CBS’ The Late Show franchise lasted 33 years, but Bobbi Althoff‘s absurdist The Really Good Podcast is signing off after 2 1/2 years.
And, no, costs aren’t to blame, nor are anti-Trump jokes. Rather, Althoff has simply decided to pull the plug.
Althoff, who started as a vlogger on TikTok providing advice to new moms, made a 180-degree turn to doing sit-downs with prolific guests on The Really Good Podcast including Jimmy Kimmel, Shaquille O’Neal, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba, Jason Derulo, Meghan Trainor, Mark Cuban, Offset, Peso Pluma, Michael Cera and more. Her deadpan-uncomfortable Valley Girl shtick had her asking fearless questions that made her guests bristle. Often, part of the bit was being rather clueless of her guests’ feats.
Her interview with Drake, conducted in his bed, put her on the map. Overall, that episode racked up 1 billion views and 300 million likes. The media was baffled as to how she landed the interview; Althoff has insisted that like she simply reached out to Drake on social media with her request.
Althoff didn’t have any stupid pet tricks like David Letterman, but she’d engage in myriad activities, i.e., painting and arguing with Office star Rainn Wilson, getting sass lessons from social media influencer Ari the Don, and playing tennis with stand-up Bobby Lee. There was also the time she quizzed Nick Cannon on the names of his 12 children — and he failed.
There were also some clever ad-supported stunts: In a clever promotion for L’Oreal’s CeraVe, she had Barbie and Arrested Development star Cera on her podcast, claiming he was the architect of the skin care line. It was all a paid stunt that Althoff unveiled at SXSW 2024.
“Guys, I don’t think there’s any really good way to say this, but this is the last episode of The Really Good Podcast,” Althoff, clad in black funeral dress, said today at the beginning of the podcast. “I think I should take my glasses off to say it, too.”
Althoff, standing next to her sister Lexi, her Harpo Marx if you will in her online shenanigans, then launched in to an out-of-tune rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”
The Really Good Podcast regularly topped podcast charts and, in 2024, won Best Emerging Podcast at the iHeart Podcast Awards. Drawing comparisons to Zach Galifianakis’ Between Two Ferns, the podcast put Althoff on the map as a comedic talent to watch. In 2024, she inked an exclusive distribution, ad sales and marketing agreement for the podcast with global media company Studio71.
“This podcast started off with just a girl with a dream to make more money,” Althoff says, reflecting on its unlikely rise. “I’m proud of the accomplishments I’ve had … It has been a dream, every second of it.”
We’ve reached out to find out what’s next for Althoff. In the meantime, you can find her on Instagram and TikTok, with reruns of the podcast on YouTube.
Here’s the farewell episode:
