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Joe Budden Once Turned Down $44M—But Still Made Podcast History
Joe Budden is pulling in seven figures every month from his podcast’s Patreon, according to a New York Times profile that breaks down his booming subscriber base and business model.
The former rapper-turned-media personality is reportedly earning about $1 million per month through The Joe Budden Podcast’s Patreon, thanks to roughly 70,000 subscribers paying between $5 and $50 monthly. The figures, confirmed by a Patreon spokesperson, position Budden as the platform’s top earner.
Testa projects Budden and his team could bring in $12 million by the end of 2025 if the current pace holds.
The numbers went public just weeks after Budden accidentally posted a screenshot revealing his Patreon earnings—$902,000 for the month—without blacking out the total. The image quickly circulated online before he attempted to delete it. On a later episode of his show, Budden admitted the leak wasn’t exactly a mistake.
“My moment of excitement, I said to Ian, ‘Yo, do me a favor, big dog, on a FaceTime. Hey, blackout all this other s###. I need to hit that $30 million on him,’” he said.
He later joked in the Times piece that the viral moment led to a wave of salary requests from his co-hosts.
Budden’s current success follows a rocky history with streaming platforms. He previously walked away from a deal with Spotify, claiming the company undervalued his contributions. Before that, he was a host on Complex’s Everyday Struggle, where he said he was paid just $500 a week.
Even when presented with a lucrative $44 million offer in the early 2020s, Budden declined, choosing instead to maintain control of his content and build independently.
Before becoming a media mogul, Budden was best known for his 2003 hit “Pump It Up” and his role in the Hip-Hop supergroup Slaughterhouse. He later transitioned into commentary and podcasting, gaining a reputation for blunt takes and viral moments.
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