Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett has come under fire over comments made on his podcast, Diary Of A CEO.
The entrepreneur, 33, launched the podcast in 2017 and has gone on to interview an array of business moguls, academics and celebrities, with the episodes said to reach three million daily listeners and viewers.
However, one episode has gone viral for all the wrong reasons, with Steven strongly criticised for suggesting that society should ‘intervene’ with partnering up incel men with women.
During a discussion with psychologist Dr Alok Kanojia, the pair discuss the male loneliness epidemic, mentioning that incels – involuntary celibate men – will go extinct if they’re unable to find a partner and reproduce.
He said: ‘We’re going to have a lot of men who are disillusioned that become incels, find themselves in pockets of the internet, are resentful. All those kinds of things.
‘Should society intervene to course correct that put systems in place to make sure that those men meet partners?’
It’s the latest in a series of missteps, alleged half-truths and controversies that have plagued the host since he shot to fame in early 2022 as the youngest Dragon investor, including claims from an ex-colleague who complains of ‘dishonesty’ at the heart of his empire You can read more about this here.
Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett has come under fire over comments made on his podcast, Diary Of A CEO, which have been accused of being anti-women
Content creator Shabaz Ali has garnered celeb support after he offered his take on the podcast as a whole, joking it should be renamed ‘Therapy for Men, sponsored by Women Ruin Society.’
Shabaz mused: ‘This podcast used to be about like business, mindset, trauma, essentially let’s heal together and get rich responsibly.
‘However, there seems to be this shift where it’s become blame women for men’s problems.’
Referring to Steven’s comments about supporting incels, Shabaz said: ‘Men’s loneliness is real, men’s mental health is real.
‘But what is also real is when a podcast starts to give Manosphere ideas a ring light and a hug… just because you say it calmly and softly and have this nice background does not make the conversation crazy.
‘So you get a guest coming on going, “modern feminism is the reason why birth rates are falling, or dating is broken because women have got standards now.”
‘It comes with, “wow, that’s so powerful, tell me more”. No pushback, no what’s your evidence, no is that actually true?
‘This is why a lot of people have called him like a Trojan horse, right, because it isn’t the same as Andrew Tate standing up there shouting and screaming. This has got a therapy vibe to it.’
Shabaz went on to claim the podcast was ‘not balanced or neutral’ and was instead ‘serving up the same narrative over and over’.
He concluded: ‘I’m not saying that his guests can’t have opinions, it’s just the challenging is not done. The constantly platforming the same conversation is not doing any favours to anyone, especially women.’
It’s the latest in a series of missteps, alleged half-truths and controversies that have plagued the host since he shot to fame in early 2022 as the youngest Dragon investor (pictured on Dragons’ Den)
During a discussion with psychologist Dr Alok Kanojia, the pair discussed the male loneliness epidemic, mentioning incels will go extinct if they’re unable to find a partner and reproduce
A spokesperson for Diary Of A CEO told Daily Mail: ‘The Diary Of A CEO is a long-form, conversational podcast designed to explore the perspectives and experiences of its guests in their own words.
‘Inviting a guest is an act of inquiry, not endorsement. Steven Bartlett does not adopt the opinions of his guests, nor is the format intended to pass judgment on personal viewpoints.
‘To suggest that a host is responsible for every view expressed by a guest is a fundamental misunderstanding of the long-form interview format.’
Regarding suggestions that the podcast is a right-wing manosphere, they added: ‘DOAC features guests from across the entire political and cultural spectrum. In recent months alone, guests have included Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, and a yet to be published conversation with Zohran Mamdani.
‘The podcast’s archive is a matter of public record and disproves this claim instantly.’
Shabaz was flooded with support from his celebrity followers, including Oti Mabuse, who admitted she was once a fan of the podcast.
‘He’s so disappointing in many ways,’ she commented. ‘I used to love it so much.’
Vicky Pattison penned: ‘Insightful, powerful and beautifully articulated…. he’s really disappointing,’ while Ulrika Jonsson added: ‘Amen.’
Ferne McCann voiced her support with clapping emojis, while BBC radio DJ Sara Cox posted a praising hands emoji and The Traitors star Charlotte Chilton commented: ‘Haha love this’.
Radio 1’s Greg James penned: ‘It’s been hurtling towards this dangerous s***e for ages.
‘What’s everyone’s favourite episode? Mine is the one where an ‘expert’ claimed autism could be reversed through diet. Oh and the one that said Covid was an engineered weapon. Neither claim was challenged. Great stuff.
‘I’ll be raising a refreshing glass of Huel to him this evening.’
A spokesman for the podcast previously told The Mail on Sunday that ‘Steven Bartlett does not adopt the opinions of his guests, nor is the format intended to pass judgment on personal viewpoints’.
Daily Mail has contacted Steven’s representatives for comment.
Content creator Shabaz Ali has garnered celeb support after he offered his take on the podcast as a whole, joking it should be renamed ‘Therapy for Men, sponsored by Women Ruin Society’
Shabaz was flooded with support from his celebrity followers, including Oti Mabuse, who admitted she was once a fan of the podcast but was now ‘disappointed’ with the host
Yet this isn’t the first time Steven has been accused of sharing harmful information.
In 2024, Steven was condemned by top health experts for sharing harmful health information on his podcast that could put cancer patients at risk.
Guests on the podcast claimed cancer can be treated by following a keto diet, and that the Covid vaccine was a ‘net negative for society’.
Experts slammed the star for failing to question these disproven claims, and creating a distrust of conventional medicine as a result.
A BBC World Service investigation also looked into the accuracy of health information featured on Diary of A CEO.
The broadcaster analysed 23 health-related podcast episodes and found 15 contained an average of 14 harmful claims that went against scientific evidence.
The misinformation was allowed with ‘little to no challenge’ by the entrepreneur.
While Steven has found his professional life come under fire, he is happier than ever when it comes to his personal affairs.
Steven is newly engaged to Melanie Lopes after Daily Mail revealed the pair got engaged on Christmas Day while on holiday with her family in Morocco.
The entrepreneur shared snaps on Instagram that showed the stunning outdoor set-up, which included a hut where the business mogul proposed, as he explained how he’d asked her parents for permission before surprising her on the trip in Marrakech.
In the caption, he admitted his ‘heart was racing’ as he got down on one knee, and confessed he ‘didn’t really understand the concept of marriage’ before he met Melanie.
The snaps showed the moment Melanie accepted Steven’s proposal, before emotionally reuniting with her family to show them her diamond ring.
Steven and Melanie met on Instagram in 2016, but despite their careers being heavily focused on social media, they have chosen to keep their romance largely out of the public eye.
In his post, Steven wrote: ‘She said Yes! To say I was nervous is an understatement… I could feel my heart racing in my chest.
‘She thought I was away in Europe – but I had snuck into Morocco on Christmas day where she was on holiday with her family – I asked her mother and father if I could marry her – then had to build this big hut outside because a thunderstorm was forecast last minute – and I walked out and surprised her when she thought she was meeting her fam for dinner.
’10 years ago, I didn’t really understand the concept of marriage as many of you know – but when you meet the right person, a lot of things start to make sense.’
Steven recently shared snaps from his romantic proposal to his girlfriend Melanie Lopes, after Daily Mail revealed the pair had got engaged on Christmas Day
Steven, who moved to the UK from Botswana at the age of two, dropped out of university at 18 to pursue his ambitions as a businessman.
He fell out with his parents, particularly his mother, who was ‘heartbroken’ after believing Steven had thrown away the education she never had growing up.
However, Steven found success with his social media marketing agency, The Social Chain, which was valued at £300million when it first entered the stock market.
He is set for a busy year; alongside wedding planning, Steven will return to the upcoming series of Dragons’ Den and continue recording his podcast.
In October last year, his company Steven.com, which houses his media ventures, including the firm Flight Story, was valued at £320million.
Steven has said this will help him ‘build the Disney of the creator economy,’ referring to the multi-billion-pound industry of influencers who make a living through streaming and posting on TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, and YouTube.
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