One might say we’re living in the Golden Age of Podcasts. According to a 2024 survey, more than 100 million Americans listen to at least one podcast every week—and even outside of that growing audience, 2025 was the year when podcast appearances made major headlines (just ask #4 on our list!). From fascinating investigative series, to sports and culture, to celebrity chats, we’ve gathered the 20 best podcasts that had us buzzing in 2025.
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If you're reading this list, it's fair to guess you're an audiobook fan. There's no better place to get audiobook recommendations (and a peek inside the narrator's booth!) than the new This Is Audible... podcast, hosted by Audible Editors Katie O’Connor and Kat Johnson. In voices warm and enthusiastic, Katie and Kat share recommendations for audiobooks they love, reflect on classics, interview industry experts, and provide insights into how our favorite listens are made. The hosts' love of audiobooks is infectious—before long, your to-be-listened-to list will grow longer than ever.
In her charming, insightful new podcast, IMO, former First Lady Michelle Obama joins her older brother Craig Robinson to interview fascinating guests and answer listener questions about everyday life. With funny sibling banter, inspirational advice, and nuanced conversations about wide-ranging topics, IMO offers the perfect combination of entertainment and opportunities for self-reflection.
Dive deep into a modern American scandal as journalist T.J. Raphael uncovers a secretive home for pregnant teens at Liberty University. Raphael shares the story of Abbi, a pregnant 16-year-old whose evangelical parents sent her to the Liberty Godparent Home, which promised to help Abbi navigate choices about her pregnancy. But the teens' decisions are more constrained than they seem. It's a powerful true story about deception, manipulation, and resistance in a post-Roe world.
Football pros and real-life bros Jason and Travis Kelce have been discussing all things NFL in this delightful, funny podcast since 2022. And though football fans are well acquainted with the Kelces for their skills on the field, a new legion of listeners discovered the pod via Travis’s high-profile romance with pop superstar Taylor Swift. In August 2025, New Heights shattered records with a special episode featuring Swift in which the multihyphenate entertainer spoke candidly about the massive success of her Eras Tour and the road to reclaiming her masters. She also made waves by announcing her October album, The Life of a Showgirl, live on the pod, making this season a must-listen for sports fans and Swifties alike.
This is a podcast that will fundamentally change the way you think about the human mind. Too often, non-speakers have been misunderstood and underestimated. Host Ky Dickens meets with non-speaking people, their family members, teachers, and experts to investigate unconventional communication methods and the possibilities of telepathy. The show started in late 2024, and its 2025 episodes show just how much more of this topic there is to explore.
Falling in love can be messy. When you fall in love with an AI companion, that mess is on a whole other level. Suruthi Bala and Hannah Maguire, hosts of the true crime podcast RedHanded, explore the fast-growing AI companion industry through the story of Travis, a married man who thought he found his digital true love in Lily Rose. When Lily Rose's responses to Travis changed abruptly, it was his first hint at the emotional manipulation being carried out by the mysterious Russian developer who created her.
You'll find mystery, scandal, drama, laughs, and plenty of surprises on this superb podcast about a con man unmasked after perpetrating decades of crimes around the globe. With a mix of reenactments by voice actors and interviews with real people involved in the true story, it's an atmospheric podcast that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Though it launched late last year, by 2025 it seemed like everyone was listening to Fashion Neurosis. Each week, the singular Bella Freud—renowned fashion designer, great-granddaughter of Sigmund, and daughter of Lucien—invites a guest to “lie on the couch” and explore the connection between fashion and identity. Authors Rachel Kushner, Hanif Kureishi, Ocean Vuong, and Karl Ove Knausgaard all joined the show this year, as did pop superstar Rosalía, film auteur David Cronenberg, supermodel Kate Moss, and so many more. Through sensitive, intuitive questions about clothes, memory, and culture, Freud gets her guests to open up in gorgeously layered, thoughtful conversations that conjure style and substance in equal measure.
Science and comedy meet on this new podcast about technological advances that might change our lives for the better—or much worse. The future is unclear. British icons Richard Ayoade and Warwick Davis look into the digital crystal ball as expert guests explain everything from self-driving cars to VR vacations. With sci-fi vibes, big laughs, and lots of fun facts, Future Tense is an entertaining look at where technology will take us next.
If you’re not a culturista, do you even know culture? Comedians and actors Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang serve as pop culture consultants on this hilarious podcast frequented by superstar guests. This year, the show’s beloved Culture Awards debuted as a televised show on Bravo and Peacock, bringing them the major mainstream audience they deserve. Las Culturistas is always good for a laugh, and now is the time to join the bandwagon as the hosts prepare to celebrate 10 years of the podcast in 2026.
The Jerry Springer Show was a cultural turning point—one that many blame for our obsession with trash TV. But before Springer's name was synonymous with messy public arguments, he was a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany with political ambition and a dream to change the world. Join host Leon Neyfakh for Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer, a layered look at the real man behind the TV personality.
WTF with Marc Maron has run for 16 full years, but in 2025 the pioneering interview podcast finally came to a close. With his characteristic insight, humor, and inquisitiveness, comedian and host Marc Maron spent his final season interviewing some of his best guests ever, from Christopher Guest to Jeremy Allen White to Judd Apatow, all building to a final episode featuring former President Barack Obama. If you still haven’t checked out WTF, now’s the time: There’s a remarkable archive of episodes to catch up on, and the final season is particularly compelling.
It's been a milestone year for the WNBA, with viewership higher than ever and fandom reaching a fever pitch. This year also welcomed the league’s first expansion since 2008 with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries, and the exciting announcement of teams to come in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. With more eyes on the W than ever before, there’s no better time to tune into the insights of Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird. In Bird’s Eye View, the WNBA Hall of Famer discusses everything from coaching shake-ups to parenting as a pro. In the first year of her slam-dunk show, Bird was joined by basketball all-stars like Arike Ogunbowale, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, and Caitlin Clark.
NPR's Embedded podcast will celebrate 10 years of narrative investigative reporting in 2026. This year, they released a fascinating three-part series called Alternate Realities in which journalist Zach Mack makes a desperate attempt to connect with his conspiracy theorist dad. At the beginning of 2024, Mack made a bet with his dad that if none of his doomsday predictions came true over the course of a year, his dad would owe him $10,000. The podcast is a much-needed discussion on how a highly divisive media landscape is impacting personal relationships.
Hasan Minhaj has won over audiences with his deft blend of comedy and sociopolitical commentary on The Daily Show, Patriot Act, and specials like Homecoming King, winning two Peabody Awards in the process. Now, he turns his signature style to podcasting, hosting guests from Prince Harry of Sussex to commentator Chris Hayes and Wu Tang Clan’s Method Man. Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know seeks honest conversations with experts and thought-leaders, but even when the topics skew serious, Minhaj brings a lighthearted air that makes this podcast as entertaining as it is insightful.
We've all encountered digital scams. But what's going on behind those fishy pop-ups and texts about your extended car warranty? Host Denise Chan tells the shocking story of a scam factory in Southeast Asia, revealing that the person scamming you might have been scammed into a dangerous situation themselves, and their only option is to scam their way back out. It's a wild tale that will change the way you look at these ubiquitous hoaxes.
Kate Downey is exhausted from trying to get doctors to diagnose or explain her excruciating period cramps. As a self-described "nerd," she's willing to do the research herself, interviewing experts and diving into everything from TikTok scams to the microbiome to help herself and other period sufferers navigate patient advocacy, birth control, and more. Anyone who experiences periods will empathize, and chronically ill people, people used to getting dismissed at the doctor's office, or just anyone interested in the health of people with uteruses will learn a lot from her discoveries.
Despite her massive celebrity, television personality, cookbook author, and model Chrissy Teigen has an authentic way of telling it like it is. Her new podcast, Self-Conscious, invites listeners into her compassionate conversations with today's leading experts on personal growth and self-love. You'll hear about everything from building healthier relationships and getting better sleep to astrology and sex education. Along the way, you'll get fun glimpses into Teigen's life and recommendations for self-help audiobooks to keep the learning going.
Podcasts can keep you company any time of day. Now they can even help your kids get through their morning routine. In Nick Jr's Rise & Shine, some of Nickelodeon's most beloved characters will brighten up your morning, with wake-up routines from Dora, Blue, the Paw Patrol crew, and more. There's even a toothbrushing song timed just right to help kids start their day with clean teeth. It's a fun podcast for little ones that will make their parents' lives easier, too.
How's this for meta: a new podcast, made by the cohost of one of the world's biggest podcasts, investigating a behind-the-scenes mystery at another podcast. In this limited series, Monica Padman of Armchair Expert sets out to investigate why her favorite podcasters, Elizabeth Laime and Andy Rosen of Nobody's Listening, Right?, suddenly shut down years ago, giving no explanation. Channeling her inner Nancy Drew, Padman uncovers a shocking story that explores what happens when parasocial relationships go wrong. With all the expert talent involved, it's every bit as intriguing as you'd expect.
