The Best Podcasts to Listen to in 2025

OK, so we can’t promise the best since almost every aspect of a podcast is subjective, from the host to the subject to the delivery. What we can promise is some of the best and most popular podcasts of 2025 with seriously good content. Everyone and their dog has a podcast these days, so separating the good from the, well, awful, can be like finding a needle in a haystack. Luckily, we’ve done the hard part for you, which means we’ve listened to some great podcasts and some dreadful podcasts (you’re welcome). We’ve got everything from politics and true crime to sport and lifestyle. The only downside to these podcasts is that they tend to send listeners down a rabbit hole, and it may be some time before you resurface. Enjoy.

Scamfluencers

Scamfluencers takes a look at the darker side of social media influencers.

In today’s world, some people trust their favorite influencer more than their own family, which is a scary thought.

Social media influencers can become overnight sensations with millions of followers and a wider reach than some of the most powerful people in the world.

It’s one thing when an influencer promotes a product that turns out to be less than stellar; it’s another when they straight-up scam their fans.

We’ve seen everything from financial scams, particularly involving crypto projects and fake wellness gurus, to Ponzi schemes and bogus charities.

Scamfluencers will shock you and make you more cautious about who you follow.

Lex Fridman Podcast

The Lex Fridman Podcast is one of the best all-rounders available.

Lex is a fantastic host who is knowledgeable about a broad range of subjects.

Despite his serious demeanor and almost monotone delivery, Lex Fridman adds a fair bit of humor to his podcast.

He has guests from all walks of life, from actors and athletes to CEO’s and educators.

More importantly, Lex asks the right questions in a conversational manner that makes his guests feel at home, giving listeners a more personal experience.

It’s fun, informative, and educational.

Armchair Expert

Armchair Expert is a fun and conversational podcast about the ups and downs of being human.

The podcast covers everything from the daily routine to career goals.

Host Dax Shepard is hilarious and relatable in equal measure.

The podcast invites guests, mainly from the world of entertainment, to sit down and talk about life.

But this isn’t a podcast for famous people to talk about their cars and awards; this is a podcast where people open up about personal struggles and how they overcame them.

Dax Shepard is the ideal host because his playful nature gets the best out of his guests.

It’s a rollercoaster that can go from painful memories to candid, hilarious stories in the blink of an eye.

Crime Junkie

True crime is all the rage in 2025, and Crime Junkies is where you’ll get all you can handle.

In fact, true crime shows, books, and podcasts have been on the rise for years, but the trend shows no signs of slowing down.

Despite its popularity, true crime stories can be difficult to hear because we’re dealing with some horrific stories, but that’s part of the appeal.

It’s about hearing the stories behind the story, not just the headline, and taking time to understand and acknowledge victims of some truly terrible crimes.

Crime Junkie does a fantastic job of storytelling without sugarcoating anything; it’s authentic and gritty and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

One particularly interesting episode is the Mysterious Death of Dave Bocks, a man who went missing while working a night shift at a nuclear production facility in 1984.

Smartless

It’s hard to describe what the Smartless podcast is about without just saying it’s a few guys talking somewhat randomly.

But it’s not just any guys; it’s Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes, so whatever the topic, you know the conversation is going to be funny!

The great thing about Smartless is that humor is expected when you have some of the best comedic actors on the mic, but there’s a vulnerability about the hosts and guests that will surprise people.

The hosts chat to guests from all walks of life about any number of things, and the chat goes beyond surface level.

One of the best things about humor is that it can make people open up; whether talking about taking out the trash, family life, or experiencing trauma, it’s an open and honest conversation where no one takes themselves too seriously.

It’s extremely funny, and it’s relatable.

The Daily

The Daily is a podcast created by The New York Times and hosted by Michael Barbaro and Sabrina Tavernise.

It’s listed in the long-form journalism category, but this podcast is a 20-minute blast of daily news covering the most relevant stories of the day,

The Daily doesn’t just cover the daily news; it takes deep dives into some of the biggest stories of our time, with well-informed hosts providing a unique perspective.

To say The Daily podcast is popular would be a huge understatement.

To get some indication of its popularity, we just have to look at the episode count; since debuting in 2017, The Daily podcast has racked up well over 2000 episodes.

If you want to keep up to date with current affairs, learn a little about significant moments in history, and do it all in 20 minutes, this one is for you.

Unlocking Us

Unlocking Us is a podcast that discusses what it means to be human.

Host Brené Brown speaks with guests on all aspects of human strength and vulnerability.

The podcast talks about coping with grief, loss, love, and much more.

What we love about this podcast is that it’s so relatable; we all feel the same at some time or another; we’ve all felt good, and we’ve all struggled, but

Sometimes, when we struggle, we don’t know how to cope because we don’t think it’s OK to show weakness.

Unlocking Us tells us it’s OK to feel sad, vulnerable, or scared because it’s all part of being human, and although vulnerable, we are incredibly resilient when life tests us.

We all need a virtual hug sometimes!

The Rest is History

The Rest is History is one of the crown jewels of Golhanger Podcast’s stellar lineup.

As a civilization, we must understand history to avoid making the same mistakes.

As an individual, history teaches us about personal growth, and it’s essential to a well-rounded knowledge base.

The trouble with history is that it’s not the easiest subject to absorb because it’s typically delivered in, let’s be honest, a boring manner.

The Rest is History covers seminal eras in human history, like The French Revolution or the the rise and fall of Adolf Hitler, but it does so in a conversational way without sacrificing facts or detail.

It’s a fantastic listen, and you’ll come out feeling smarter than you went in.

This American Life

This American Life might be the most random podcast on our list, but life is random, so it’s all good.

Episodes cover anything from heartbreaking true stories to unexpected social experiments, but the content is delivered like a mini-movie for radio.

The gripping storytelling and the fact that you don’t know what you’ll get next is what we love most about This American Life.

One of our favorite episodes has This American Life recording a group of car salesmen from a Long Island Jeep dealership as they try to fill their monthly quotas.

It’s a perspective that we don’t often get as car buyers, and it’s an emotional rollercoaster with extreme highs and lows.

Hitting the monthly targets can lead to bonuses of tens of thousands; missing the monthly targets could lead to unemployment.

Maybe we should cut those pushy car salesmen some slack? Perhaps not; either way, it’s an entertaining listen.

Conclusion

Podcasts are everywhere, and no one has time to get through them all. But getting through a hand-picked selection while traveling to and from work, jogging/walking, and sneaking an episode before bed is manageable. We’ve picked podcasts that are entertaining, but more importantly, they are educational. Some will educate us on an intellectual level, others on an emotional level, and we recommend you get on board.