The Carlos Watson Show
The Carlos Watson Show is an American talk and interview series hosted by journalist and entrepreneur Carlos Watson. The program premiered in 2020 and features long-form conversations with political leaders, business innovators, authors, actors, musicians, athletes, and emerging cultural figures.
The series was executive-produced by Watson and OZY Media, with episodes filmed remotely and in studios in California and New York. Deadline reported that the show was developed using a pandemic-era digital production workflow that allowed for remote interviews and rapid episode turnaround. The show initially aired 119 episodes on YouTube from August 2, 2020, to February 18, 2021, and featured interviews with prominent figures from politics, science, and business.
An accompanying podcast version of the show is also available, featuring longer, unedited versions of each conversation. The show ended when a large controversy surrounding host and executive producer Carlos Watson and producer Samir Rao.
After a brief shutdown, it returned for a third season of 43 episodes on Amazon Prime from May 22, 2021, to July 21, 2021.
Format
Conversations between host Carlos Watson as host and the guest take place entirely over Zoom, on account of the show launching during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was taped in Mountain View, California. The interviews are longer and more personal than typical talk show appearances, with a single guest discussing their journey to success and their take on current affairs over the course of a single 15-to-30-minute episode. The show weaves in archive footage and small tape packages about the episode's guests, acting as a deeper guest profile than the typical talk show appearance. Each episode typically ends with a "Rapid Fire" segment. The show has also broadcast two live specials: one on the evening of January 6, 2021 after the storming of the U.S. Capitol, and the second to mark the inauguration of President Joe Biden.The show generated media coverage for several interviews. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla revealed that former President Donald Trump had told him a COVID-19 vaccine "will help me" with the 2020 election. Anthony Fauci discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the AIDS epidemic and predicted a potential HIV vaccine breakthrough. Other widely covered moments included H.E.R. revealing she was once in a band with Kehlani and Zendaya, and Matt Damon discussing Ben Affleck's rekindled relationship with Jennifer Lopez.
Guests
The program featured guests from politics, business, entertainment, sports, and culture. Public officials and political figures interviewed on the show included U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, former U.S. Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and Mike Pompeo, former National Security Advisor H. R. McMaster, and members of Congress such as Ilhan Omar and Hakeem Jeffries.Guests from business, technology, and media included Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, investor Mark Cuban, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, and Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman. The series also featured actors and entertainers such as Matthew McConaughey, Scarlett Johansson, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, and Chelsea Handler, as well as musicians and artists including Wynton Marsalis, H.E.R., Rick Ross, and Takashi Murakami. Athletes interviewed on the show included NBA players Grant Hill and C. J. McCollum, NFL quarterback Baker Mayfield, and WNBA players Aari McDonald and Chiney Ogwumike.
Development
Watson said he was make a show that "meets the current moment with a strong enough combination of insightful conversation, flavorful and diverse guests, plus a bit of levity and entertainment.”Marketing
The marketing campaign for The Carlos Watson Show included billboards and posters in Los Angeles and New York that featured quotes with misleading attributions. An executive producer said the marketing was aimed primarily at potential investors and executives in television and advertising, rather than general audiences.In addition to promotional efforts, the show was supported through brand partnerships arranged by OZY Media. Reported sponsors and partners included companies such as Coca-Cola, Target, Walmart, AT&T, Spotify, Chevrolet, JPMorgan Chase, and Discover. GroupM signed a two-year preferred partnership, and Dentsu entered into a multi-year agreement as part of its investment in what it described as “meaningful media.”
Reception
Audience viewership
The show has received over 50 million views, and the Carlos Watson Show YouTube channel has received over 70,000 subscribers as of March 2021. However, during the controversy, The New York Times spoke to an expert who said the numbers may have been artificially boosted.Critical response
Essence described the show as featuring "energetic and informative conversations with some of the biggest names in sports, entertainment, and politics". People Now described the show as featuring "long-form, wide-ranging interviews with even wider-ranging celebrities". Good Morning America announced the show as "the fastest-growing talk show in YouTube history," but the New York Times later called those claims dubious.The New York Times’s media critic has noted multiple examples of misleading or unverifiable marketing associated with Ozy Media, such as advertisements claiming that The Carlos Watson Show was the “first talk show” on Amazon Prime Video, a claim that Ozy withdrew after Amazon complained that it violated its promotion guidelines.
Controversy
During production of The Carlos Watson Show, Watson and OZY Media chief operating officer Samir Rao told staff and prospective guests that the program would air in prime time on A&E. Executive producer Brad Bessey later became concerned after noting the absence of communication with A&E executives and learning that the proposed time slot was already scheduled for another program.After contacting A&E directly, Bessey learned there were no plans to broadcast the show and resigned. The show was ultimately uploaded as standard YouTube videos despite claims it would be a YouTube Original, and an analysis by Tubular Labs found viewership patterns suggesting paid view boosting. Watson was later tried for elements related to OZY Media's fundraising practices.