Crooked Media has named Leigh McGowan, creator of the “PoliticsGirl” podcast and a New York Times bestselling author, as the new co-host of “Hysteria,” the company’s weekly show on politics and culture for women.

McGowan will join host Erin Ryan, filling the co-host seat previously held by Alyssa Mastromonaco, former Deputy Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama. She brings a following of more than 7 million to the show, which has been published weekly since July 2018 across its podcast feed and YouTube channel. According to Crooked, McGowan will cover the topics, trends and cultural stories that affect women’s lives.

McGowan built “PoliticsGirl,” a two-time Webby Award-winning brand, around explaining American politics in plain language for audiences who do not necessarily think of themselves as political. Her “KitchenRants” videos condense the day’s biggest news and most complex issues into short segments, and her content has drawn hundreds of millions of views. She has hosted the “PoliticsGirl Podcast” since 2021.

Crooked said the appointment reflects its commitment to bringing new voices into the political conversation and that “Hysteria” will continue its existing format while drawing new audiences into the Crooked community.

The hire brings a creator with her own established audience into Crooked’s owned lineup weeks after the company began extending its advertising business to creator-led political shows it does not own. In September, Crooked added “Adam Mockler,” “The Argument” and “Weekly Skews” to its political podcast and digital sales network, joining “No Lie” with Brian Tyler Cohen and “The Joy Reid Show.” Crooked holds exclusive rights to sell host-read advertising across those shows’ RSS feeds and YouTube channels.

Crooked’s flagship network, which includes “Pod Save America,” “Lovett or Leave It,” “Pod Save the World” and “Strict Scrutiny,” generates more than 30 million monthly downloads, according to figures the company reported in September, up from more than 25 million in February. In February, Crooked signed a multi-year hosting and ad sales partnership with Audioboom running through the 2028 presidential election, covering its roughly 40 owned and acquired shows.

Former Obama staffers Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor founded Crooked in 2017 with “Pod Save America.”

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