Marc Maron is Done — and He’s Not Alone: 'We’re Tired, We’re Burnt Out'
I talk to podcasters, video talent and reps about strategy for pulling the plug without cutting off all the cash. Plus: exclusive Rhett & Link deal news
I write about the creator economy at Like & Subscribe, a standalone newsletter that’s being sampled for a limited time for paid subscribers to The Ankler. I covered the coming talent war between Netflix and YouTube and reported on creators’ revenue streams and jobs available in digital content for Hollywood talent. Send me tips, memes and ideas at natalie@theankler.com
Hello from Los Angeles, where thankfully I’ve got a couple weeks at home before jetting off to Cannes Lions. Will you be on the Riviera during the fest? Reach out if you want to grab a glass of rosé.
Flagging that I’ve got a Rhett & Link scoop below, but first, a quick recap of my trip to Canada last week for the first-ever Web Summit Vancouver, where I interviewed Valkyrae (aka Rachell Hofstetter) about how to achieve longevity as a creator. Valkyrae has been streaming on Twitch and YouTube for 10 years, so it’s no surprise the 33-year-old is thinking about what’s next for her career. Last year, she launched Hihi Studios to develop and release her own graphic novels, TV shows and more, and she revealed exclusively to the Web Summit audience that her second graphic novel will debut later this year in partnership with Webtoon. But Valkyrae also said she plans to keep gaming and streaming until she’s 80. I find that notable in light of today’s newsletter, which is all about creators who’ve decided to hang up their hats.
Before we get into that, here’s some exclusive news about two creators who remain very much in the game: Rhett & Link, who have been campaigning for an Emmy nomination, struck an interesting deal with the online marketplace Etsy. The agreement, which the duo’s reps describe as their most expansive to date, includes plans for them to launch their own storefront on Etsy, where they’ll highlight unique products and goods from small businesses through July. We’ve seen partnerships like this in the past from fashion and beauty brands, which create custom online storefronts to show off the recommendations of their influencer partners, but this is new territory for creators like Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, who will also integrate their recommendations into their YouTube show Good Mythical Morning. “Every time you buy from these shops, you’re not just getting something cool — you’re helping a real person do what they love,” McLaughlin and Neal said in a joint statement to me about the partnership. “And that feels pretty great."
Now, on to the main event. I’m sure you saw the news yesterday that Marc Maron will be ending his podcast this fall after 16 years. “This was a show that was started when there were no podcasts,” he said in announcing the decision to wrap up WTF with Marc Maron, “and now there are nothing but podcasts.” All joking aside, he and producer Brendan McDonald came to the decision together. “It really comes down to the fact that we have put up a new show every Monday and Thursday for almost 16 years and we’re tired, we’re burnt out and we are utterly satisfied with the work we’ve done,” Maron explained during an emotional 10-minute intro to his Monday show.
It’s rare in Hollywood — where greenlights, renewals and cancellations are handed down from a corner office — to be able to decide when to end a creative project. Not so much on the internet, which is so vast that a creator can keep uploading YouTube videos, posting TikToks and publishing podcast episodes ad infinitum. Which is why I’ve watched with interest lately as digital-first creatives left and right have decided to say goodbye. In March of last year, MatPat (aka Matthew Patrick) hosted his last Game Theorists video on YouTube. Then, the creators of the popular Normal Gossip podcast announced they’d be stepping down and handing the show off to a new host and producer. Earlier this year, I interviewed chef and cookbook author Carla Lalli Music about her decision to stop making videos for her YouTube channel. And as I noted a couple of weeks ago, Luke Nichols — the fishing and camping aficionado behind the Outdoor Boys YouTube channel — recently announced he’d be stepping away from the project.
They’re not the first creators to quit, and they all have different motivations for saying goodbye. But as the creator economy matures — and more creators and podcasters realize they’ve been on the never-ending content production hamster wheel for the better part of a decade (or for some, two decades) — I expect many more will follow them down this path.
But the business of saying goodbye isn’t as simple as just turning off the camera. To dig into it all, I talked to top creators and reps about:
🛑 Why even longtime podcasters like Claire Mazur and Erica Cerulo are choosing to step away from the mic: the blueprint for goodbye
💼 How creators weigh the emotional and financial realities of quitting the internet, from fan backlash to employee logistics
🎙️ The behind-the-scenes playbook for a graceful exit — or a smooth handoff — when a podcast or YouTube channel winds down
🧘 What creators say they don’t miss about always being online, from constant self-disclosure to midnight anxiety over “the thing I said”
🧾 How some creators are future-proofing their brands for passive income or relaunch, even after signing off
🌱 The “soft landing” strategy that helped MatPat hand off his YouTube empire without missing a beat — and why more creators may follow
🌀 Why quitting doesn’t have to be forever — and how some creators, like Emma Chamberlain and Maron, are keeping the door open for what’s next