OutKick Mailbag: Call Her Daddy, Life Advice, Jon Stewart

It has been a while. I'm back with an OutKick Mailbag this week. 

Before we get into the questions, all of which were great, I want to thank the readers for all their support over the past year. What a ride. There's much more to come. I have several recent columns up at OutKick, go check 'em out.

Secondly, tweet at me the media personalities who you'd like me to interview next. I look forward to your responses.

Let's go:

Hugh writes:

"Hey Bobby. Seems you got your feet everywhere these days. I don't always agree with you but I respect your willingness to say things that few others will.

My mailbag question: what's the domino effect of Call Her Daddy leaving Barstool for Spotify? Which podcasts are next?"

Here's a quick recap. Alex Cooper's sex-talk podcast, Call Her Daddy, is just a few years old, is one of the most popular in the country, and will move from Barstool to Spotify on a three-year, $60 million deal. CHD moves to Spotify exclusively next month.

Cooper is a star. She's now rich. Two things the average American hopes to be.

The short answer is, yes, it is a loss for Barstool. Per Podtrac metrics, CHD is Barstool's most downloaded podcast. That said, it's a loss, not a defeat. Barstool will be fine.

CHD didn't have synergy with the rest of the company's shows and personalities. While CHD made Barstool money -- probably a lot -- it was never part of the company's identity. Between Dave Portnoy, Pardon My Take, that fan base, and Barstool's reach on sports gambling, there's little to worry about.

Second, the domino effect on the podcast industry was already underway. It began with Joe Rogan, who signed a $100 million deal with Spotify last summer. By the way, it's still not clear how many years Rogan signed for. Is it $100 million a year, or $100 million over three years? Given CHD's number, I'd think that it's closer to the former.

I suspect Spotify will continue to spend big over the next few years. Something to keep in mind: Spotify didn't buy Rogan's show. It agreed to an exclusive licensing deal. That's key, as the majority of the podcasts listed below likely won't sell, but for enough money, may agree to exclusivity. To be clear, that doesn't mean all would, as there's value is accessibility across various platforms.

So far, it's all great news. People are getting rich for talking into a mic. However, there is a concern.

While Spotify is shifting the market with eight and nine-figure deals, its investments must pay off to avoid a future market decline. Spotify plans to overtake Apple as No. 1 in podcasting. Given they started from behind, they have to overpay to catch up and eventually surpass. Meaning, in three years, Spotify will have to calculate if spending $60 million here, $250 million there, and $100 million that way is worth it.

Earlier this year, Citianalysts downgraded Spotify's stock, saying they had not seen “a material positive inflection in app downloads or Premium subscriptions” from Spotify’s $800 million-plus investment into the podcast medium.

That's not ideal, but it's also not the final result.

My advice for those who have an audience: cash out soon. Don't wait.

John writes:

"I am starting to become a lot more successful than my brothers. I can feel some jealousy, resentment start to set in. I also work 10x more than them and have a better higher paying job.

They are both kinda lazy and just overall unmotivated. Our dad just gifted me an antique car out of nowhere just as a gift for working hard. My brothers got nothing. I feel kinda guilty about it but I know they don’t work hard and put that extra effort to be successful. I can feel my relationship with them slowly eroding. Any advice on how to handle this?"

Jealousy is the cause of change. More often than not, people become jealous when they think someone they started in the same place with has moved ahead of them. Me and Stevie will stay single for life. Wait, Stevie has a girlfriend now and I don't? Yep, you know that person. You may have even been that person. 

The first question you have to ask yourself is this: has money changed me? If the answer is yes -- that's on you.

If the answer is no -- which you seem to indicate in your question -- all you can do is show your brothers that you are the same person with whom they grew up. That even though you have more money than they do, you are still equals. Still brothers.

You say they are "lazy" and "unmotivated." Are you saying that to ease your guilt? It appears that way. If so, what's there to feel guilty about? You don't owe anyone an explanation for your success.

There's always going to be someone more successful and someone less successful than you. Someone with a hotter wife. Someone with more luck. In the end, if a family member or a friend makes you feel guilty for your success, it's reasonable to conclude you are dealing with the unreasonable.

Second, I find the fact that your father gifted you a car for working hard complicated. I'll be honest, I don't love that. I love it for you, it's great. You got a new car. But assuming your father is involved in each of your brothers' lives, a decision like that signals favoritism. Whether one is 5, 15, or 55 -- that stings. Nothing is stopping you from explaining to your father the conundrum the new car has put you in.

Maybe just take it for a few spins before that conversation.

Sean writes:

"Thoughts on Stewart roasting the lab leak on Colbert, while Colbert was desperately trying to muzzle him?"

It was great. Had I known Stewart was on, I would've watched late-night TV for the first time in five years. What a dead industry.

Colbert, like most TV hosts, isn't sure how to handle the lab leak theory. If he acknowledges it -- the facts, that is -- he is admitting Donald Trump may have been right, that Facebook was wrong, and his elite friends missed this one. Can't have that.

Trust me, as much as Colbert loves the headlines from Stewart's interview, this is the last story he wanted to go viral.

Similarly, most of the liberal media avoided the truth about the year-long story that Trump cleared Lafayette Square so he could take a photo. Better to just ignore it.

As for Stewart, he made more sense and created more humor in that one block than his Daily Show replacement has in years. Just thought I'd add that in.