Matt Friend on Trump Impressions, Late-Night TV & Going Viral

Matt Friend on Trump Impressions, Late-Night TV & Going Viral

Comedian and impressionist Matt Friend joins Lachlan Cartwright on The Breaker Pod to discuss going viral with celebrity impressions, the collapse of traditional late-night TV, and why the future of comedy belongs to creators who understand the internet.   Friend reflects on performing at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, meeting King Charles, doing impressions straight to celebrities’ faces, and building a comedy career through social media instead of the traditional Hollywood route.   He also shares his thoughts on Donald Trump’s impact on comedy, the changing media landscape, AI voice cloning, Gen Z’s viewing habits, and why he believes “no one’s watching things late at night" anymore.   PLUS: Some quickfire impressions (Howard Stern, Mitch McConnell, Obama, Ted Cruz, and more), CNN, Fox News, social media, comedy club culture, and Matt’s dream of creating his own modern version of late night.   00:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5HmWGX5dK0] Matt Friend's Rise From TikTok to Comedy Star 03:49 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5HmWGX5dK0&t=229s] Meeting King Charles and Celebrity Impressions 06:53 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5HmWGX5dK0&t=413s] Why Late Night TV Is Dying 12:54 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5HmWGX5dK0&t=774s] White House Correspondents' Dinner & Political Comedy 20:18 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5HmWGX5dK0&t=1218s] Brands, Virality, and Building a Modern Comedy Career 28:07 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5HmWGX5dK0&t=1687s] AI, Social Media, and the Future of Entertainment 36:56 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5HmWGX5dK0&t=2216s] Trump, Comedy, and What's Next for Matt Friend   #podcast #politics #viral   Subscribe to the newsletter for original scoops, behind-the-scenes media drama, and reporting you won’t get anywhere else: https://www.breakermedia.com/subscribe [https://www.breakermedia.com/subscribe]   New episodes weekly — exposing power, decoding media, and asking better questions.    Like, comment, and subscribe to stay in the loop on how the media actually works.

“Kids Don’t Want News Is Bullsh*t” — Ramin Beheshti Explains Why

Former Dow Jones and News UK executive Ramin Beheshti joins Lachlan Cartwright on The Breaker Pod to discuss why Gen Z doesn’t trust legacy media, how AI is threatening traditional news business models, and why “kids don’t want news” is “bullsh*t.” Beheshti — now the CEO of Caliber, the company behind The News Movement, The Recount, Capsule, Caliber Collective, and the creator-focused app SaySo — explains why the future of journalism belongs to creators, vertical video, and direct audience relationships. He also opens up about launching a startup with Will Lewis, why “paywalls have killed curiosity,” how social platforms changed news forever, and why legacy media still doesn’t fully understand the creator economy. 00:00 Intro 05:06 The Wall Street Journal Paywall Era 12:37 Why “Kids Don’t Want News” Is “Bullsh*t” 24:29 Building a 100M+ Audience 30:32 Why SaySo Wants You to Spend Less Time Online 39:48 Legacy Media’s Creator Panic 42:13 AI, Web Traffic & The Future of Media 45:02 Will Lewis’ Future in Journalism #podcast #genz #media #viral 👉 Subscribe to the newsletter for original scoops, behind-the-scenes media drama, and reporting you won’t get anywhere else: https://www.breakermedia.com/subscribe [https://www.breakermedia.com/subscribe] 🎙️ New episodes weekly — exposing power, decoding media, and asking better questions. 💬 Like, comment, and subscribe to stay in the loop on how the media actually works.

Laura Brown and Kristina O’Neill on Getting Fired, New Media, and Who Replaces Anna Wintour

Laura Brown and Kristina O’Neill join Lachlan Cartwright on The Breaker Pod to discuss what happens after getting “billboard fired” from two of the most coveted jobs in magazine publishing. Brown, the former editor-in-chief of InStyle, and O’Neill, the former editor-in-chief of WSJ. Magazine, explain how losing their jobs inspired their bestselling book, All the Cool Girls Get Fired, their podcast, and now, their new media venture. They share behind-the-scenes stories from the golden age of glossy magazines, debate who could one day replace Anna Wintour, weigh in on the future of Condé Nast and The New York Times Magazine, and explain why creativity — not AI — will always be at the heart of great storytelling. 00:00 Intro 01:42 Getting “Billboard Fired” 08:15 How All the Cool Girls Get Fired Was Born 15:34 Why Owning the Narrative Matters 24:11 Who Could Replace Anna Wintour? 28:47 The Future of Condé Nast and Magazine Publishing 36:52 Why the Individual Is the Media 43:08 AI, Creativity, and the Future of Journalism #podcast #viral #journalism #fashion #fyp #interview #media #news 👉 Subscribe to the newsletter for original scoops, behind-the-scenes media drama, and reporting you won’t get anywhere else: https://www.breakermedia.com/subscribe [https://www.breakermedia.com/subscribe] 🎙️ New episodes weekly — exposing power, decoding media, and asking better questions. 💬 Like, comment, and subscribe to stay in the loop on how the media actually works.

Journalism on a Credit Card | Truth Tellers Summit

At the fourth annual Truth Tellers Summit in London, Breaker Media founder Lachlan Cartwright and London Centric founder Jim Waterson joined BBC media editor Katie Razzall for a candid conversation about the brutal realities — and amazing opportunities — of building independent journalism outside legacy media. From burning through life savings and working “20 hours a day,” to scooping major outlets, chasing Murdoch stories, and surviving the subscription economy, the panel explored what it really takes to build a modern media business in 2026. “I was waking up in the middle of the night spewing my guts up with stress because I was worried I was going to lose my life savings.” — Lachlan Cartwright “You live and die by whether your paid subscribers are going up.” — Jim Waterson The discussion took place at the Sir Harry Evans Truth Tellers Summit in London, where leading journalists, editors, and investigative reporters gathered to debate the future of journalism, AI, trust, democracy, and independent media. #Journalism #Media #Podcast #Substack #NewsMedia #IndependentJournalism #MediaIndustry #DigitalMedia #InvestigativeJournalism #TheGuardian #NewYork #YouTubePodcast #MediaNews #Press #Politics #News #Journalist #CreatorEconomy #Publishing #UKMedia #Viral #ViralVideo 👉 Subscribe to the newsletter for original scoops, behind-the-scenes media drama, and reporting you won’t get anywhere else: https://www.breakermedia.com/subscribe [https://www.breakermedia.com/subscribe] 🎙️ New episodes weekly — exposing power, decoding media, and asking better questions. 💬 Like, comment, and subscribe to stay in the loop on how the media actually works.

What’s Next for the Murdochs? Ken Auletta Explains

Ken Auletta has spent decades chronicling the most powerful figures in media — from Rupert Murdoch to Harvey Weinstein. In 2026, he sees a media landscape that’s more chaotic, competitive, and vulnerable than ever. In this episode of The Breaker Pod with Lachlan Cartwright, Auletta breaks down the Murdoch family succession battle, what drives Rupert Murdoch, and what the empire could look like after him. He also reflects on his legendary New Yorker career, the craft of profiling powerful people, and the risks of access journalism in an era of PR handlers and corporate pressure. Along the way, Auletta shares behind-the-scenes reporting stories — from nearly exposing Harvey Weinstein years before the scandal broke to helping Ronan Farrow with his subsequent research at The New Yorker — and offers a candid look at the pressures facing journalists today, from political attacks to risk-averse media owners. 00:00 Inside the Murdoch dynasty and what the doc missed 01:38 What the Netflix Murdoch doc got wrong 03:26 The family settlement and hidden NDAs 05:10 Profiling Rupert Murdoch up close 07:03 How Auletta landed access to Murdoch 09:19 Elizabeth Murdoch and the succession battle 11:15 Will the Murdoch family ever reconcile? 13:24 The dangers of access journalism 14:48 Dealing with PR handlers and gatekeepers 15:52 What drives Rupert Murdoch? 17:16 What happens to the empire after Rupert 19:38 Why Fox News remains so powerful 21:01 The Harvey Weinstein reporting story 23:30 How Ronan Farrow broke the Weinstein case 25:23 What surprised Auletta about the trial 28:15 The future of The New Yorker 31:08 Why legacy media still survives 32:10 The New York Times’ unexpected business model 33:34 How Auletta picks his subjects 35:01 The profile that stuck with him most 36:35 Roy Cohn’s influence on Trump 37:50 Who he still wants to profile 39:17 Why subjects feel “betrayed” by profiles 41:00 Why journalism is more dangerous than ever #media #journalism #podcast #murdoch #rupertmurdoch #succession #interview #news #foxnews #newyorker #trump #harveyweinstein #digitalmedia #press #breakingnews #politics #politicalcommentary #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #viral #trending #explore 👉 Subscribe to the newsletter for original scoops, behind-the-scenes media drama, and reporting you won’t get anywhere else: https://www.breakermedia.com/subscribe [https://www.breakermedia.com/subscribe] 🎙️ New episodes weekly — exposing power, decoding media, and asking better questions. 💬 Like, comment, and subscribe to stay in the loop on how the media actually works.