
Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner uncovers the hidden side of everything. Why is it safer to fly in an airplane than drive a car? How do we decide whom to marry? Why is the media so full of bad news? Also: things you never knew you wanted to know about wolves, bananas, pollution, search engines, and the quirks of human behavior. To get every show in the Freakonomics Radio Network without ad... more
| Publishes | Twice weekly | Episodes | 952 | Founded | 16 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | DocumentarySociety & Culture | |||

When Richard Thaler first published Nudge, the world was just starting to believe in his brand of behavioral economics. In this 2021 episode, we ask: How has nudge theory held up in the face of a global financial meltdown, a pandemic, and other exist... more
The science says no, at least not in the athletic sense. But the psychic benefits can be large — just ask former N.F.L. star Ricky Williams. He says athletes should consider cannabis a healing drug, not a party drug. Even the N.F.L. is starting to ag... more
In sports, the rules are meant to be sacrosanct. But when it comes to performance-enhancing drugs, the slope is super-slippery. (Part one of a two-part series.)
• SOURCES:• April Henning, associate professor of international sport management at Heri... more
They used to be the N.F.L.’s biggest stars, with paychecks to match. Now their salaries are near the bottom, and their careers are shorter than ever. In this updated episode from 2025, we speak with an analytics guru, an agent, an economist, and some... more
People also subscribe to these shows.





Thank you Steven . These episodes are so insightful and informative. I also appreciate your humour and thoughtful worldview.
Great episode!
The McKary interview was an absolute disgrace. Not a single ounce of pushback, not even a follow up question to any of his unjustified claims. This is how fascism wins. Truly embarrassing.
I was very disheartened by this episode. I usually have a lot of respect for Mr Dubner’s interview skills and ability to stick with facts and be neutral. He missed the boat this time. The head of the FDA was allowed to state politically biased views with no push back. The interviewee also pushed blame onto others, such as the media. If he doesn’t like how topics are being covered he should have the power to make the coverage more accurate if it is indeed half the story. He also either was gasli... more
This podcast consistently produces excellent work on fascinating topics thank you very much.
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Spotify | #154 | |
Spotify | #16 | |
Apple Podcasts | #95 | |
Apple Podcasts | #3 | |
Apple Podcasts | #11 | |
Spotify | #179 |
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
| Listeners per Episode | |
|---|---|
| Gender Skew | |
| Location | |
| Interests | |
| Professions | |
| Age Range | |
| Household Income | |
| Social Media Reach |
This podcast investigates the hidden dynamics behind everyday phenomena, bringing to light aspects of economics, statistics, and human behavior that often go unnoticed. Notable themes include the intricate relationship between economics and social issues, the impact of cultural events, and the analysis of market structures, such as retail and sports industries. Episodes frequently feature interviews with a diverse range of experts from various fields, making complex topics accessible to audiences while maintaining a critical lens on contemporary cultural and economic issues. Its unique blend of curiosity-driven storytelling and data analysis positions it as a compelling resource for listeners interested in understanding the underlying mecha... more
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Freakonomics Radio. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Freakonomics Radio and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Freakonomics Radio, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.
Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Freakonomics Radio, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
To see how many followers or subscribers Freakonomics Radio has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.
These podcasts share a similar audience with Freakonomics Radio:
1. The Economics of Everyday Things
2. People I (Mostly) Admire
3. Planet Money
4. Radiolab
5. Hidden Brain
Freakonomics Radio launched 16 years ago and published 952 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.
Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Freakonomics Radio from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.
View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.
Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Freakonomics Radio. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.
Recent guests on Freakonomics Radio include:
1. Floyd Landis
2. April Henning
3. LeSean McCoy
4. Robert Smith
5. Robert Turbin
6. Jeffrey Whitney
7. Brian Burke
8. Robert Wachter
To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.