Q&A: My Podcast Guest Wants Me To Remove His Episode

What should you do?

The question:

“A guest has requested that I remove an episode of my podcast where I interviewed him. What do you do in a situation like this?”

My answer:

This has happened to me as well, a few times. 

I try my best to build rapport with guests and make them feel comfortable when doing an interview with me. This helps a lot with getting quality episodes, but the downside is guests can be so relaxed, they forget they're being recorded and many have said something they've later regretted.

It's great that you're able to create such a comfortable atmosphere for your guests—it's a testament to your skills as an interviewer. 

Or maybe it’s a testament to a guest who didn’t really know what he was getting into and didn’t think ahead that anything said on a podcast will go beyond just the people who are in the room when it’s made …

Regardless, when it comes to removing content at the request of a guest, it’s a nuanced issue and largely depends on the specific circumstances and policies you have in place for your podcast.

Here are some things to consider when a guest requests edits or removal of an interview:

Pre-Interview Agreement - Have you established clear guidelines with your guests before recording? This can include specific topics that are off-limits and how requests for edits after recording will be handled.

Note that, in the hundreds of interviews I’ve done, I’ve only agreed to avoid a topic once. The guest was unaware of this agreement—it was a deal between me and the publicist, which I agreed to only because publicly discussing this topic would have affected the guest’s personal safety.

Editorial Integrity - Consider the impact on the episode's content and your audience. Will removing certain segments compromise the integrity of the interview or change the context?

Legal and Ethical Obligations - If the content might cause harm or legal issues, it may be wise to accommodate the guest's request.

Consistency - If you allow for an edit or removal, will it cause problems for you? For example, will others accuse you of bias or favoritism?

Transparency -  If an edit is made post-publication, will you need to inform listeners, so they’re aware changes were made?

Guest Privacy and Comfort - Weigh the importance of maintaining a good relationship with your guest versus the value of the content in question.

Ultimately, it’s a good idea to have a policy in place that makes it crystal clear what a guest on your podcast is participating in.

I have three rules all guests agree to before I do an interview for Build a Big Podcast (or any podcast):

1. I understand not all interviews for Big Podcast are published.

2. I understand my interview will be edited and that Big Podcast does not send edits for approval.

3. I agree to this interview. I understand Big Podcast has the right to reproduce and distribute this interview (in whole or in part) to the public using any current or future technology.

Feel free to swipe these statements for use doing interviews on your podcast.

Even with these agreements in place, I try to accommodate guests' requests for removal, when possible. But I also let them know, once something is online, it’s there forever, even if I’m no longer distributing it.

Ultimately, in situations like this, the responsibility is almost always on the guest. A guest who doesn’t want an interview heard or completely understand the risks of doing an interview shouldn’t do an interview.