A Fight Over Missing Ad Money Roils the Podcast Industry

Comedian Theo Von lit up X last week with a viral video lambasting Kast Media, a podcast company that historically produces and puts ads in shows.

Von accused Kast of owing various podcasters over $4 million in back pay. In his case, he said Kast still owed him a six-figure sum. Throughout the video, he repeatedly criticized Colin Thomson, the head of Kast, by name.

According to Von and other creators, Kast was behind on payments to them at the time of the announcement— something Thomson does not dispute. After releasing the news, LiveOne reached out to multiple podcasters, including Von, and offered to help them recuperate some of the back payments owed to them with stock rather than with cash. Von, for one, rejected the offer.

Over the past month or so, multiple podcasters have spoken out with similar stories. In August, skateboarder and podcaster Jason Ellis took to Instagram to discuss his show and another one that he hosts with Tony Hawk and to allege that he, too, was owed money. This week Brendan Schaub and Bryan Callen weighed in, alleging that Kast owed their production company between $1.5 and $1.6 million. Meanwhile, hosts Jim Cornette and Brian Last have created a multi-part podcast series digging into the saga and claim they are also owed money.