Saying goodbye to the Useless Hotline podcast

The Useless Hotline, hosted by social media star Max Balegde and Strictly star George Clarke, released their final episode at the beginning of this month.

It was undoubtedly a feel good podcast, where fans could listen to have a laugh

Fans loved The Useless Hotline for it’s comedy and advice. The aim of this podcast was for listeners to send it awkward, funny or weird problems, and Max and George would try to give advice, which was usually chaotic and comedic. It was undoubtedly a feel good podcast, where fans could listen to have a laugh.

Even this success that extended across the world, did not motivate them to continue the podcast further into 2026

The podcast built a strong online fanbase, especially among younger audiences who already followed Max and George on TikTok and Youtube. They released weekly episodes for 4 years, did live tours in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. They invited influencers from creators onto episodes, included the Baggs Brothers from GoggleBox. They were even the first podcast to interview JoJo Siwa after her exit from Celebrity Big Brother. However, even this success that extended across the world, did not motivate them to continue the podcast further into 2026.

The tone of the show was very informal and based on the chemistry between the two hosts. Max Balegde grew to fame through his iconic and hilarious TikTok videos that made viewers fall in love with his personality. His content is full of comedy videos, LGBTQ+ content, and his infamous Disney videos. George Clarke also grew to fame on TikTok through his infectious sense of humour. However, his fame has extended beyond TikTok, with him featuring in SideMen YouTube videos and even coming 2nd in the 2025 series of Strictly Come Dancing.

The podcast itself was independent, and was never motivated by financial gain. The duo handled a lot of the business and production themselves rather than being run by a huge media company like most influencer podcasts nowadays.

they said they wanted to end on a high after successful tours and years of weekly episodes

In May 2026, they announced the podcast was ending after nearly 4 years. Publicly they said they wanted to end on a high after successful tours and years of weekly episodes. Fans have speculated around growing tension between Max and George, but this has not been confirmed.

The Useless Hotline was a fan favourite podcast and certainly will be missed by many. It is likely after nearly 4 years, the pair simply want to have a break from the weekly commitment, and focus on their growing careers. While the ending was abrupt, all good things must come to an end and hopefully Max and George will stay good friends and continue to make content which each another.