Hillary Clinton has done a series of interviews tied to the upcoming Hulu docuseries Hillary, and now she is going into production herself.
She has partnered with iHeartRadio to coproduce an original podcast series, set to debut sometime in the second quarter, in the midst of the 2020 presidential race and just before the summer party conventions.
More information on format, guests, series length and launch date is expected in the coming weeks, according to an iHeartMedia spokesperson.
According to Politico, which first reported the news of the series, the show will feature her in conversation with a brand-name guest. The search also is on for “a Robin Quivers-like sidekick,” according to the site, and she has already hired two podcast veterans, Kathleen Russo and Julie Subrin, to produce.
Politico’s Ryan Lizza reported that Clinton was inspired to do a show after appearing with her daughter Chelsea on Conan O’Brien’s podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, and later when she sat with Howard Stern for a 2 1/2 hour interview. The latter interview immediately garnered attention as Clinton was more candid and relaxed than she has been in news and cable talk settings.
Clinton is the latest Democratic figure to turn to take a role in the media. Barack and Michelle Obama launched a new production company and signed a deal with Netflix for a series of projects. The first that their company acquired, American Factory, won the Oscar for best documentary. Al Gore, along with Joel Hyatt, started the network Current TV in 2005, but sold it off in 2013 after it failed to get much ratings traction.
The iHeartPodcast Network has more than 750 original podcasts on topics including news, politics, sports, crime, technology and entertainment. Some of its most popular podcasts include The Joe Rogan Experience and Crime Junkie.
