We got offers from both…
Mike Ward recently stopped by FM93, on the show Dupont in the Morning, where he revisited his very unique connection to the capital—the place where it all began for him.
He also used the moment to pull back the curtain on some behind-the-scenes aspects of the industry, with his usual blunt honesty.
The comedian even revealed that he had received purchase offers for his hugely popular podcast, Sous Écoute, including one from none other than… Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge.
“I got an offer yesterday from one of the distributors, but it’s not a big one. It’s still a Canadian deal, so it’s still the fun one, but it isn’t Netflix money, Spotify money… There’s a Netflix comedy festival in LA, and they asked me to do it, so I’m going to do it… I don’t want to sell Sous Écoute, but I want an offer for Sous Écoute. So, my bio would start with: Mike Ward holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s most popular live podcast because I want Netflix folks to think: Hey, we’ll throw him a little offer. And for them, a little offer is 60 million,” he declares, as the host asks if he wants an offer for laughs or if he’d actually consider it.
Would He Accept Offers?
“No, I want it just so I can tell my friends later: I said no to 22 million,” Mike replies.
“I’m not sure I’d be able to… there have been big offers I’ve turned down, but if they came in at 60 million, I’m pretty sure I’d be like: Hey, look, I’m 52 years old, 60 million USD is a nice little retirement,” the comedian explains, noting that he’s held back by the idea of selling his podcast because he wants to maintain his full freedom.
“Sous Écoute pays less than people think, but it’s enough to not require me to do anything else. So I’d rather run my business, make a good amount of money, and be the boss, you know,” Ward adds.
He then gave an example: if Crave offered him 10 million, he doesn’t think he would agree to let them dictate episode removals.
Surprising Offers for Sous Écoute: Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge and Crave
“But you know, the Canadian distribution platforms you just named—Crave and Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge’s platform—are the two we’re talking about,” the host remarks.
“The wild part is we got offers from both,” Ward confirms.
“Yesterday, my manager told me: ‘Umm, I had a meeting with Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge…’ So I responded: ‘Haha, yeah.’ Then he says: ‘No, I’m serious—Guillaume had called Michel about his platform,’” the comedian recounts, before the host asks which offer was the bigger one.
“It’s Crave,” Ward reveals, explaining that they offered to add Sous Écoute to their podcast platform.
“That’s a pretty hefty amount. It’s not life-changing money; it isn’t like they’re offering 10 million, but it’s a figure I’ve earned to date: Okay, wow. And they want the episode I post on YouTube for free, you know,” he explains.
Why He Hesitates to Accept Crave’s Offer
“I’d keep it everywhere and put it on Crave. The only reason we might not do it is that the UDA (Union des artistes) is trying to get into Sous Écoute, and since Crave is a subsidized platform, I’m afraid the UDA will use it,” Mike explains, noting that they’ve sent him threats, claiming his guests would be owed UDA compensation.
“But I pay more than the UDA’s rate. For example, the Sous Écoute we do at the Bell Centre, I pay $2,500 per guest, and if it were the UDA, I’d have to pay, I think, $800 or $900,” adds the guest, noting that he’d also rather avoid the paperwork that comes with it.
A truly captivating interview that clearly shows Mike isn’t in it for the money: he prioritizes his freedom, control over his project, and the joy of doing it his way.
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