Headgum Lays Off 30% of Staff Amidst Podcast Industry Shifts

The podcasting industry, once a booming frontier for content creators and media companies, is facing a period of significant recalibration. The latest indication of these challenges comes from Headgum, a prominent comedy podcast network, which recently implemented a substantial workforce reduction. This move saw approximately 30% of its staff laid off, signaling broader economic headwinds and structural shifts impacting the audio entertainment landscape.

Headgum Streamlines Operations Amidst Industry Pressure

In early October 2025, Headgum announced layoffs affecting nearly a third of its employees. The decision, communicated internally on October 2, impacted several key roles within the company. Among those affected were Casey Donahue, the head of video, and Marika Brownlee, the head of marketing, who had been with the Los Angeles-based company for close to a decade.

The company, which had a team of around 22 staffers prior to the cuts, also reportedly vacated its New York studio. The severity of the situation was underscored by internal communications suggesting that without immediate restructuring, Headgum’s operational viability might be limited to a few more months. The layoffs mark at least the second round of workforce reductions for the company in recent years, with a previous instance occurring in 2022.

Former employees have spoken about the difficulty of the situation, with one noting the volatility that has become characteristic of the industry. Despite efforts to reach Headgum for comment, the company has not publicly addressed the specifics of the layoffs.

A Wider Trend: Podcast Industry Struggles Deepen

Headgum’s layoffs are not an isolated incident but rather a reflection of a challenging period for the podcast sector as a whole. The enthusiasm that once propelled massive investments and rapid expansion in podcasting has been tempered by a tightening advertising market and a reevaluation of sustainable business models. Several other major players in the audio space have faced similar difficulties throughout 2025:

• Pineapple Street Studios: In June 2025, Audacy, its parent company, shut down Pineapple Street Studios, leading to the elimination of nearly 30 jobs.
• Spotify: The streaming giant also reduced its podcast division headcount, cutting approximately 15 jobs and impacting teams at The Ringer and Spotify Studios by about 5%.
• Wondery: Amazon’s podcast subsidiary underwent a significant reorganization in August 2025, resulting in layoffs affecting close to 100 employees.

These developments suggest that even well-established and well-funded entities are grappling with the economics of podcast production and monetization in the current climate.

Headgum’s Journey: From Growth to Restructuring

Headgum, known for hosting a diverse array of comedy podcasts including “What’s Our Podcast?” with Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney, “Not Another D&D Podcast,” “Factually! with Adam Conover,” and “Handsome” with Tig Notaro, Fortune Feimster, and Mae Martin, has largely maintained its independence in a landscape increasingly dominated by larger media conglomerates.

Just months before the layoffs, in August 2025, the company celebrated its 10th anniversary. Headgum CEO Marty Michael acknowledged the company’s growth, having built shows streamed billions of times, but also candidly mentioned encountering “major speed bumps” such as talent departures and “ad market freezes.” He expressed pride in the team and the underlying business they had built over a decade. This context highlights the sudden and challenging nature of the recent workforce reduction, despite previous periods of growth and resilience.

The “restructuring” was also a topic of discussion on one of Headgum’s own shows, the “Doughboys” podcast, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. Wiger openly described the situation as essentially people being fired, expressing a lack of full comprehension regarding the events but emphasizing the “huge fucking bummer” of talented individuals losing their jobs.

Conclusion: A Volatile Future for Podcasting

The layoffs at Headgum underscore a critical period for the podcasting industry. While the medium continues to attract listeners and creative talent, the business models supporting it are clearly under strain. Companies are navigating a complex environment characterized by fluctuating advertising revenues, intense competition for audience attention, and the ongoing need to demonstrate profitability. The experiences of Headgum and other major podcasting entities suggest that the industry is undergoing a necessary, albeit painful, evolution toward more sustainable and lean operational structures in a highly volatile market.