5 Million Downloads! Toni & Ryan podcast proves a bonafide Aussie blockbuster

Toni and Ryan, the hit Aussie podcast winning over audiences worldwide, smashed a major milestone on Friday: five million downloads in five months.

The podcast, which Toni Lodge and Ryan Jon only launched in August last year, enjoyed its biggest month in February with over 1.3 million downloads. That number was likely helped by the pair’s enormous, and growing, social media following with almost two million between them.

The podcast’s hilarious and relatable content has proven a viral hit online too, with their Instagram Reels and TikTok videos featuring best bits from the show surpassing 30 million views in February and more than one billion views since the podcast’s first episode.

“'I’m really excited and just so happy,” Lodge said. “I never thought I’d get that many downloads or views online without a sex tape, so I’m glad we still have that up our sleeve.”

Jon said if someone had told him that the podcast would reach even one million listens in the first year, he likely wouldn’t have believed them.

“To have 1.3 million listens in the month of February alone is staggering,” Jon said. “The momentum just keeps increasing.

"The more people listen to the podcast, the more they are getting involved and sharing their stories with us and telling friends to listen, which makes the show even bigger and better.

"Considering it’s still just the two of us doing this after hours, we’re really proud.”

The pair met at ARN, where Jon now hosts workdays on KIIS FM Melbourne after an extended break from breakfast radio and Lodge was, until recently, a producer for the station’s former breakfast show with Jase & PJ. Following three “awkwardly long” years of early starts, Lodge made the decision to quit and have a “solid crack” behind the microphone.

Toni & Ryan, who refer to each other as “just good friends”, launched the podcast on August 23 with an episode titled ‘T-Pain and Tinder Bios’ after a series of videos recorded after hours in the KIIS FM Richmond studios went viral on TikTok and Instagram with almost 100 million views.

The podcast was quickly snapped up by ARN’s iHeartPodcast Network Australia and, surprising even themselves, climbed official podcast charts in Australia and abroad - including Top 5 on Spotify’s Overall Chart and Top 5 on Apple Podcasts’ coveted Comedy Chart - making it a bonafide breakout smash and the surprise hit Aussie podcast of the year.

Each week Toni & Ryan deliver their take on almost everything - the good, the bad, and the awkward - to hundreds of thousands of listeners from around the world who have discovered the podcast and fallen head over heels for their comedic chemistry and awkward encounters.

Toni & Ryan are available for interviews, and their podcast is available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio App, or wherever you get your podcasts from.