Trending podcasts to check out

 

If you want a “what’s hot right now” mix instead of just the all-time classics, here’s a good spread across news, comedy, culture, tech, history, and storytelling. These are showing up consistently in Spotify/Apple charts and conversation lately.

Big mainstream hits

• The Joe Rogan Experience — Still enormous. Long-form interviews with comics, scientists, athletes, politicians, and internet weirdos.
• The Daily — One of the best quick ways to stay informed without doomscrolling.
• Crime Junkie — Hugely popular true crime with polished storytelling.
• Call Her Daddy — Celebrity interviews, relationships, internet culture.
• This Past Weekend — Chaotic, funny, oddly thoughtful conversations.

Smart + addictive interview shows

• The Diary Of A CEO — Entrepreneurs, athletes, psychologists, creators.
• Good Hang with Amy Poehler — One of the newer breakout comedy/interview shows.
• Armchair Expert — Celebrities and experts with a casual vibe.
• Lex Fridman Podcast — Deep conversations on AI, philosophy, science, and politics.

If you like storytelling / documentaries

• Serial — The show that basically launched the modern podcast boom.
• Radiolab — Beautifully produced episodes about science and human behavior.
• 99% Invisible — Fascinating stories about overlooked details in everyday life.
• Dateline NBC — Still charting high on Apple Podcasts.

Tech + internet culture

• Hard Fork — Excellent coverage of AI, Silicon Valley, and internet chaos.
• Waveform — Gadgets, AI, tech trends.
• Acquired — Deep dives into companies like Nintendo, Costco, Airbnb, etc.

History + learning

• The Rest Is History — Super entertaining history storytelling.
• Stuff You Should Know — Easy-to-listen explainers on almost everything.
• Hardcore History — Massive epic history episodes.

Newer / trending this year

These have been climbing charts recently:

• Love Trapped — Trending hard on Apple charts.
• Sources Tell Jeff Passan — Baseball insider stories from ESPN.
• Health vs Hype — Medical myths vs evidence-based health advice.

And one interesting trend: video podcasts are exploding right now, especially on Spotify and YouTube, with Apple also pushing harder into video podcast features in 2026.

If you want, I can also narrow this down into:

• funniest podcasts
• best true crime
• best podcasts for learning
• underrated indie podcasts
• podcasts for commuting
• podcasts like Joe Rogan
• podcasts for anxiety/sleep/focus
• business & startup podcasts
• sci-fi/audio drama podcasts
• best podcasts outside the U.S.