‘Unbothered’ Podcast Host Jemele Hill Is in Discussions to Leave Spotify

The journalist had previously expressed dissatisfaction with the finances around her deal with the streaming audio giant

Jemele Hill Live Spotify Podcast with Kamala Harris (Getty)
Jemele Hill (Getty)

Journalist and former sportscaster Jemele Hill is negotiating terms of separation with Spotify, ending the “Unbothered” podcast and Unbothered Network’s time with the service.

“There have been discussions about that possibility,” a Spotify spokesperson told TheWrap when asked about Hill exiting the service, which was first reported by Bloomberg.

A spokesperson for Hill’s The Unbothered Network didn’t immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

The potential split is happening against the backdrop of Spotify’s adjustments to its podcast business, wherein the service has felt pressure to reduce expenses and increase gains. Hill’s potential departure from Spotify comes after the streaming service seemingly failed to grant her wish for a Black creator to receive a paycheck attuned to what Joe Rogan was getting from the service, which was reported at the time to be around $100 million (that number was then adjusted to “at least $200 million” by The New York Times).

“What I would like to see is for them to hand $100 million to somebody who is Black,” Hill told the Times last year.

Though Spotify launched a $100 million Creator Equity Fund to promote diversity in response to controversies surrounding Rogan and his presence on the platform, Bloomberg reported that initiative got off to a slow start and was nowhere near expending the full $100 million.

In addition to Hill’s potential exit, Joe Budden and Ava DuVernay are two other Black celebrities to leave Spotify recently.

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