I'm obsessed with these 5 pop culture podcasts — and one just won a Golden Globe

Kathryn Hahn and Amy Poehler on Good Hang
(Image credit: Good Hang with Amy Poehler/YouTube)

If you needed proof of the ever-growing Hollywood legitimacy of podcasts, a Golden Globes win should do it. Along with its usual tributes to excellence in film and television, this year's Golden Globes ceremony expanded for the first time into the audio space via its newest category, Best Podcast.

The Cheat Sheet: 5 Must-Listen Podcasts

  • 🏆 Good Hang: The Golden Globe winner for high-brow comedy.
  • 🎧 SmartLess: A-list guests met with total, unscripted chaos.
  • 🔥 Call Her Daddy: The tell-all home for raw celebrity truths.
  • 🗽 The Basement Yard: Viral, relatable banter from NYC best friends.
  • 🎙️ Conan O’Brien: Late-night wit turned into deep-dive friendships.

Along with Poehler's award-winning show, here are five great pop culture podcasts you should add to your rotation.

'Good Hang with Amy Poehler'

Tina Fey | Good Hang with Amy Poehler - YouTube Tina Fey | Good Hang with Amy Poehler - YouTube
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Amy Poehler, the beloved comedienne from "Saturday Night Live," "Parks and Recreation" and funny flicks like "Mean Girls," "Baby Mama" and the "Inside Out" franchise, launched her sweet interview series "Good Hang" in March 2025, inviting close pals — who just happen to be some of Hollywood's biggest comedic power players — like Tina Fey, Martin Short, Jack Black and Kathryn Hahn to appear in the show's early episodes.

In the past year, Poehler has expanded that subject pool to politics (Michelle Obama), cooking (Ina Garten), music (The Jonas Brothers), directing (Ryan Coogler) and more, but through it all, the lighthearted yet insightful format has remained, with engaging sit-downs about her interviewee's professional wit.

Listen to "Good Hang with Amy Poehler" on Spotify now

'SmartLess'

Jennifer Lawrence | Smartless - YouTube Jennifer Lawrence | Smartless - YouTube
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There's not one but three big-name celebrities at the helm of "SmartLess": actors and longtime buddies Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett. Every week since the show debuted on July 20, 2020, one of the fellas invites a surprise celebrity guest to the program and reveals their identity at the top of the episode to the other two hosts before kicking off their characteristically disarming and humorous conversations about personal life, professional career and more.

“We don’t have any format, there’s no preamble,” Arnett declared during a 2021 installment of the show. There’s no theme, there’s no goal. I’ve been winging it since 1970, why would I start now?"

The trio had produced more than 300 episodes over the past half-decade, with illustrious interviewees like George Clooney, Kamala Harris, Paul McCartney, Jennifer Aniston, Steven Spielberg, Billie Eilish and more.

Listen to "SmartLess" on Apple Podcasts now

'The Basement Yard'

The New Drag Queens | The Basement Yard #537 - YouTube The New Drag Queens | The Basement Yard #537 - YouTube
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"The Basement Yard" differs from other pop culture podcasts on this list as its hosts aren't of the traditional celebrity mold — rather, the weekly comedy podcast is emceed by YouTube vlogger Joe Santagato and his childhood BFF Frank Alvarez — and it's less of an interview show and more a chance for the two lifelong friends to engage with pop culture through viral clips, spirited debates, nostalgic discussions and other funny segments.

The podcast has grown and shifted in the decade since Santagato first started it as a solo show. Its most recent iteration was a live tour that sold out notable venues like Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall in their native New York City.

Listen to "The Basement Yard" on Apple Podcasts now

"Call Her Daddy"

KIM KARDASHIAN (Full Episode) - YouTube KIM KARDASHIAN (Full Episode) - YouTube
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Alex Cooper has become podcast powerhouse via "Call Her Daddy," the Golden Globe-nominated sex, relationship and entertainment series she launched in 2018 with then-co-host Sofia Franklyn. Franklyn departed the project in 2020, prior to Cooper's $60 million deal to exclusively present the podcast on Spotify in 2021, which she more than doubled in a $125 million distribution and advertising deal with Sirius XM three years later.

Via her raw, unfiltered discussions with celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, Gwyneth Paltrow, Charlize Theron and Chappell Roan, among many others, Cooper's podcast manages to get intimate insights into these mega-stars' personal lives, delving into everything from toxic relationships to sexual identity to mental health struggles and more.

Listen to "Call Her Daddy" on SiriusXM now

'Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend'

Matt Damon (FULL EPISODE) | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend - YouTube Matt Damon (FULL EPISODE) | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend - YouTube
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Thanks to his lengthy late-night career, Conan O'Brien certainly knows how to conduct a fun interview with a celebrity guest, but his weekly podcast "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend" allows him to get "deeper, unboundedly playful, and free from FCC regulations" in trying to establish "real and lasting friendship" with his famous subjects.

Co-hosted by O'Brien's longtime assistant-turned-friend Sona Movsesian and producer Matt Gourley, the podcast has seen Conan pal around with Matt Damon, Ben Stiller, Rose Byrne, Janelle James, Ted Danson, Leanne Morgan and Will Ferrell, his first-ever guest when the series premiered back in 2018.

Listen to "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend" on Spotify now


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Christina Izzo is a writer-editor covering culture, food and drink, travel and general lifestyle in New York City. She was previously the Deputy Editor at My Imperfect Life, the Features Editor at Rachael Ray In Season and Reveal, as well as the Food & Drink Editor and chief restaurant critic at Time Out New York. 

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