What Happened to the HowStuffWorks Podcast
The HowStuffWorks podcasts didn’t disappear; they were acquired and rebranded. In 2018, iHeartMedia bought Stuff Media—the company that ran the HowStuffWorks podcast network—and the shows have since continued under the iHeartPodcast Network banner. The original, catch‑all “HowStuffWorks” podcast feed was discontinued years earlier, but flagship series like Stuff You Should Know and others remain active with iHeart, while the HowStuffWorks website operates separately from the podcast network.
Contents
From Website to Podcast Powerhouse
HowStuffWorks began as a reference website in 1998 and grew a loyal audience with plain‑English explainers on science, tech, culture, and history. In the late 2000s, it built one of the first big podcast networks in the U.S., launching shows such as Stuff You Should Know, Stuff You Missed in History Class, BrainStuff, and more. Over time, the podcasts became more prominent than the site itself—ultimately leading to a corporate reshuffle that placed the audio business on a different track from the website brand.
What Changed—and Why You See iHeart Instead of HowStuffWorks
The podcasts that listeners once saw labeled “from HowStuffWorks” are now labeled “from iHeartPodcasts” (or “iHeartRadio”) because of an ownership change. After a 2017 spinout of the podcast division into Stuff Media, iHeartMedia acquired Stuff Media in 2018. Since then, the network’s shows have continued, but the public-facing brand shifted from “HowStuffWorks” to iHeart’s broader podcast network.
Key Milestones
The following timeline outlines the major corporate moves and branding shifts that explain where the HowStuffWorks podcast brand went and how the shows evolved under new ownership.
- 1998: HowStuffWorks launches as a website.
- 2008–2010: The company builds a prolific podcast network including Stuff You Should Know, Stuff You Missed in History Class, BrainStuff, and others; an early “HowStuffWorks” catch-all podcast feed appears and later winds down.
- 2014: Discovery Communications sells HowStuffWorks to Blucora.
- 2016: Ownership of the web property transitions to System1 (via corporate transactions involving Blucora/InfoSpace/OpenMail). The website and audio businesses begin to diverge in strategy.
- 2017: The podcast arm is spun out as Stuff Media, with outside investment to expand audio production.
- 2018: iHeartMedia acquires Stuff Media for $55 million; shows continue within the iHeartPodcast Network and gradually phase out the “HowStuffWorks” label in feeds and artwork.
- 2019–present: Legacy series continue under iHeart brand; the HowStuffWorks website remains a separate property under System1, and the original “HowStuffWorks” umbrella podcast feed is archived/discontinued.
Taken together, these steps shifted the brand you see on podcast apps from “HowStuffWorks” to iHeartPodcasts, while keeping the core shows available and ongoing.
What You Can Still Listen To—and What Ended
Many listeners ask whether their favorite HowStuffWorks shows survived the rebrand. Most of the network’s signature titles continued publishing under iHeart, while a handful of series wrapped up or were retired over time.
- Continuing under iHeart: Flagship series such as Stuff You Should Know, Stuff You Missed in History Class, BrainStuff, Stuff They Don’t Want You to Know, and others remain available in major podcast apps and on iHeart.
- Discontinued/archived: Some shows from the original slate—such as the early “HowStuffWorks” catch‑all feed and certain topic-specific series—ended and now exist only as archives in podcast directories or on iHeart’s pages.
- Rebranding only: In most cases, the change you’ll notice is the branding in the artwork and credits; episode catalogs and feeds were largely preserved or migrated.
If you followed shows in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or other apps, you typically didn’t lose access—only the branding changed, and some older feeds were retired or redirected.
Where to Find the Shows Now
Current and archived series from the former HowStuffWorks network are available on the iHeartPodcast Network and major podcast platforms. If you’re searching by the old brand name, look for the same show titles (for example, Stuff You Should Know) and check that the publisher is listed as iHeartPodcasts/iHeartRadio. The HowStuffWorks website continues to operate separately and focuses on written explainers rather than hosting or managing the active podcast feeds.
Bottom Line
The HowStuffWorks podcast brand didn’t vanish—it moved. The audio operation became Stuff Media and was acquired by iHeartMedia in 2018, so the shows you knew from HowStuffWorks live on under the iHeartPodcast Network, while the original “HowStuffWorks” umbrella podcast feed was discontinued years ago and the website runs as a separate entity.
Summary
HowStuffWorks’ podcast network was spun out and acquired by iHeartMedia in 2018, leading to a rebrand under iHeartPodcasts. Most hallmark shows continue unchanged aside from branding, the original “HowStuffWorks” catch‑all feed ended, and the HowStuffWorks website remains a separate property focused on articles rather than podcast distribution.
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