Why We Miss The “Heavyweight” Podcast So Much?

The Heavyweight podcast ran for eight seasons, 58 episodes, from September 2016 until December 2023. Hosted by Jonathan Goldstein, the show was arguably one of the best shows in the podcasting world. In December 2023, Spotify canceled Heavyweight, along with Stolen, and laid off 1,500 employees. The stock price of Spotify jumped by six percent on those three news items.

Why was Heavyweight targeted for cancellation?

First, it is a resource-intensive show, with money spent on research and travel.

As one Reddit user commented: “Spotify dropped them, as others have mentioned. I know it’s an expensive show to make, but I have faith it’ll get picked up somewhere. If you listen to the latest episode, Johnathan makes it pretty clear they want to continue the show if at all possible.”

Second, as others have noted, two dudes “shooting the shit” on a Spotify podcast costs considerably less than Heavyweight. There are no research expenses, and typically the “two dudes” just wing it on their podcast interviews with their guests.

Six months have gone by with no rumors about the resurrection of Heavyweight. Therefore, I’d like to familiarize those who have never listened to the show with its themes and episodes. Even if you have listened, this article can serve as a reminder to go back and listen to some of the show’s episodes.

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