Forbes' list of the top twenty highest-paid podcasters of 2026 has made multiple headlines recently, and not everyone is thrilled about who made the cut. The list features some familiar names, including the celebrity-led SmartLess from Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes, Amy Poehler's Good Hang, Jay Shetty's On Purpose, Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy and Paige Desorbo and Hannah Berner's Giggly Squad. At the very top, though, was comedian and UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan, whose The Joe Rogan Experience on Spotify pulled in an estimated eighty-two million dollars between June 2025 and June 2026. Chelsea Handler was among the first to react, commenting directly on Forbes' Instagram post."WHO IS PAYING JOE ROGAN 82 million? Give that to our vets, or our children!!! 82 million to be completely uninformed and say 'whoopsie doodle,' every time he's wrong, which is FREQUENT?"Handler's reaction made headlines, but the conversation that has since taken over is trending on X. A user shared a screenshot of all twenty podcasters on the list, pointing out that"Not a single Black woman on this list despite Black women being active in the podcasting space.""I would have expected Oprah to have made the list," the post continued.Highest-paid podcasters list sparks debate over Black women's absence from the rankings:Oprah Winfrey attends the Forbes Self-Made 250 Celebration at the Museum of the American Revolution on June 17, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Source: GettyThe reactions to the X post piled up fast. One user called it"A very problematic list tbh."Another went further, weighing in on why Black women podcasters may not have landed on the Forbes rankings. The user pointed to the nature of Black women's content, sharing that their podcasts"revolve too much around showbiz gossip and history, true crimes and being self made without the details and steps to wealth. A lot of it is really for fun."On the question of Oprah specifically, the same user added that"Oprah doesn't need to bust her as* in constant podcast uploads and TV shows. She has $1bn and guests on people's podcasts like Keke Palmer's for fun. She moves strategically."The user wasn't done. When it came to the men who did make the podcasters list, they added that"I would never pay to listen to Joe Rogan, Joe Budden, Charlamagne and Steven Bartlett as they post 5-15 minute clips and whole shows at 3 hours on YouTube for free."(L-R) Chelsea Handler and Cara Delevingne attend The Abbey's 35th Anniversary at The Abbey on May 20, 2026 in West Hollywood, California - Source: GettyNot far removed from Chelsea Handler's reaction, another user simply questioned Rogan's mention in the podcasters list , sharing that"I'm genuinely wondering who listens to Joe Rogan knowing how uninformed he is?"Joe Rogan interviews a fighter inside the Octagon during the UFC 329 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 11, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada - Source: GettyHow Forbes calculated its highest-paid podcasters list:Steven Bartlett attends Day 1 of Cannes Lions 2026 on June 22, 2026 in Cannes, France - Source: GettyRogan's The Joe Rogan Experience did $12 million more in earnings than the second-highest-placed show on the list. That runner-up spot went to OpenAI-owned TBPN, short for Technology Business Programming Network, which pulled in $70 million. Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO came in third at $45 million, followed by Ashley Flowers' Crime Junkie at $42 million and SmartLess at $37 million. Mel Robbins, author of Let Them, tied with Jason and Travis Kelce's New Heights for sixth place, with her SiriusXM-owned The Mel Robbins Podcast earning $35 million.Tight end Travis Kelce #87 walks toward the practice field during Kansas City Chiefs training camp at Missouri Western State University on July 30, 2026 in St Joseph, Missouri - Source: GettyAs per Forbes, the podcasters rankings were calculated as an estimate of total earnings through revenue sharing, platform fees and live events, things like Desorbo and Berner's Club Giggly and Cooper's The Unwell Tour. The publication's figures were put together based on interviews with agents, lawyers, managers, executives and other industry experts, though shows broadcast live and later syndicated, or shows distributed only on YouTube, were not taken into consideration.Forbes was also clear the figures represent pretax earnings tied specifically to podcast work. That being said, the publication did acknowledge that many of the names on the list, like Amy Poehler and the SmartLess trio, earn significant income from films, TV, endorsements and other projects outside of podcasting.