Dan Katz doesn’t have the name recognition that a traditional sports broadcaster has, but in the digital sports media space, few have accomplished what he has. His journey from blogging for a Boston sports site in 2012 to co-hosting one of America’s most listened-to podcasts is pretty interesting in today’s media landscape. For the number, the best guesses currently estimate Dan Katz net worth at $15 million to $20 million, for 2026. However, it is not just the number that matters.
Dan Katz: Facts in a Nutshell
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Daniel Michael Katz |
| Nickname | Big Cat |
| Date of Birth | January 30, 1985 |
| Birthplace | Brookfield, Massachusetts (grew up in Chicago, Illinois) |
| Age (2026) | 41 years old |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Media personality, sports commentator, writer, podcaster |
| Employer | Barstool Sports |
| Podcast | Pardon My Take (PMT) |
| Co-host | PFT Commenter (Eric Sollenberger) |
| Wife | Stephanie Maloney Katz |
| Children | Yes (names not being published) |
| Residence | Chicago, Illinois |
| @barstoolbigcat | |
| Twitter/X | @BarstoolBigCat |
| Estimated Net Worth | $15 million to $20 million (2026) |
Who is Dan Katz?
Nicknamed Big Cat, Dan Katz is a sports media personality, podcaster and writer, who has been building up one of the most loyal audiences in American sports entertainment for more than 10 years. He co-hosts Pardon My Take, Barstool Sports’ comedic sports podcast, which gets between 750,000 and 1.5 million listeners each episode, and was named Best Sports Podcast at the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards in March 2026.
His nickname Big Cat was given to him as a kid at Barstool because he was larger in build, and more approachable and liked than anyone Barstool ever had. Katz has been a true believer to be himself in every capacity, whereas many media personalities seek to be “likeable” on camera.
From an early age he had a passion for sports, especially football and basketball, and he was raised in the Chicago area. It was not the polished broadcaster’s point of view, it was the authentic fan’s point of view that became the foundation of everything he built.
The Road to the Future Was Long and Arduous
Born Jan. 30th 1985 in Brookfield, Massachusetts, but a Chicago native at heart. He grew up in the Midwest where he has developed life-long loyalties to sports, especially Chicago sports teams.
Katz has always been a private person when it comes to his family life, and details of his parents and siblings are not publicly available. He went to college and worked in real estate prior to joining Barstool Sports in 2012, something that seemed like a risky venture at the time and proved to be career-defining.
Career at Barstool Sports
Katz took a job at Barstool Sports in 2012, when the company was still a fledgling, mostly Boston-centric digital media venture. He was hired as a writer and content creator and proved himself to be a man who knew exactly what Barstool fans wanted: sports content that wasn’t corporate or sanitized, but rather was real, irreverent and funny.
He worked for four years to establish Barstool Chicago as a real regional brand and a cult following before making his career leap.
Katz’s co-launched Pardon My Take in February, 2016 with PFT Commenter. The podcast was released and became #1 on the iTunes charts in the United States. The Big Lead ranked both Katz and PFT Commenter as the No. 1 sports media talent under 40 in the U.S. last year and The Big Lead named it one of the best podcasts of 2016.
Whereas all other sports podcasts were serious and contained a lot of talking, Pardon My Take had got a vibe all of its own. It parodied the traditional sports media (such as ESPN), yet provided authentic sports commentary and interviews of famous celebrities. The title of the show is a nod to ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption and First Take. They even got the attention of ESPN, who sent a cease and desist letter about the original logo, which incorporated elements from both shows.
The podcast soon became one of the leading sports podcasts in America, and listeners came to be affectionately referred to as AWLs or Award-Winning Listeners. It is published three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and has done so for almost 10 years.
In December, Barstool inked a three-biggest video podcasts deal with Netflix, reportedly for eight figures, resulting in three of its biggest video podcasts being available exclusively on the platform. The show debuted on Netflix in early 2026, adding much more than just the barstool following.
Dan Katz Net Worth — A Closer Look
As of 2026, Dan Katz’s net worth is estimated to be around $15 million to $20 million. This is not from one salary, one deal, but from multiple income streams that have been established over a period of over 10 years.
Barstool Sports Salary
Katz is one of the most valuable personalities at Barstool Sports, according to reports on his salary, and he makes seven figures a year. He’s no longer just a content creator. He is an integral part of the company’s DNA, one of its most bankable names.
Pardon My Take Advertising Revenue
Best podcasts get anywhere from $50 to $100 CPM. Pardon My Take makes an average of 1.5 million downloads each episode and releases three episodes a week, which is a lot of money just from the ads, no question. Some of the big sponsors have been Cash App, SimpliSafe, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Coors Light. It is expected that the show will bring in about $80,000 in revenue for each episode, totaling millions of dollars per year.
Equity and Acquisition Payments
Katz has been a part of Barstool early enough to have an ownership stake in the company. In 2020, Penn National Gaming acquired a 36% stake in Barstool Sports for $135 million, worth a total of $450 million, and that means it paid out big-time to key early employees.
Eventually, Pinnick bought out Barstool for $388 million. At the very least, a holding of equity, let alone a significant portion, would be a considerable amount for someone who joined the business early.
Stella Blue Coffee
Katz is a co-owner of Stella Blue Coffee with Dave Portnoy. The company, named after Katz’s dog Stella who was adopted from PAWS Chicago, has raised over $200,000 for animal shelters. It’s also a Direct to Consumer (D2C) coffee brand, providing an additional source of revenue apart from podcasting.
Merchandise and Live Events
Barstool has a lot of money to be made in merchandise, and as one of the big dog personalities, that money comes to Katz. Over the years he has done a lot of live performances and appearances, and he has made some Pardon My Take live shows.
Personal Life
Stephanie Maloney Katz is the wife of Dan Katz. The two have been married since around 2019 and have had children together, but Katz has never publicly revealed their names or ages, even going to the extent of keeping his family life completely out of his media image.
One of the more unusual sports media figures on the fringes of the game is Stephanie Maloney Katz, who doesn’t have a social media presence at all. No Instagram, no X account, no LinkedIn, nada! Her absence is intentional in 2026, when everyone has some type of digital footprint, and signifies a mutual choice by both her and Dan that they want their family to be seen as a unit without the scrutiny of public life.
On Pardon My Take, Katz has expressed his enthusiasm about dadhood without disclosing any identifying information about his kids. He’s been able to strike that balance all the way through his career to be open about his experience as a parent, but not about the actual people involved.
Though the company has expanded from Boston, Katz has remained by the side of the family in Chicago, a city he’s been loyal to throughout his time at Barstool.
Pardon My Take: The Podcast That Changed Everything
You can’t talk about Dan Katz without spending real time on Pardon My Take, as the podcast is the basis of just about everything he does. It began as a new format experiment in 2016, and has since grown into one of the last decade’s most compelling sports media properties.
The show is successful because Katz and PFT Commenter are in sync and it is a format that lends itself to repeat listening. The recurring segments, such as Hot Seat Cool Throne, Who’s Back of the Week, Fyre Fest of the Week and Guys on Chicks have created a vernacular for the pair that makes faithful fans feel as though they are in an inner circle with the hosts.
Celebrities, professional athletes, coaches and media personalities have all been featured. The show has also proved itself to be adaptable, with review episodes of TV shows and films during the COVID-19 period when there was no live sport to discuss.
Pardon My Take placed in the top 10, winning Best Sports Podcast in March 2026 at the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards. The Netflix deal announced in late 2025 will give the show a new life and introduce it to a new audience that hasn’t had a taste of Barstool Sports before.
Final Thoughts
Dan Katz has created something tangible. He did not have a background related to broadcasting, did not have a big network from the beginning, and did not even take the traditional route into sports media. He has worked at the top of his field for more than ten years and built up a net worth that is the result of a successful career at a small, but serious digital company before people really knew him, before he found his voice, and before he created a podcast that has become one of the biggest in America.
The $15 million to $20 million that is being added to his name in 2026 is not a stroke of luck. It’s a result of early decisions, real talent and people who showed up and hung around.
Frequently Asked Questions
What will Dan’s net worth be in 2026?
The net worth of Dan Katz in the year 2026 is estimated to be between $15 million and $20 million. His income is generated by his Barstool Sports salary, the Pardon My Take advertising, equity from the Penn Entertainment acquisition, his merchandise and live event income and co-ownership of Stella Blue Coffee.
Who does Dan Katz have for a wife?
Stephanie Maloney Katz is the wife of Dan Katz. She never has a social media presence, and hasn’t made public appearances in relation to Dan’s career. The couple tied the knot about 2019 and now resides in Chicago with their kids.
Why does Dan Katz get his nickname as Big Cat?
Big Cat got its nickname back in Katz’ early days at Barstool Sports. His size and good nature contrasted with his small stature and abrasive personality, and it was an impression that stuck and one of the most memorable nicknames in sports podcasting.
How many listeners does Pardon My Take have?
Pardon My Take has an average of between 750,000 and 1.5 million listeners per episode. It comes out three times a week, and has been one of the best sports podcasts in America since it started back in February 2016.
Is Pardon My Take on Netflix?
Yes. Barstool Sports inked an eight-figure deal with Netflix in December 2025 to stream three of its biggest video podcasts exclusively on the streaming service, including Pardon My Take. As part of that deal, the podcast premiered on Netflix platform in early 2026.