United States
Higher Learning is a culture and commentary podcast produced under The Ringer network, co-hosted by Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay.
Total Followers +2.6%
198K
Across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok
Primary Platform
YouTube
98K followers · 50% of audience
Engagement
6.1%
vs. 1.5% category median
Sponsorship Tier
Mid
Est. $1.3K–$3.2K / IG post
Sitting U.S. Senator Chris Murphy appeared as a guest on the podcast, a notable high-profile political booking for the Ringer show.
The podcast hosted U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar for a wide-ranging political conversation, one of its most prominent legislative guests to date.
| Window | YouTube | TikTok | Combined | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last 7 days | +500 +0.5% | +1K +1.7% | +0 +0.0% | +2K |
| Last 30 days | +2K +1.9% | +3K +5.2% | +0 +0.0% | +5K |
| Last 90 days | +6K +5.9% | +22K +34.6% | +0 +0.0% | +28K |
| Last 365 days | +6K +5.9% | +22K +34.6% | +0 +0.0% | +28K |
Daily follower snapshots from CreatorDB's longitudinal index.
Higher Learning is a culture and commentary podcast produced under The Ringer network, co-hosted by Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay. Lathan built his public profile during a lengthy tenure at TMZ, where a 2018 on-air exchange with Kanye West drew widespread attention and established him as a commentator willing to engage directly with difficult conversations in Black culture. Lindsay, an entertainment attorney, rose to national prominence as the first Black lead on ABC's The Bachelorette before pivoting decisively toward media, becoming one of the more prominent Black female voices in mainstream sports and entertainment commentary. Together, they publish twice weekly across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, covering the intersection of hip-hop, Black politics, film, and sports with a tone that mixes sharp analysis with candid, sometimes irreverent, opinion.
The show's audience skews heavily male and concentrates in the 18–34 age band, a demographic composition consistent with politically engaged Black culture commentary. Engagement across platforms runs well above category medians, suggesting a loyal core listenership rather than passive reach — a meaningful signal for brand partners. A sponsorship relationship with FanDuel aligns naturally with the sports-adjacent content and the predominantly male, younger audience. As The Ringer continues to expand its podcast slate under Spotify, Higher Learning occupies a distinct lane as one of the network's dedicated Black culture tentpoles, giving it durable positioning as brands seek credible access to that audience demographic.
Higherlearning positions squarely in the Black culture, politics, and sports commentary space as a twice-weekly Ringer podcast, making it a natural fit for brands targeting culturally engaged, English-speaking audiences across North America and anglophone markets. The show's opinion-led format with recurring guests creates organic mid-roll and host-read integration windows for sports betting platforms, streaming services, lifestyle apparel, and financial-services brands seeking credibility within Black media. Engagement running materially above category median across YouTube and Instagram signals an audience that actively participates rather than passively consumes—a meaningful quality indicator for sponsors evaluating cost-efficiency at the mid-tier level. The audience skews heavily male and clusters within the 18–44 range, with the US representing the dominant share of reach, followed by the UK and Canada—a distribution well-suited to advertisers with pan-anglophone or North America-first objectives. Posting cadence is consistent on YouTube and Instagram, with TikTok serving as a secondary amplification surface. FanDuel is a confirmed sponsor, anchoring the show's sports-adjacent commercial credibility; the hip-hop, politics, and pop-culture mix also makes it plausible territory for streaming platforms, sneaker brands, and culturally positioned CPG or grooming labels.
Benchmark estimates for a creator at Higherlearning's tier (Mid, 198K combined followers, United States). Pulled from CreatorDB's category benchmarks.
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Van Lathan built his public profile as a producer and on-air personality at TMZ, where he became widely recognized for directly confronting Kanye West in 2018 after West claimed slavery was "a choice." That viral exchange established him as an unflinching voice on Black culture and politics, a quality he carries into every Higher Learning episode.
Yes, Rachel Lindsay made history in 2017 as the first Black lead on The Bachelorette, starring in Season 13 of the franchise. After her time on the show she became a prominent entertainment commentator and eventually co-host of Higher Learning, where she brings the same willingness to speak plainly about culture, politics, and public figures.
Higher Learning is produced by The Ringer, the sports and pop-culture media company founded by Bill Simmons that was acquired by Spotify in 2020. That affiliation gives the show editorial credibility and broad distribution across major podcast platforms.
Jay-Z sits at the center of what Higher Learning does — his moves around commerce, loyalty, and public image raise exactly the questions the show is built to dissect. Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay have covered everything from Memphis Bleek publicly backing Jay-Z amid backlash over a Target deal to the critical reception of Jay-Z's freestyles, treating his decisions as cultural flashpoints rather than celebrity gossip.
The hosts are explicit that they will not tell listeners how to vote — Rachel Lindsay has made that boundary public — but they share their own strong opinions on candidates and political events without pulling punches. The philosophy is less "here's your ballot guide" and more "here's exactly how we feel, and you decide for yourself."
Jasmine Crockett is a Democratic congresswoman from Texas who has become one of the most vocal and culturally visible progressive voices in Washington. Higher Learning covers her because she sits squarely at the intersection of Black politics and mainstream political drama, which is precisely the territory Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay specialize in.
FanDuel has run sponsored campaigns alongside Higher Learning, a natural fit given the show's predominantly male, sports-engaged audience. The hosts' credibility in Black sports and entertainment culture makes the podcast an appealing vehicle for brands trying to reach that demographic authentically.
Yes — because The Ringer is owned by Spotify, Higher Learning is available on Spotify alongside YouTube and other major podcast apps. The show publishes new episodes twice a week, so it's easy to stay current regardless of which platform you prefer.
Higher Learning releases new episodes twice a week, keeping the show timely enough to react to fast-moving news in Black politics, sports, and entertainment. That consistent cadence is a big part of why the show maintains an audience that returns regularly and engages well above the category average.
The Higher Learning audience skews heavily male and falls mostly in the 18-to-44 age range, with the large majority of listeners based in the United States. The show's blend of political commentary, sports debate, and entertainment analysis appeals to people who want substantive, culturally grounded takes rather than surface-level hot takes.
Stats (followers, engagement, audience demographics, growth) are pulled live from the CreatorDB API covering YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Bio and FAQ content is AI-assisted; news items are sourced from cited public press at generation time. Read the full methodology →
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@higherlearning · YouTube
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