Crooked Media is a progressive American political media company. It was founded in 2017 by

Jon Favreau Jonathan Kolia Favreau (; born October 19, 1966) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Favreau has appeared in films such as ''Rudy (film), Rudy'' (1993), ''PCU (film), PCU'' (1994), ''Swingers (1996 film), Swingers'' (1996), ''Very ...

Jon Lovett Jonathan Ira Lovett (born August 17, 1982) is an American podcaster, comedian, and former speechwriter. Lovett is a co-founder of Crooked Media, along with fellow former White House staffers during the Obama administration, Jon Favreau and Tomm ...

, and Tommy Vietor, all former top

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

staffers and former co-hosts of the '' Keepin' it 1600'' podcast. Dan Pfeiffer, also a former Obama employee, co-hosts their flagship podcast ''

Pod Save America ''Pod Save America'' is an American progressive political podcast produced and distributed by Crooked Media. The podcast debuted in January 2017 and airs twice weekly, with the Tuesday edition hosted by former Barack Obama staffers Jon Favreau, ...

'' with them. The company's offerings encompass a network of podcasts; a news and opinion website; live shows and tours; and a social media and live streaming presence. It aims to foster open conversation between liberals and support

grassroots activism A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

and political participation. The company's flagship podcast, ''Pod Save America'', airs twice weekly and averages more than 1.5 million listeners an episode. In Fall 2018, four ''Pod Save America'' one-hour specials aired on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

. By November of its first year, the podcast had been downloaded more than 120 million times, and 175 million times by February 2018. The company is headquartered in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

History

Favreau, Lovett, Vietor, and Pfeiffer hosted The Ringer's '' Keepin' it 1600'' political podcast from March 2016 until December 2016. In 2016 Favreau, Lovett, and Vietor started podcasting and activism on a full-time basis. The three formed the Crooked Media company in January 2017 and launched a new podcast called ''

'' the following month. Pfeiffer opted not to join the company, and instead to co-host the Thursday edition of the show. Crooked Media is named after a favorite term used by

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

. When asked whether he thought Crooked Media was a 'media company', Favreau said, "I don't know if it's a political movement or a media company". The company announced a major expansion in October 2017 with the launch of Crooked.com, a text journalism site helmed by Editor-In-Chief Brian Beutler, a former ''New Republic'' senior editor. The expansion introduced the 'Crooked Contributors' network—a group of progressive journalists, activists, organizers, policy experts, campaign veterans, and comedians who would be featured in podcasts, videos, and articles produced by the company. The company uses advertising revenue to fund the business.

Hosts

Podcasts

Crooked Media produces and distributes podcasts with numerous hosts, focusing on news and politics.

''Pod Save America''

''Pod Save America'' is a twice weekly progressive

political podcast Political podcasts are podcasts that focus on contemporary politics and current events. Most political podcasts maintain a connection with an existing media source such as a newspaper or magazine. They aim to inform or entertain or advocate a c ...

. On Mondays it is hosted by Favreau, Vietor, and Lovett, and on Thursdays it is hosted by Favreau and Pfeiffer. ''Pod Save America'' explicitly aims to encourage its listeners to engage in activism and political persuasion. ''Pod Save America'' has run a number of special series and mini-series. For example, Tommy Vietor hosted a series on the 2020 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses, and Dan Pfeiffer and Alyssa Mastromonaco hosted a series on the vice presidential candidate selection process.

''Pod Save the People''

Hosted by organizer and activist DeRay Mckesson, ''

Pod Save the People ''Pod Save the People'' is an American political podcast produced and distributed by Crooked Media and hosted by organizer and activist DeRay Mckesson with weekly appearances by Samuel Sinyangwe, Clint Smith (writer), Clint Smith, and Brittany Pa ...

'' talks about culture, social justice, and politics by exploring the history, the language, and the people who are shaping the struggle for progress — and talking about the steps that each individual can take to make a difference.

''Pod Save the World''

Hosted by Vietor and former Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, ''

Pod Save the World ''Pod Save the World'' is a weekly American foreign policy podcast produced and distributed by Crooked Media, and hosted by former White House National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor and former Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rho ...

'' discusses foreign policy and international relations.

''Lovett or Leave It''

Hosted by Lovett, former speech and joke writer for President Obama. ''

Lovett or Leave it ''Lovett or Leave It'' is a weekly podcast hosted by speechwriter and screenwriter Jon Lovett. It is produced by Lee Eisenberg and distributed by Crooked Media. The theme song is by the band Sure Sure. Lovett has described the show as a way t ...

'' is a recording of a weekly live show and features the eponymous host dissecting the news with a panel of guests. The show features a variety of games, as well as one-on-one interviews that center around the week's news and

American politics The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that Separation of powers, share powers. These are: the United States Congress, U.S. Congre ...

Other series

Other podcasts that have been produced and distributed by Crooked Media include: *''With Friends Like These'', an interview-based podcast that aims to showcase discussions between people who disagree or come from different backgrounds, hosted by

Ana Marie Cox Ana Marie Cox (born September 23, 1972) is an American author, blogger, political columnist, and critic. The founding editor of the political blog '' Wonkette'', she was also the Senior Political Correspondent for MTV News, and conducted the "Ta ...

*''Hysteria'', a politics and culture podcast with a focus on

women's issues Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male poi ...

, hosted by Erin Ryan and

Alyssa Mastromonaco Alyssa Mende Mastromonaco (born February 22, 1976) is an American author, podcaster, spokeswoman, and former government official. She served as White House Deputy Chief of Staff for operations in the administration of President Barack Obama from 2 ...

*''Keep It'', a podcast on culture hosted by

Ira Madison III Ira Madison III (born July 28, 1986) is an American television writer and podcaster. He is the main host of the Crooked Media podcast ''Keep It!'' He is a former critic at ''The Daily Beast'', ''GQ Magazine'', and other publications. Early lif ...

and Louis Virtel *''Crooked Minis'', for more in-depth coverage on topics that are less directly related to current events *''The Wilderness'', a docuseries hosted by Jon Favreau related to the status and future of the Democratic Party *'' This Land'', an investigation of '' Carpenter v. Murphy'' hosted by Rebecca Nagle *''America Dissected'', a treatment of the American health system hosted by

Abdul El-Sayed Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed (born October 31, 1984) is an American politician, former public health professor, medical doctor, and civil servant. He was a candidate in Michigan's 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary election, placing second ou ...

*''What a Day'', a daily news podcast hosted by Tre'vell Anderson, Priyanka Aribindi,

Josie Duffy Rice Josie Duffy Rice ('' née'' Duffy) is an American writer and political commentator. Recently, she served as president of ''The Appeal'', a news outlet that centers the criminal justice system. Duffy Rice also co-hosted the podcast ''Justice in ...

, and Juanita Tolliver *''Missing America'', a foreign policy podcast hosted by Ben Rhodes *''Wind of Change'', a mini-series on the song ''Wind of Change'' hosted by Patrick Radden Keefe *''Hall of Shame'', a sports podcast hosted by

Rachel Bonnetta Rachel Bonnetta (born 8 October 1991) is a Canadian reporter and a former television host for NFL Network in the United States. She joined Fox Sports in 2016, hosting the ''@TheBuzzer'' digital series firstly, then ''Fox Bet Live'' (formerly ''Lo ...

and Rachna Fruchbom *''Unholier Than Thou'', a religion podcast hosted by Phillip Picardi *''Six Feet Apart'', a podcast on the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

hosted by Alex Wagner *''Rubicon'', a podcast on the impeachments of Donald Trump hosted by Brian Beutler *''Takeline'', a podcast about sports focused on basketball, hosted by Jason Concepcion and

Renee Montgomery Renee Danielle Montgomery (born December 2, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player, sports broadcaster and activist who is currently vice president, part-owner, and investor of the Atlanta Dream, and one of three owners of th ...

*''Offline'', a podcast about how being extremely online is "shaping everything from politics and culture to the ways we live, work, and interact with one another." *''X-Ray Vision'', a pop culture podcast by Emmy award winning Jason Concepcion. *''Imani State of Mind'', a mental health podcast hosted by Dr. Imani Walker and Megan "MegScoop" Thomas.

Tours

Crooked Media has produced multiple live tours. The first tour by Crooked Media podcasts was in fall of 2017. The tour featured live versions of ''Pod Save America'' and ''Lovett or Leave it'', and appearances from DeRay Mckesson, Ana Marie Cox, and other guests. Crooked Media tours have not just visited locations in the United States, including a 2018 tour with performances in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Activism

Crooked Media engages directly in political activism, including advocating for liberal policies and candidates, supporting

get out the vote "Get out the vote" or "getting out the vote" (GOTV) describes efforts aimed at increasing the voter turnout in elections. In countries that do not have or enforce compulsory voting, voter turnout can be low, sometimes even below a third of the ...

efforts, raising money, and encouraging political demonstrations. In elections from 2017 onwards, the company has collaborated with

MoveOn MoveOn (formerly known as MoveOn.org) is a progressive public policy advocacy group and political action committee. Formed in 1998 around one of the first massively viral email petitions, MoveOn has since grown into one of the largest grassroot ...

on direct activism efforts, such as directing ''Pod Save America'' listeners to

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

town-hall meetings, and with Swing Left and Indivisible to raise money and encourage activism relevant to the

2018 United States elections The 2018 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. These midterm elections occurred during Republican Donald Trump's term. Democrats made a net gain of 41 seats in the United States House of Representatives, gaining a majo ...

and the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...

. The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' reported that according to Crooked Media, it raised $2.7 million and directed 22,000 volunteers to fill shifts in competitive races during the 2018 midterms. In May 2019, the Crooked Media campaign "Vote Save America" launched the Fuck Gerry(mandering) fund with Data for Progress to direct listener's donations to 14 of the closest races in Virginia. Ahead of the 2020 cycle, under the umbrella of Vote Save America, they raised $32 million in the third quarter of 2020, which was directed to Democratic candidates. Through the Vote Save America program, Crooked Media has partnered with Fair Fight, an organization devoted to fighting voter suppression led by

Stacey Abrams Stacey Yvonne Abrams (; born December 9, 1973) is an American politician, lawyer, voting rights activist, and author who served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007 to 2017, serving as minority leader from 2011 to 2017. A member ...

, as well as with

VoteRiders VoteRiders is an American non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to ensure that all US citizens over 18 years old are able to exercise their right to vote. Through resources and media exposure, one of its main focuses is ...

to spread state-specific information on voter ID requirements.

Reception

The company's podcasts regularly sit near the top of the iTunes list of most popular podcasts. ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' has called Crooked Media 'the left's answer to conservative talk radio'. ''Pod Save America'' was called "the nation's most popular political podcast" by ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

''. Reviewing the first episodes of the company's flagship podcast, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' noted: "''Pod Save America'''s commentators are sparky and funny—and they have a habit of talking a whole lot of sense."

References

External links

* {{Crooked Media 2017 establishments in the United States Podcasting companies Mass media companies established in 2017 American news websites Internet properties established in 2017 Companies based in California Mass media in Los Angeles County, California Mass media in Los Angeles