Kim Kardashian West to host criminal justice podcast for Spotify

[June 18, 2020]  (Reuters) - Reality TV star Kim Kardashian West has reached a deal with Swedish music streaming company Spotify Technology SA to host a podcast related to criminal justice reform, a representative for West said on Wednesday.

The show, to be available exclusively on Spotify, will be connected to West's work with The Innocence Project, a nonprofit that fights wrongful convictions, the representative said.

Best known for developing beauty and fashion products and chronicling her life with her sisters on TV’s "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," West became interested in criminal justice reform after helping to win the release two women from prison. She is currently studying to become a lawyer through a California apprenticeship program.

The new podcast will highlight the investigative work of TV producer Lori Rothschild Ansaldi, West's representative said.

No financial terms were disclosed for the deal, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Spotify, which has over 700,000 podcasts on its platform and reaches nearly 300 million monthly users, has been investing in big names to draw audiences to non-musical content. In May, it signed a deal for exclusive rights to a popular podcast by comedian Joe Rogan.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Ayanti Bera and Lisa Richwine; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli, Devika Syamnath and Tom Brown)

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