Meghan McCain Rebrands Podcast for Smaller Audience

Meghan McCain is reshaping her recently launched podcast and merging it with her other streaming shows that cater to a limited audience.

The former “View” co-host revealed earlier this month that she would combine her “Citizen McCain” podcast with the “Happy Hour” show, which will now air twice a week under the latter name.

“Our podcast will be a live show in two ways, as we’ve done before, but now it will adopt the former Citizen McCain branding,” she shared on her Substack Newsletter page.

McCain, daughter of the late Senator John McCain, kicked off “Happy Hour” earlier this year after teaming up with 2way, a media startup founded by Mark Halperin, a former MSNBC personality who lost his job due to sexual misconduct allegations.

This change comes as “Happy Hour,” which started in February, has seen limited viewership. The last full episode featuring an interview with Joe Concha, a Fox News media critic, garnered only 4,300 views on YouTube.

In contrast, a shorter clip titled “Joe Biden’s Staff ‘All Hated Kamala Harris'” has become the channel’s most popular segment, amassing nearly 81,000 views since February.

The show will continue to stream live on YouTube on Mondays and Wednesdays, shifting its time from 5 PM Eastern to noon. Episodes will also be accessible on Apple and Spotify.

McCain reassured her audience that “nothing has changed about the content,” though she acknowledged the evolving nature of the show. “This journey with Citizen McCain has been a winding one with various partnerships,” she noted, expressing confidence in her collaboration with 2way.

A revamped version of “Citizen McCain” debuted on May 5, with McCain stating during the broadcast, “there are no more happy hours.” However, the viewership remains modest, as none of the full-length episodes have surpassed 5,000 views on YouTube, and the channel had only 2,650 subscribers as of Thursday.

Moreover, the new episodes are being uploaded exclusively on the “Citizen McCain” YouTube page rather than the main 2way channel, which last featured her content on April 30.

Halperin’s 2way network was intended to be a platform for bipartisan political discussion, but it appears to be struggling for traction. According to Social Blade, the channel averages around 83,000 views and has 78,400 subscribers. Since its launch, 2way has uploaded over 2,200 videos, collectively racking up around 22.8 million views.

McCain’s choice to collaborate with Halperin has drawn attention, particularly following her prior criticisms of him due to the sexual misconduct allegations from 2017. Halperin, accused by more than a dozen women, denied the charges but subsequently lost his roles at MSNBC and Showtime.

McCain has mentioned in British publications that her views have changed over time. “As people age, wisdom and different perspectives arise,” she explained. “Now, as a 40-year-old mother of two, I believe in extending grace and forgiveness.”

Halperin has since rebuilt his media career, contributing to Newsmax and hosting a podcast on Megyn Kelly’s new media platform.

Representatives for both McCain and Halperin did not reply to requests for comments.