Former sports commentator Jemele Hill left her dream job at ESPN to build up a one-woman media empire. Now she’s making room for other Black women to get their foot in the door.

Last week, Bloomberg shared that Hill has now partnered with Spotify to create a podcast network for her own show, “Jemele Hill Is Unbothered,” and will also be joined by a slew of other shows all hosted by Black women.

In a recent interview with the outlet, Hill shared moments of her journey as a podcaster and television personality, as well as future plans for her rising media enterprise.

“We were just testing the market, me and my manager Evan Dick, seeing what interest was there, who was serious and who wasn’t,” she said in regards to how her new podcast came about. “I had a podcast at ESPN that turned into a TV show. I always loved this medium. Spotify put themselves on our radar. They were interested from the beginning in me having a podcast.”

Her plans moving forward not only include herself, but other Black women in the digital diaspora whose voices need to be uplifted.

“Spotify and I are collaborating on a larger network that would appeal to audiences that are underserved. One is Black women in particular,” she told Bloomberg. “It’s been important to me as a Black woman in the commentary and opinion space. It’s important now, as we’ve seen Black women become a political force. We now have our first vice president—first Black and South Asian. It’s an extraordinary time for Black women, and content that is unique to them and appeals to them is a priority.”

When Bloomberg asked about the importance of leaning into content that caters to Black women, she said: “It’s very important to amplify and strengthen voices of Black women. There are also unique problems and situations and issues that Black women face that are different than what White women face or Asian women face. If you look at the maternal death rates of Black women, it’s extraordinary. It looks as bad now as it did in the 1950s.”

Hill’s revelation is similar to others making moves in the digital podcast industry — including Charlamagne Tha God and Joe Budden who have both developed ventures that are dedicated to amplifying other Black creatives in that space.

Unlike their ventures that are positioning Black women at the forefront, Hill’s hope is to have the whole operation run by Black women.

black women podcasts

Sign up for our daily Newsletter.