The 10 Best Podcasts We Listened To This Year

Aside from notable bits of celebrity interviews or viral moments, podcasts generally don’t get a lot of coverage here at HuffPost. That changed this year thanks to the presidential election, as listeners who might not otherwise be engaged with the news had valuable access to the 2024 candidates on top podcasts. Vice President Kamala Harris made headlines for appearing on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, where she discussed abortion rights and student loans with host Alex Cooper, while now-President-elect Donald Trump sat down with the polarizing and undeniably influential Joe Rogan.

But this medium offers so much more than the shows you see dominating the most-played lists. Podcasts can provide context to hot-button water cooler topics, offer an entertaining distraction during a gnarly commute, or just make space for a little screen-free listening before bed.

Check out the 10 shows HuffPost staffers picked as our favorites from 2024.

As “Saturday Night Live” currently celebrates its 50th season, the cultural zeitgeist is teeming with nostalgia for the iconic live sketch show and the ways it has impacted comedy (e.g., Jason Reitman’s recent “Saturday Night” film). But it’s impossible to discuss the show’s history and influence without mentioning the people who paved the way for digital comedy as we know it: Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer, aka The Lonely Island comedy group. Starting in April, the trio reunited with Seth Meyers, who was head writer during most of The Lonely Island’s “SNL” tenure, to host a weekly podcast recapping their work on the show.

“The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast” feels like reconnecting with an old friend and picking up right where you left off, no matter how many years it’s been since you’ve seen them. Each episode is a cozy walk down memory lane, filled with tidbits about their creative processes, voice memos from previous “SNL” hosts and writers, musings about which digital shorts have the potential to be Criterion Collection-worthy, and plenty of endearing giggles and snort-laughing. This podcast is the perfect dose of levity in my life — Sunday scaries are gone when I know I have an episode of “The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast” waiting for me every Monday morning. — Alexandra Niforos

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

In this show, host Dan Taberski (“Running from Cops,” “Finding Richard Simmons”) looks back at a mysterious 2011 case of unexplained tics that began to affect a group of high school students in a small town in Western New York state. He talks to people who were students at the time and dissects the various theories for the cause of the illnesses as well as the media frenzy surrounding it. Ultimately, it serves as a jumping-off point to examine the history of conversion disorder — once called hysteria — and how much of our mind we can control. At seven episodes, it’s the perfect deep-dive length, in my opinion — enough to sink your teeth into without feeling bloated. — Jillian Capewell

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

As someone who recently checked “reading ‘The Power Broker’” off my bucket list (and am now insufferable about it), it was fun to accompany my reading of Robert Caro’s mammoth biography of infamous New York urban planner Robert Moses with a monthly podcast breaking down the book. In the special series from the architecture and design podcast “99% Invisible,” each episode summarizes a section of the book in an accessible way. But the real highlight has been the vibrant array of guests, who have each brought a unique perspective to the book: politicians like Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.); TV creator Mike Schur, whose “Power Broker” obsession inspired his work on “Parks & Recreation”; real estate developer Majora Carter, who grew up in the South Bronx and now works to try to right some of Moses’ wrongs; as well as the legendary Caro himself. The podcast has given me a greater appreciation for Caro’s magisterial work (and also, probably has made me even more insufferable about it, as is my right). — Marina Fang

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Shannon Sharpe’s podcast “Club Shay Shay” has been around for a while, but the weekly interview series reached a new stratosphere in January 2024 when the former NFL player interviewed comedian Katt Williams. The episode runs a whopping 2 hours and 46 minutes and is worth every minute. On “Club Shay Shay,” which is a collaboration between iHeartPodcasts, The Volume and Shay Shay Media, Sharpe interviews celebs and athletes about their projects and pop culture — and he isn’t afraid to ask them anything. In 2024, he interviewed Mo’Nique about her career in Hollywood, Vice President Kamala Harris about her 2024 run for presidency, Keke Palmer about her new memoir and Marlon Wayans on his comedy. Sharpe has come under fire for his interview skills throughout the year, but there’s no denying how compelling it is to watch him have deep and exploratory conversations with some of the biggest names in culture and entertainment. — Erin E. Evans

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

In this Year of Politics, my comfort podcast has been this series about the history of sex, gender and scandal. Hosted by historian Dr. Kate Lister — also the brilliant mind behind Whores of Yore — you get everything from crowd-pleaser topics like the sex life of history’s greatest fuckboy, Henry VIII to more obscure ones like the history of pubic hair and how it’s been viewed over the centuries. Smart and witty, Lister discusses her topics with the expertise of academia and the sass of a gossip blog. But Lister and her guests don’t limit themselves to the fluff and gossip of history — there’s real analysis of the stakes involved in the politics of sex, gender and social structures across years and cultures. Listening to this podcast feels like hiding a “Bridgerton” book inside your history textbook to sneak a read in class, in the best possible way. — Lilli Petersen

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Caleb Hearon is a man of many talents: stand-up comedian, writer, actor and social media sensation, just to name a few. But this year he added a solo podcast venture to his burgeoning list of projects: “So True With Caleb Hearon.” Each episode features Hearon in casual conversation with guests, usually comedians but sometimes other figures in entertainment, described by producer Headgum as “basically just getting into it and sorting it all out and kind of identifying what’s really real.”

And while there’s a plethora of interview podcasts on the market, “So True” rises to the top because of Hearon’s sharp comedic chops. Besides being a giving interviewer, he is masterful in the bits and jokes he’s able to come up with in the blink of an eye — the phrase “quick wit” seems lackluster considering how naturally Hearon delivers quips that leave me catching my breath. All of the episodes are interesting no matter the guest, but a highlight is definitely the Halloween episode with internet personalities Drew Afualo and Brittany Broski, which is extra funny due to the trio’s dynamic as friends. — Niforos

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

The only bad thing about “We’re Here To Help” is that it’s going on indefinite hiatus as of late December (but fear not, you can still access old episodes!). Founded during the writers strike in 2023, “We’re Here To Help” is helmed by “New Girl” star Jake Johnson and comedian Gareth Reynolds, two longtime friends who aim to help callers solve their most ridiculous problems. The problems aren’t serious per se (one of the podcast’s more famous episodes features a call from a guy who wants a way to find out whether his twin brother is circumcised without coming right out and asking him). And the answers aren’t especially serious, or even helpful (more than a few solutions involve creating a fake website via podcast sponsor Squarespace). But that’s the appeal of the whole project, which seemed from the outset to be too good to be true. And it was — with Johnson preoccupied with Hollywood projects and Reynolds on tour, the two haven’t been able to make the two-episode-a-week schedule work long term. The back episodes — featuring Johnson’s former “New Girl” co-stars Max Greenfield and Hannah Simone — are still well worth a listen for fans of comedy and questionable advice. — Liz Skalka

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

When Jamie Loftus makes a new podcast (see also: “Aack Cast!” and “My Year in Mensa,” among others), I listen — especially when it’s a show that speaks directly to my chronically online, destroyed-by-TikTok brain. Each episode dives into a niche internet moment that seemed to be all everyone was talking about for … about 12 hours or so before it was completely forgotten. Loftus’ subjects, which thus far have ranged from the “I love my curvy wife” guy to the HQ Trivia quiz daddy to Ken Bone, will make you go, “Oh, wow, remember that guy?!” and also send you into an existential spiral about the fleeting, intense nature of our online lives and the effect it has on social media’s unwitting main characters. But don’t worry — Loftus’ humor and charm make it a fun spiral, I promise. — Capewell

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Many podcasts cover career advice and inspiration, but my favorite is “Second Life,” the podcast hosted by Who What Wear co-founder Hillary Kerr that explores the complex and often tumultuous career journeys of women in a wide variety of fields. Each interview highlights how professional women in fashion, design, journalism, business and the arts have pivoted in their careers to start their “second life” — often later in their careers and after years of uncertainty. The interviews vary from well-known figures like Reese Witherspoon and Padma Lakshmi, to niche creators and women founders in tech, entertainment and health. The in-depth interviews showcase how unique and unconventional our careers can be — and that there’s never a wrong time to switch gears and pursue your passion. — Lizzie Grams

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

This podcast from CBC, about the history of gender-testing in elite levels of sport and the consequences it has on athletes’ careers, had unfortunately perfect timing. I was listening to it this summer in between watching the Paris Olympics around the clock and following the story of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, whose gold-medal-winning journey was overshadowed by controversy and false claims that Khelif was not a woman. “Tested” looks at how sports officials over the years have attempted to verify athletes’ gender — and, in the process, shows that regulating participation based on chromosomes, hormone levels or other factors is not as black-and-white as it might seem. Though this series doesn’t follow transgender individuals, it does provide important context that is all too needed as debates over who is allowed in women’s sports persist — with very real, and deleterious, effects on athletes. — Capewell

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify