These days, it seems like everyone and their mother has a comedy podcast. Now, that's not to say all comedy podcasts are bad. On the contrary, there are some real, reliable side-splitters out there! But let's put it like this: a medium with such a low barrier to entry (all you need is a mic and an opinion) requires a touch of, um, curation if it's to be fully enjoyed.
Well, that's where we come in. Yes, the market is saturated. (According to one Fast Company report, Apple Podcasts, one of the major podcast services, is home to more than half a million individual podcasts.) But you don't have to parse your way through it—because we already did. Whether you're looking for a light laugh, a dose of high-minded cerebral humor, or anything in between, here are the most uproarious comedy podcasts on the web today.
The Best Comedy Podcast for People Who Can't Get Enough Pop Culture: Las Culturistas
Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang are the comedy queens of culture, and Las Culturistas is their empire. Instead of simply tackling current events in pop culture (gauche), Rogers and Yang ask their guests about cultural moments that defined their adolescence and identities—and discuss contemporary culture along the way (chic).
As they're both fast-rising stars in the New York comedy scene, these two have an impressive roster of funny friends, so their guests are always top notch. For example, their latest episode features Sarah Schneider and Chris Kelly, former head writers of SNL and the creators of Comedy Central’s hottest new show, The Other Two.
One wildly popular segment born from the podcast, “I Don’t Think So, Honey!,” has been transformed into a live show, too. In the segment, a bunch of different comedians join the two hosts in just going off on culture. Each comedian is given a random piece of culture—maybe it's “Ariana Grande’s ponytail,” or “self care.” (Comedians can come prepared with their own topic, or choose out of a literal hat.) From there, they have exactly one minute to rant to their heart's content about why said piece of culture is totally overrated. The live show is then recorded and turned into a special episode of the podcast, and it truly never gets old.
The Best Comedy Podcast for People Who Want a Guaranteed Laugh: Seek Treatment with Cat & Pat
Hosted by New York City comedy darlings Catherine Cohen and Pat Regan, this podcast is what every other funny podcast hopes to be. It's no secret that the market is oversaturated; plenty of people start a podcast because they assume the organic conversations they have with their friends are super interesting. Most of the time, that assumption is incorrect. Not so with Seek Treatment, a podcast ostensibly about “guys, dating, [sex], and love” (but, in reality, about so much more).
Cohen and Regan are IRL best friends, and everything they say to each other is devastatingly hilarious. If they were merely two comedians desperately trying to turn everything into a bit, this would be your standard-issue nightmare of a podcast. But jokes and one-liners come so easily to these two, plus they have an illustrious friendship to build on, so listening to them speak is nothing short of mesmerizing.
Guests are often drawn from their circle of personal friends—a circle that happens to include a bunch of famous comedians. For instance, recent episodes have featured The Daily Show correspondent Jaboukie Young-White and Search Party star John Early. The conversations are both meandering and explicit, and the end of the episode always feels like it comes too soon.
The Best Comedy Podcast for People Who Love Bad Movies: How Did This Get Made
Fact: lengthy conversations about film as high art are pretentious. Fact two: rambling discussions about movies that are objectively bad are hilarious—and that latter fact is the crux of How Did This Get Made.
In short, comedians Paul Scheer, Jason Mantzoukas, and June Diane Raphael talk about the world's worst movies and try to figure out how in the world Hollywood let such swill get made. All three are L.A.-based comedians with extensive TV and film credits, so they're able to book top-tier guests. (Exhibit A: Abbi Jacobson, of Broad City fame, made a recent appearance.) Plus, the three are long time friends (and Scheer and Raphael are married) so they never feel the need to hold back when the banter gets hilariously heated—which it always does.
For a good starting spot, listen to their series of episodes on the Fast and Furious franchise, in which Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation, The Good Place) guest-stars. Most of the chatter is dedicated to pointing out how patently ridiculous the Vin Diesel-led vehicle is. (Really, how did a group of street racers become bona fide superheroes?) But, at the end of each episode, they rally around another undeniable fact: the Fast and Furious franchise totally rules.
The Best Comedy Podcast for People Who Want to Learn About Something New: How Cum?
Plenty of comedians joke about women faking or straight-up not being able to achieve orgasm, but are there any comedians actually dedicated to investigating this phenomenon? Enter: Remy Kassimir.
Kassimir, 28, had never experienced an orgasm, so she did what any other young comedian would: started a podcast about it. Kassimir talks to both fellow comedians and experts—like Dan Savage, the renowned sex columnist—in her journey to the climax. Aside from being wildly funny, the podcast is also informative. It's a swan dive into a subject whose surface is often barely scratched, and it does so with honest humor and curiosity. (Plus, that title is perfect.)
The Best Comedy Podcast for People Who Love True Crime: My Favorite Murder
Can't get enough Serial? Well, meet your new favorite podcast! Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark are just two gals who love comedy and true crime. Or, rather, they love talking about true crime—and they’re really good at it, too.
The show has the duo discussing their favorite murder cases. But, as they make clear from the start, they do not fact-check the stories. Given their chemistry, charm, and comedy chops, what should be a totally farcical endeavor is instead a side-splitting, informative show. True crime is insanely hot right now, and the comedic element makes it easier to listen to without having to sleep with the light on. (That said, we'll readily admit to sleeping with the light on after some episodes.)
The Best Comedy Podcast for People Struggling with Mental Illness: Crazy; In Bed
They say comedy equals tragedy plus time. Well, Crazy; In Bed tackles comedy and tragedy at the same time. Hosted by comedians Alyssa Limperis and May Wilkerson, each episode discusses a subcategory of mental illness. Both hosts have struggled with depression, anxiety, and eating disorders, and have used comedy as an outlet for sharing their experiences. Their guests are usually other comedians who have dealt with mental illness, too, which makes for raw and surprisingly uplifting conversations.
While the podcast is indeed quite funny, it also isn’t afraid to be earnest. Most comedy taps into sadness to a certain degree—and, yes, there are plenty of jokes along the way—but Limperis and Wilkerson don't always search for the punchline. At its core, Crazy; In Bed is a way for those who live with mental illness to listen and feel less alone. It’s cathartic, and it's unlike any other comedy podcast on the market. In short, it might be the most fun session of group therapy you can find.
The Best Comedy Podcast for Feminists: The Bechdel Cast
For those who haven't heard of the Bechdel Test, here's a (very brief) lesson. In 1985, cartoonist Alison Bechdel created an easy way to measure representation in a work of fiction: Does this piece of fiction feature two (or more) women who talk to each other about something other than men? Some people are surprised to find that most movies cannot pass this test. The hosts of the Bechdel Cast aren't such people.
The Bechdel Cast spotlights a new film each episode and puts it up to the Bechdel Test, as well as discusses women’s roles in film at large. The podcast is hosted by Jamie Loftus and Caitlin Durante, two prolific L.A.-based comedians, and features top-notch guests—for instance, Naomi Ekperigen, a writer on Broad City writer, and Nicole Byer, the star of Nailed It! Both hosts are delightfully funny and well-versed on the topics of film and feminism. Plus, who doesn’t love making fun of sexism? You can’t dismantle the patriarchy without publicly shaming it first.
The Best Comedy Podcast for Political Junkies: The Betches Sup Podcast
Betches Media is home to plenty of funny podcasts, but this is the only one that exclusively covers politics. Betches staffers Alise Morales, Bryan Russell Smith, and Sami Fishbein cover the biggest headlines of the day, all with a heavy dose of the sass and sarcasm that the Betches franchise is notorious for. The three take turns hosting, and occasionally there is a special guest from the Beltway trenches. (One notable recent guest was Michelle Wolf, whom you may remember from that one time when she made everyone really mad by hosting the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.)
The pod is released biweekly, which makes it a great way to stay informed on current events without having to dedicate hours each week on a deep dive down the newsfeed. All three of hosts are highly knowledgeable and passionate, and their humor makes listening feel like you’re at happy hour talking politics with your smartest friends, without having to do any of the hard work (leaving your apartment, hanging out with your friends, talking politics). Just sit back, listen, and get the facts!
The Best Comedy Podcast for Political Junkies Who Want a Fresh Perspective: Hysteria
This Crooked Media production brings a much-needed female perspective to the political podcast space. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia writer and political commentator Erin Ryan is joined by a group of rotating female co-hosts to talk about the news and how it affects women. Co-hosts have included heavy hitters, like Alyssa Mastromonaco, Blair Imani, Grace Parra, Kiran Deol, Megan Gailey, and Ziwe Fumudoh, and Naomi Ekperigin, all of whom bring their unapologetic, opinionated, hot takes on what’s going on in the world. Bonus: Having so many co-hosts allows the show to have a wide variation of female perspectives.
The Best Comedy Podcast for Friends of the Pod: Lovett or Leave It
If you like Pod Save America but wished it were a tad funnier, this is the podcast for you! The show is hosted by Jon Lovett, one of the founders of Crooked Media and a former speechwriter for President Barack Obama. If you ever wondered why Obama's speeches had such inherent humor in them, Lovett is the reason. He brings his joke-writing chops and more to this podcast, where he invites a panel of guests to discuss hot-button topics. And it isn’t one of those podcasts where people just talk for an hour: there are games and quizzes, too! It’s fast-paced, fun, and informative. And for more shows of this nature, here are The 12 Best History Podcasts for Every Type of History Buff.
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