Gen-Z seemingly has a new favorite form of entertainment — podcasts. They love the medium so much that they sold out a New York City venue featuring a group of Los Angeles-based podcasters who took their show on the road for a live tour.
On May 15, hosts of Dropouts, a comedy podcast, brought their usual wit and humor full of racy banter and story-telling to New York City during their East Coast tour. Their first stop was at the Gramercy Theater, where eager fans were wrapped around the block hours before the show started.
Their fans oft praise the bad-cop, good-cop duo of Jared Bailey and Zach Justice and their leading lady, Tara Yummy, for their authenticity since it makes the audience feel like they are a part of the fun rather than just a viewer.
The show’s success can be attributed to its ability to tap into the interests and experiences of Gen-Z, offering a platform for them to feel heard and understood.
Justice said that this inclusive approach has always been a priority for the team — which is why they don’t hesitate to divulge their personal lives including their mental health, dating history, and their upbringing online.
“I think a lot of people are alone whether it’s in their thoughts or you even among people, so it’s nice to have people that feel like your friends,” he said. “That’s our goal; not to seem like we’re above anyone. We have the same issues, the same problems and it’s kind of reassuring to know other people go through things.”
Their show always features storytelling, jaw-dropping digs at one another and behind-the-scenes looks at their lives as musicians and influencers. This content likely resonates with their audience as they often navigate the challenges of their career, pop culture, relationships and mental health.
“If you hide stuff, then you’re not being authentic to yourself or your audience,” Justice said.
Resonating with the younger crowd
Studies show Gen-Z, the only generation to grow up with podcasts at their fingertips, loves the platform because of its intimate and genuine nature.
A report from Sirius XM Media claims this generation listens to podcasts most consistently with three in four people having listened to a podcast in the past week. Listeners between the ages of 13 to 17 tune in even more with 80% of them saying they’ve listened in the past week.
And they’re not just tuning in for one show — 78% of Gen-Z listeners said they binge-watch their favorite podcasts.
Bailey noted that they experienced significant growth when they began posting clips of the show on TikTok — proving the platform’s influence, especially among Gen-Z, who are known for their heavy consumption of content on TikTok. The app’s algorithm-driven “For You” page has proven to be a powerful tool for content discovery, and many creators have leveraged this to grow their following.
“It was the best free marketing we could have gotten. We started posting on there and the clips would get millions and millions of views that would immediately translate to long-form,” he told amNewYork Metro.
Since starting the show, they’ve amassed 1.16 million subscribers on YouTube and their TikToks get thousands of views.
Selling out New York City venues hasn’t always been the norm for these entertainers. Bailey and Justice both made the move to LA for their career coming from Ohio and Georgia respectively. They later met as roommates in a two-bedroom apartment with a total of 10 other housemates.
They started the podcast, which is so named because Justice is a college dropout, through a real grassroots effort in June of 2020 from the living room of their apartment.
While Bailey said a move to LA isn’t necessary for a successful career, Justice believes it changed the trajectory of their career.
“In our type of podcasts, it’s dependent on guests. I mean the opportunities that we’re able to have, and people that we need, I don’t think there’s any other place like [LA]. It’s kind of the mecca of entertainment content,” he said.
Those guests range from actors like Ray Romano, American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, influencers and other professionals.
Yummy, who uses this last name as an online alias for privacy, originally came on the show as a guest but jokes she’s since been chained to the studio bench. In actuality, Justice said the team loved the dynamic Yummy added so much that they invited her to stay on long-term.
Being on the show has since grown her fanbase with people looking to adopt what’s been called the “Tara Yummy mindset.”
But being an online personality and the only female co-host makes things a little challenging when it comes to interacting with her audience. Because viewers get such an up-close look into her life, the line between what’s personal and what’s public often gets pushed.
“The amount of things I share, I’m fine with, but then people dig into it, which I’m not okay with. But it’s a part of my life that I have to accept. It’s not normal for someone to know everything about your personal life,” she said. “I just love entertaining people and as long as I’m growing and the community is getting bigger, that’s my goal; to make people smile and feel like they have a friend online.”
These challenges however don’t scare the Dropouts team from being open about their lives online.
As the Dropouts team continues to push the envelope with their unapologetic humor and authenticity, it’s clear that Gen-Z’s love for podcasts is here to stay. They plan to captivate audiences with their unique blend of humor, vulnerability, and inclusivity for years to come.
The team will continue their live tour on May 18 with a show in New Haven, CT, before concluding in Boston on May 19.
