In 2022, after Andrew Cuomo resigned as governor of New York, he began a podcast where he delivered “straight talk” about politics and what he saw as the Democratic Party’s faults.

For a politician yearning for a path back to power, the deal that former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo struck to start his own podcast in 2022 looked almost perfect.

The show, “As a Matter of Fact … With Andrew Cuomo,” offered an uncensored platform to mend his reputation a year after he resigned in a sexual harassment scandal. He laughed with Sean Penn and Kellyanne Conway and dished “straight talk” about his party’s faults. There was talk of interviewing Donald J. Trump.

And the endeavor came with the promise of a big payday. Quake Media, a buzzy start-up known for its right-wing hosts, paid Mr. Cuomo as much as $40,000 a month, according to a person familiar with the arrangement.

But this was no star turn. Instead of launching Mr. Cuomo’s comeback, his foray into online media turned out to be the beginning of a protracted — and often humbling — misadventure that only ended this spring when he decided to run for mayor of New York City.

Mr. Cuomo, 67, has managed to keep most details about his podcasting career under wraps. But a review of previously unreported court records and interviews with a dozen people involved show the lengths he was willing to go to restore his nam