Golden Globes 2026: Best Podcast Winner & Nominees

Amy Poehler's 'Good Hang' won the first-ever Golden Globe for Best Podcast on January 11, 2026. The six nominees included Armchair Expert, Call Her Daddy, SmartLess, The Mel Robbins Podcast, and NPR's Up First. This marks podcasting's official arrival on Hollywood's biggest stage.

This is a watershed moment for podcasting. After years of being treated as a secondary medium, podcasts now share the stage with film and television at one of Hollywood's most prestigious awards ceremonies.

The Winner: Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Snoop Dogg presented the inaugural award to Amy Poehler for her interview podcast 'Good Hang,' produced by Paper Kite Productions and The Ringer. The show launched approximately 10 months before the ceremony and quickly became a favorite among listeners who enjoy long-form conversations.

Notable guests have included Tina Fey, Martin Short, Quinta Brunson, Ike Barinholtz, Seth Meyers, Rashida Jones, and former First Lady Michelle Obama. The podcast's intimate style earned praise for feeling like genuine conversations worth taking notes on.

In her acceptance speech, Poehler acknowledged being new to podcasting: 'I know I'm new to this game. I have great respect for this form.' She humorously critiqued the influx of celebrities into the medium, joking about NPR and 'celebs phoning it in.'

She also shared the show's mission: 'This is an attempt to try to make a very rough and unkind world filled with a little bit more love and laughter.' Her win feels appropriate for a show that exemplifies what makes podcasts unique: the long-form, unedited conversation that TV and film can't replicate.

All 2026 Golden Globe Podcast Nominees

The six nominees represented a diverse cross-section of podcasting, from celebrity interviews to daily news to self-improvement content:

How Were the Nominees Selected?

The Golden Globe Foundation created a transparent selection process for the new category. Nominees were chosen from a list of the 25 most-listened-to podcasts that 'made a significant impact over the past year.'

The Top 25 eligibility list was determined by Luminate, the Golden Globes' official data partner, using listening data from major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. This data-driven approach aimed to balance popularity with cultural impact.

Notable absences from the nominee list sparked discussion. The Joe Rogan Experience, despite being the most popular podcast on all major platforms in 2025, did not receive a nomination. Other popular political shows from both right and left were also excluded despite appearing on the initial shortlist.

Does the Golden Globes Podcasting Award Make Sense?

Some critics argue the Golden Globes podcasting award makes no sense. How do you compare a daily news briefing (Up First) against a 90-minute celebrity interview (SmartLess)? Should self-improvement compete against comedy? The single category forces wildly different formats into direct competition.

Others point to the nominee selection itself. Excluding the world's most popular podcast while including newer celebrity-driven shows raises questions about what 'significant impact' really means. Is it downloads? Cultural conversation? Critical acclaim? The criteria remain vague.

That said, any award show faces these challenges. The Oscars compare blockbusters against indie films. The Grammys pit pop against jazz. The Golden Globes entering podcasting, even imperfectly, signals the medium's legitimacy. Future years will likely bring more categories and clearer criteria.

What This Means for Podcasting

The Golden Globes adding a podcast category signals that the medium has achieved mainstream legitimacy. This follows a decade of explosive growth:

• Over 500 million podcast listeners globally in 2025
• Spotify, Amazon, and SiriusXM spending billions on exclusive podcast deals
• Celebrity-hosted podcasts becoming major media properties
• Podcasts driving book sales, tour tickets, and brand deals
• Video podcasts dominating YouTube's most-watched content

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association and Golden Globe Foundation recognizing podcasts alongside film and TV validates what listeners have known: podcasts are a primary entertainment and information medium, not a niche hobby.

The Pre-Globes Celebration

To mark the historic occasion, Spotify and The Hollywood Reporter hosted 'Golden Week Nominees Night' in West Hollywood on January 9th. The event brought together nominees, industry executives, and podcast creators to celebrate podcasting's arrival on one of entertainment's biggest stages.

Kristen Bell, whose husband Dax Shepard was nominated for Armchair Expert, captured the moment's significance: 'My husband and my best friend were nominated for the first ever podcast category. I'm going to lose my mind when their category is announced, even if they don't win, because I'm so proud of them.'

How to Listen to the Nominees

All six nominated podcasts are available on major podcast platforms. Here's where to find them:

• Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Spotify (exclusive)
• Armchair Expert: Spotify (exclusive)
• Call Her Daddy: SiriusXM and all major platforms
• The Mel Robbins Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, all platforms
• SmartLess: Amazon Music, Wondery (exclusive for new episodes)
• Up First: NPR, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, all platforms

Getting More from Award-Winning Podcasts

Long-form interview podcasts like Good Hang, Armchair Expert, and SmartLess are packed with insights, stories, and advice that are easy to forget after listening. If you're serious about learning from podcasts, having a system to capture key moments makes a huge difference.

Whether you prefer taking podcast notes in Notion, using a dedicated app, or just jotting timestamps, the goal is the same: turning passive listening into lasting knowledge. Check out our guide on how to take podcast notes for methods that actually work. how to take podcast notes

Will There Be More Podcast Categories?

The success of this inaugural category raises questions about future expansion. Currently, all podcast genres compete in a single category. As the Oscars and Emmys have done with their categories over time, we might eventually see:

• Best Interview Podcast
• Best Narrative/Scripted Podcast
• Best News Podcast
• Best Comedy Podcast
• Best True Crime Podcast

For now, the single category creates interesting competition between wildly different formats. A daily news briefing (Up First) competed against long-form celebrity interviews (SmartLess) and self-improvement content (Mel Robbins). Future years may require more nuanced categorization.

What podcasts were nominated for the Golden Globe?

The six 2026 Golden Globe Best Podcast nominees were: Good Hang with Amy Poehler (winner), Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Call Her Daddy with Alex Cooper, The Mel Robbins Podcast, SmartLess with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, and Up First from NPR.

Who won the first Golden Globe for Best Podcast?

Amy Poehler won the first-ever Golden Globe for Best Podcast for 'Good Hang' on January 11, 2026. Snoop Dogg presented the award. The podcast is produced by Paper Kite Productions and The Ringer, featuring celebrity guests including Tina Fey, Michelle Obama, and Martin Short.

Why wasn't Joe Rogan nominated for the Golden Globe?

Despite being the most popular podcast in 2025, The Joe Rogan Experience was not nominated. The Golden Globe Foundation selected from the 25 most-listened-to podcasts that 'made a significant impact,' but hasn't explained specific criteria. Several political shows were also excluded.

Looking for seasonal listening ideas? Check out our Valentine's Day podcast guide for picks based on your mood. Valentine's Day podcast guide

For more podcast recommendations and discovery, check out our trending podcast charts to see what's popular right now. trending podcast charts

Want to get more from your podcast listening? Visit our podcast notes hub for guides, tools, and templates. podcast notes hub