers on Instagram
• 400K+ new YouTube subscribers since
• Most concurrent podcast listeners ever
Her appearance alone was a major draw, and the announcement of her 12th album on the podcast added even more intrigue to the episode.
But will it be enough to break the YouTube viewership record for a podcast? It seems highly unlikely. A Saudi Arabian show holds the current record, the “Fnjan Podcast,” whose single episode reached 144.9 million views.
Translated into English, the episode was titled “Secrets to Thriving Relationships” and featured Saudi relationship coach Yaseer Al Hazimi offering advice on toxic relationships, bullying, and conflict resolution.
The episode reached a global audience, with over 70% of viewers coming from outside Saudi Arabia.
The previously most-viewed “New Heights” episode had 8.9 million views, and interestingly, it featured Jason’s wife, Kylie. History suggests that viewership tends to rise when the podcast includes a Kelce brother’s significant other.
Posted at 12:12 on the 12th. ❤️🔥 Tay’s 12th album is called…………
pre pre-order now at https://t.co/oGYV230otf pic.twitter.com/gUAIEEDZmm
— New Heights (@newheightshow) August 12, 2025
While Kylie Kelce is beloved and helped “New Heights” reach a larger audience than their typical athlete guests, Swift’s appearance has already blown it out of the water. Her episode currently has 15 million views, and that number will not slow down anytime soon.
Swift commands a massive fanbase, with 280 million Instagram followers.
Although Swift’s appearance on the podcast with Kelce set the record for the most concurrent podcast listeners ever, it will still be hard for the “New Heights” episode to break “Fnjan Podcast” record, given that the global intrigue isn’t necessarily as big.
However, if the episode continues performing well in the coming days and weeks, perhaps it could break the U.S. podcast record of 90 million views, which Shannon Sharpe holds for his “CLUB SHAY SHAY” interview with comedian Katt Williams.
