Ashley Flowers’ ‘Crime Junkie’ empire in turmoil – Business News
“Crime Junkie” podcast star Ashley Flowers’ $250 million true-crime empire has been rocked by an exodus of about 30% of its workforce — as burned-out workers chafed beneath the founder’s punishing calls for and one employee recalled vomiting from nerves earlier than presenting concepts to her, in line with a bombshell report.
About 30 of Audiochuck’s 100 workers have bolted over the previous 12 months, together with its chief govt, chief legal officer and chief growth officer, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing people acquainted with the company.
Meanwhile, inner surveys reviewed by the information outlet confirmed worker satisfaction plunging from a rating of 27 in April 2025 to adverse 34 by the second quarter of this 12 months.
“Crime Junkie” star Ashley Flowers’ $250 million podcast empire has been rocked by workers departures and plunging worker morale, in line with a report. Getty Images for SiriusXM
Some staffers complained of working early mornings, weekends and late into the evening to keep up with Flowers’ “uncompromising expectations,” in line with Bloomberg.
One worker advised the outlet that the prospect of pitching concepts to Flowers was so tense that the employee blew chunks beforehand.
Audiochuck acknowledged growing pains on the company, which Flowers based in 2017 and reworked into a roughly 100-person operation.
“As the company has grown quickly, its systems and processes haven’t always kept pace, and Audiochuck has worked directly to address that,” Audiochuck advised Bloomberg.
The behind-the-scenes turmoil stands in stark distinction to the runaway success of “Crime Junkie,” which is presently the No. 2 podcast in Edison Research’s newest public national rating and is attracting its greatest viewers since its launch.
Average weekly distinctive listeners are up 71% 12 months over 12 months, YouTube views have soared 400% and downloads per episode are at an all-time high, an Audiochuck consultant advised Bloomberg.
But Flowers’ relentless push to broaden the blockbuster franchise has triggered friction inside the company, in line with the report.
In one episode detailed by Bloomberg, an worker started showing in a collection of “Crime Junkie” social-media videos about circumstances.
Ashley Flowers constructed “Crime Junkie” into one of America’s greatest podcasts — however workers have reportedly chafed beneath her demanding management fashion. SiriusXM
The posts carried out effectively, people acquainted with the matter advised Bloomberg — however Flowers, who had long been the public face of the show, ordered them eliminated.
She additionally upended a main studio redesign after an outdoors firm spent more than a 12 months engaged on it, in line with the report.
At the final minute, Flowers reconsidered the design, raced to HomeGoods and commandeered chairs from colleagues’ places of work for the revamped studio, Bloomberg reported.
The turmoil led to a collection of company-wide conferences supposed to let workers air their complaints.
Roughly 30% of the workers at Ashley Flowers’ Audiochuck have left over the previous 12 months, Bloomberg reported. Getty Images for Hello Sunshine
Then-CEO Matt Starker launched an “ask me anything” session after staff complained about a vary of points, together with the way in which human sources had dealt with inner complaints, Bloomberg reported.
Starker responded sympathetically and practically cried during the primary assembly, in line with people acquainted with what occurred.
There was no second assembly.
Flowers pulled the plug on the periods in March and despatched workers an e-mail laying out her own expectations.
“No one at this company works more hours than I do,” Flowers wrote in the e-mail reviewed by Bloomberg.
“Yes, I am the founder, but that is not why. It’s because I care so much about this company and the work we do. I regularly set my alarm at 2 or 3 a.m. and work over the weekend, holidays and when I’m sick.”
Employees at Ashley Flowers’ Audiochuck described burnout and punishing hours because the true-crime company pushed to broaden, in line with Bloomberg. PA Images by way of Getty Images
In June, Flowers gathered workers to announce she was canceling “The Deck,” her cold-case podcast and Audiochuck’s second hottest show, although it was pulling more than 300,000 downloads a week, in line with Bloomberg.
Flowers stated the choice got here after her younger daughter expressed in stark phrases how sad she was that her mom labored a lot.
“I’m sad and happy,” Flowers advised workers in a recorded assembly reviewed by Bloomberg. “And I know it’s the right decision.”
Audiochuck had tried to search out one other host for “The Deck,” holding quite a few auditions for somebody Flowers may trust to switch her, Bloomberg reported.
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Nobody handed muster.
Flowers’ resolution to kill the show price a number of workers their jobs and left Audiochuck with much less programming to supply Tubi, in line with Bloomberg.
Flowers, 37, based Audiochuck in 2017 after emptying $13,000 from her financial savings to launch “Crime Junkie” from her Indianapolis home with longtime pal Brit Prawat.
Within simply over two years, “Crime Junkie” had change into the No. 4 podcast in the nation in line with Edison Research. It is now simply behind No. 1-rated “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
Ashley Flowers advised workers she repeatedly units her alarm for two or 3 a.m. and works weekends, holidays and whereas sick, in line with an e-mail obtained by Bloomberg. Getty Images for Hello Sunshine
Its success helped Flowers land a distribution and promoting settlement with SiriusXM in 2021 price $50 million a 12 months, Bloomberg reported, citing people acquainted with the deal. SiriusXM publicly disclosed the settlement however not the financial phrases.
But the company faces growing competitors in the video market it’s spending closely to crack.
During the week of July 27, rival true-crime podcast “Rotten Mango” ranked No. 1 on YouTube’s US podcast chart, whereas “Crime Junkie” didn’t crack the highest 100, in line with Bloomberg.
Flowers, nonetheless, has given workers little indication that she plans to loosen her grip.
“I’m in deep in the same way I was eight and a half years ago,” she advised workers whereas explaining the cancellation of “The Deck.”
“And you’re not going to be able to pry that from my cold, dead hands.”
The Post has sought remark from Flowers and Audiochuck.
