By: Karlee Zolman
Over the past decade, podcasts have continued to rise in popularity. From news to comedy, there seems to be a podcast for everyone’s interests.
Podcasts are a series of recorded conversations, usually focusing on a similar topic or overarching theme. From prominent news sources to internet influencers, it seems like just about everyone has their own podcast.
With so many unique topics in podcasts, their popularity has been on the rise. According to a 2021 study by Edison Research, “Approximately eighty million Americans – 28% of the U.S. 12+ population – are now weekly podcast listeners.”
These podcasts are gaining traction and fan bases. As the fan bases grow, tours have started up. People like comedian Joe Rogan, have started selling out venues to their fans, where they record live episodes of the podcast.
Internet comedians, Brittany Broski and Sarah Schauer decided to tour their podcast, “Violating Community Guidelines.” On Sept. 27, they brought a night of laughs to Washington, D.C. recording a live version of their podcast.
In August 2019, Broski posted her most viral video. In the video she tried kombucha and hated it, coining her the name “Kombucha Girl.” From here she has only grown in fame, amounting over 7.1 million TikTok followers, and creating a podcast for her fans to follow.
Her followers relate to her authenticity, hilarity and many quirks, like her comedic southern accent.
In 2022, Broski joined forces with Schauer, a youtube personality and former vine star with the same humor and relatability, to create a podcast. “Violating Community Guidelines,”, as described by Apple podcasts, “Follows two internet-hardened succubabes as they explore all corners of the wild and wacky web.”
They talk about topics ranging from sororities to deep fakes, all with a comedic twist and a southern charm.
Broski and Schauer released their tour dates in summer 2022, announcing 27 shows across the U.S. After selling out a show at the D.C. Improv Comedy Club, the duo sold out a second show for later that evening.
The audience was greeted with food and music as they waited for the show. Soon after, the audience silenced their phones and Broski and Schauer graced the stage through a sea of applause to begin their podcast.
Of course, a unique topic was bound to happen, in the District the topic was Nicholas Cage. The actor who stole the Declaration of Independence in the film, “National Treasure.”
After the first show Broski and Schauer met with fans who bought meet-and-greet tickets. They received gifts and took photos with fans.
From an online sensation to two sold out shows in one night, Broski and Schauer show how podcasting is growing in popularity.