The idea behind Two Hot Takes is about as simple as a podcast concept can get. And yet, it's genius. Friends sit together and chat about the silliest, most outlandish online stories imaginable.

The show creator, Los Angeles occupational therapist Morgan Absher, hosts. She reads the stories and then decides with her friends what to make of them. For a while, relationship drama was the most popular topic to dissect. But Absher says that "AITA" stories eventually became the show's most popular content. (The acronym stands for a rather crude term. The hosts' task is to debate whether the poster of the conflict or the other person involved is the...jerk.)

Two Hot Takes came to be during the COVID-19 pandemic. Absher wasn't able to work, and she soon found her favorite hobby was getting more intense. She would find the weirdest stories on Reddit and forward them to her friend Lauren. They would compare notes and then present their assessments of the outlandish situation. Who was in the wrong? Was what she did bizarre or sweet? What does it mean for their marriage that he stuck that unorthodox item where it wasn't supposed to be?

Absher knew their weird little ritual would make a great podcast. But she never saw herself as creative and hesitated. Finally, her boyfriend bought her podcast equipment, so she had no choice. After months of convincing, Lauren agreed to appear on the show to provide a second perspective. Two Hot Takes went live in February 2021.

It didn't take long for Absher to realize she was on to something. About a year after the podcast's release, she had hundreds of thousands of listeners and scored tens of millions of downloads. She uses sources beyond Reddit, including write-in suggestions from loyal fans.