With Who’s the Asshole?, Grindr set out to do more than launch a podcast, it claimed space as an unapologetic cultural voice rooted in honesty, accountability, and community reflection. Dating apps are often treated as neutral tools, but Grindr is something bigger: the Global Gayborhood in Your Pocket- a place where connection, desire, humor, and human behavior collide.
The genesis of Who’s the Asshole? came from an uncomfortable truth: everyone loves to complain about bad behavior online, on apps, and on Grindr, but that behavior comes from people. Sometimes it’s them. Sometimes it’s you. Sometimes it’s all of us. Rather than ignore those realities, Grindr chose to confront them head-on, creating space for honest conversation about why we behave the way we do- and how we can do better together.
The idea driving Season 3 was simple and ambitious: create a sex-positive, entertainment-first owned media property built on honesty. A show where real people bring real dilemmas, and nothing is too awkward, taboo, or nuanced to unpack with humor, empathy, and zero shame.
The objectives were to deepen brand affinity by positioning Grindr as a trusted companion, spark audience participation through user-submitted stories, and establish a consistent presence in the podcast space. Partnering with RuPaul’s Drag Race icon and New York Times bestselling author Katya Zamolodchikova gave the show its ideal guide. Anchored in the familiar “Who’s the Asshole?” format, Season 3 proved branded content can be entertaining and meaningfully honest, while remaining unmistakably Grindr.
Who’s the Asshole? was brought to life by reimagining the classic advice column for a modern, audio-first, unapologetically queer audience. Inspired by legacy formats like Dear Abby and Savage Love, Grindr updated the genre for the podcast era swapping letters for voice notes, newsprint for streaming platforms, and polite euphemisms for sex-positive, unfiltered honesty. The result: an owned media property that feels intimate, hilarious, and deeply human.
The execution was built on three core pillars: authentic community participation, culturally fluent talent, and multi-platform distribution.
Community drives the show. The 510-ASS-HOLE hotline became the engine of the series, allowing real Grindr users to anonymously submit their messiest, funniest, and most complicated dating and relationship dilemmas. These real stories ensure the content stays grounded in lived experience, not hypotheticals, making each episode feel like eavesdropping on a friend’s juiciest group chat.
We paired these stories with RuPaul’s Drag Race icon and New York Times bestselling author Katya Zamolodchikova as host. With nearly two decades of performance experience and a fiercely loyal fanbase, Katya brings instant trust, warmth, and razor-sharp wit, creating a judgment-free zone where nothing is too awkward, taboo, or nuanced to discuss. Her voice sets the tone: wildly funny, deeply empathetic, and refreshingly honest.
Episodes roll out across Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and YouTube, with video extensions capturing Katya’s physical comedy and the electric chemistry between guests. Guest booking prioritized voices that feel timely, culturally relevant, and authentically connected to gay audiences. Season 3 featured names like Bowen Yang, Saucy Santana, and Adam Lambert, each bringing their own lens on sex, love, fame, and vulnerability while maintaining the show’s playful, sex-positive energy.
One of the biggest creative challenges was balance- being explicit without being exploitative, helpful without being preachy, and funny without punching down. We solved this by anchoring every conversation in care, curiosity, and community service, using humor as the gateway to real, actionable advice.
Another challenge was differentiation in a crowded podcast landscape. Rather than chase broad appeal, Grindr doubled down on specificity: gay culture, Grindr user experiences, celebrity candor, and an advice-driven format that feels instantly recognizable yet distinctly Grindr.
By the time Season 3 launched in early 2025, Who’s the Asshole? had proven itself as more than a branded experiment, but a sustainable content franchise. Unlike branded podcasts that feel like extended ads, this show leads with entertainment and value, allowing brand love to follow naturally. And we're excited to launch Season 4 in the coming weeks!
Who’s the Asshole? Season 3 delivered on its core objective to strengthen Grindr’s mission as the Global Gayborhood in Your Pocket while providing a trusted, sex-positive cultural voice for the LGBTQ+ community. The season sustained strong listenership across major podcast and video platforms, while the 510-ASS-HOLE hotline generated hundreds of user-submitted dilemmas, fueling a steady pipeline of authentic, community-driven stories.
The audience's response reflected that value. Season 3 maintained exceptionally high satisfaction, earning a 4.9 rating on Apple Podcasts and 4.7 on Spotify. Video extensions further expanded reach, generating 3.1M+ YouTube views and 33.2K+ likes, while social amplification drove 3.6M+ Instagram Reels views and 1.1M+ TikTok views across 92 talent-led posts, supported by guests with a combined 6.2M+ followers.
Culturally, Season 3 broke through as a legitimate entertainment property. The show earned 168 media placements, drove 8B earned media impressions, and achieved 100% positive/neutral sentiment. Coverage appeared in Variety, OUT, PinkNews, Forbes, PAPER, and People, positioning Grindr alongside established media brands rather than traditional tech platforms. Notably, 74% of coverage mentioned Grindr directly, and 90.4% linked to YouTube, reinforcing the show as the campaign’s central destination.
Most importantly, listener feedback confirmed the show’s deepest success: audiences returned because it was funny, helpful, and relatable, not because it was branded. Season 3 proved that when a brand leads with community attention, cultural fluency, and entertainment-first thinking, it can build owned media that truly stands on its own.