Podcasts Collide: Dragons Den Star Surges Ahead!

It has been called a 'gateway to the manosphere', while scientific claims made on the show have been questioned.

But 's Diary Of A CEO is on the verge of becoming the world's most popular podcast, overtaking that of .

It began as interviews with business leaders. But the controversial star later started hosting celebrities, sporting names and divisive political figures.

Between March and June, Bartlett added 2.8million subscribers, taking his total to 18.5million, while outspoken American comedian Rogan's 21million barely rose.

Bartlett has been helped by his production company creating a tool which translates episodes into foreign languages almost as soon as they are released, with Spanish and Russian the most popular. 

Bartlett co-founded the social media agency Social Chain in his early twenties before launching The Diary Of A CEO in 2017.

By 2021, aged 28, he had become the youngest investor on Dragons' Den.

But in August 2024 the Advertising Standards Authority banned two Facebook adverts in which Bartlett praised the meal-replacement brand Huel and the health-testing company Zoe. 

The ads had 'omitted material information' about Bartlett's financial ties to both firms.

That December, a BBC investigation found that 15 of his health-related episodes contained an average of 14 harmful or scientifically unsupported claims.

Now he has been accused of promoting toxic masculinity after failing to challenge former Love Island contestant Chris Williamson, after he blamed women's financial independence for falling birth rates.

The teetotal Bartlett recently attracted ridicule when he claimed drinking three glasses of wine ruined his next three days.