On the night of the November election, Taylor Lewan and Will Compton went to bed confident. Both supporters of Donald J. Trump, they had interviewed the then-presidential candidate on their podcast “Bussin’ With the Boys” weeks earlier, and early vote counts suggested a comfortable victory.
Their surprise was palpable when they awoke to the unfolding results.
During Trump’s televised acceptance speech, Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, gave a shoutout to “Bussin’ With the Boys” alongside other popular entertainers such as Joe Rogan, Theo Von, and Adin Ross for helping extend the president-elect’s reach.
“Centuries from now, if there’s a museum playing clips, ‘Bussin’ With the Boys’ will be mentioned in a presidential victory speech,” Compton remarked, highlighting the unusual prominence of their podcast.
When they launched their show in 2019, Lewan and Compton were not widely known outside football circles. Compton was a backup linebacker for the Tennessee Titans, while Lewan was a starting offensive lineman, known more for his spirited beer-drinking at hockey games than for media presence. Yet, their testosterone-fueled discussions—sometimes featuring candid remarks from guests like an NFL coach joking about extreme sacrifices for a Super Bowl win—have attracted a dedicated audience of young male listeners.
Their guest list typically includes men from diverse backgrounds, such as rapper-turned-country artist Jelly Roll, quarterback Josh Allen, and tight end Travis Kelce, who discussed how dating Taylor Swift transformed his life. Comedian Shane Gillis also appeared, reflecting on the loss of his “Saturday Night Live” role after past racial slurs surfaced.
Lewan and Compton have been associated with the so-called manosphere, a network of male-focused podcasts and alternative media credited with bolstering Trump’s appeal among male audiences. This trend extends to sports media, where personalities like former NFL punter Pat McAfee have become major figures on ESPN, and Barstool Sports has been integrated into Fox Sports programming.
Despite these comparisons, Lewan and Compton prefer to avoid labels. Their goal is to create a space that mimics the unfiltered, authentic conversations typical among athletes.
“We have so many great, genuine conversations—whether in the locker room, sauna, cold tub, or cafeteria,” Compton explained in their Nashville studio, a red bus covered in stickers. “Our aim is to showcase these dialogues and just be ourselves.”
Lewan added, “The concept was to transform this bus into a locker room, a place for organic discussions with complete editorial freedom.”
Guests often embrace this relaxed atmosphere. In a recent episode, retired tight end Rob Gronkowski jokingly admitted to witnessing a teammate masturbate in Patriots meeting rooms, eliciting laughter from producers.
Their recording space—a garage-like building near Nashville’s bustling Broadway district—is scattered with cans of Bud Light and NUTRL vodka seltzers, sponsors of the podcast. A mounted deer head overlooks the informal stage.
The hosts openly embrace traditional masculinity. Their video intro features a male vocalist crooning about beer, gambling, and bonding with friends, interspersed with sexual gestures and the defiant line, “No woman’s going to tell us what to do.”
Ranked 11th among sports podcasts on Spotify, “Bussin’ With the Boys” boasts 640,000 YouTube subscribers—modest compared to stars like the Kelce brothers or Shannon Sharpe. It was among the first podcasts hosted by active professional athletes, despite resistance from coaches and executives who viewed such projects as distractions.
During off-season training, Titans coach Mike Vrabel publicly reprimanded Lewan at a team meeting over a podcast episode that featured a teammate discussing a medical procedure.
“There were over 100 people in the room, and all the attention was on me, accusing me of hurting the team,” Lewan recalled. “It was a terrible experience.”
Despite this, Vrabel later appeared on the podcast, sharing how far he would go to coach a Super Bowl champion. In another memorable early interview, cornerback Jalen Ramsey revealed how he would message girlfriends of opposing players to disrupt their focus before games.
Their growing social media presence attracted Barstool Sports, which initially signed the podcast for distribution and enhanced production support.
Now an independent operation, “Bussin’ With the Boys” recently transitioned to FanDuel as its presenting sponsor after a competitive bid. Financial specifics remain undisclosed.
Compton and Lewan have expanded their team to eight employees and five interns, branching out with new shows—including one where Compton discusses fatherhood.
In their early days, the hosts relied on easy laughs with questions like, “When did you lose your virginity?” Lewan noted, “We still use those jokes, but now we’re more curious and insightful about how this world works.”
Their most controversial episode featured an hour-long interview with Trump, which required outside assistance to manage.
Lewan and Compton met UFC president Dana White during Super Bowl festivities in 2023. Bonding over motorcycles and wellness, they became regular attendees of UFC events, where White introduced them to Trump beside the octagon.
White encouraged Trump to broaden his media strategy beyond Fox News, warning that relying solely on Fox would cost him the election.
This advice led to the podcast interview at Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago, shortly after a Detroit rally, where Trump spoke about his vision, political rivals, and NFL topics.
One remark drew particular attention: Trump’s comment about disliking football due to competing against a strong, hardworking player from a disadvantaged neighborhood—a statement some interpreted as racially insensitive.
When questioned by a journalist about their laughter during that response, the hosts responded with irreverence, posting a video of Compton farting into the phone.
Reflecting on the incident, they said they might have reacted differently earlier in their careers but chose to address the controversy head-on, a tactic inspired by media personality Dave Portnoy.
“We know we didn’t do anything wrong,” Lewan said. “We understand Trump didn’t intend it negatively. So we’re just going to be ourselves.”
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