The Golden Globes have unveiled the nominees for their inaugural best podcast category, with some high-profile podcasters including Joe Rogan missing out on a nomination.
The six programmes vying for the new award are Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Call Her Daddy, Good Hang with Amy Poehler, The Mel Robbins Podcast, SmartLess, and npr">NPR’s Up First.
This selection spans news, advice, and celebrity interviews, chosen from an initial shortlist of 25 eligible entries.
However, the nominations appear to have deliberately sidestepped politically charged or controversial content.
High-profile conservative podcasts such as The Megyn Kelly Show, The Tucker Carlson Show, The Ben Shapiro Show, Candace Owen’s Candace, and notably, The Joe Rogan Experience – which has topped Spotify, Apple, and YouTube charts this year – were all excluded.
Similarly, the left-leaning Pod Save America was overlooked, as were popular true crime series like Morbid and Rotten Mango.
Ben Bogardus, chair of the journalism department at Quinnipiac University, suggested this cautious approach stems from the awards show’s history of scandal.
He stated, "They’re trying to bill themselves as an award show that is for the masses and non-controversial, celebrating the best in entertainment. Having this political sideshow, I think they just wanted to avoid that."
Early reactions on social media platform X were muted, though some users criticised the absence of top-ranking programmes from personalities like Rogan and "manosphere" podcaster Theo Von. No direct comments have emerged from the hosts themselves.
Shapiro had launched an all-out Golden Globes publicity campaign for his decade-old podcast, on which he’s spoken with the likes of U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the past year.
In addition to making the rounds with industry publications, Shapiro also secured massive billboard space in New York City’s Times Square.
The 25 potential candidates — including The New York Times' The Daily and Barstool Sports' Pardon My Take — mostly matched up with the most listened-to shows.
“If that’s how you want to pick your ‘best podcast,’ that’s certainly one starting point and one way to do it,” says Karl Hughes, a 20-year podcasting veteran who is CEO of The Podcast Consultant. “I think it leaves a lot of stuff out. It leaves a lot of nuance out.”
Eligible podcasts must have original content and must have released at least six episodes between 1 January, 2025, and 30 September, 2025, with each episode having a minimum length of 30 minutes.
The award, which will be handed out at the Nikki Glaser-hosted show on 11 January, recognises “the quality, creativity, audience engagement and impact” of the podcast, per the Globes.
Many podcast experts were left scratching their heads since the Globes didn't use any categories for its long list and was a bit murky about what constituted a best podcast. Quality of production? Consistency? The stories being told? Raw numbers?
“It’s a good thing for the industry to get more recognition and getting recognition in a major award ceremony is awesome,” Hughes says. “I think that’s cool to see. But the way it’s done, of course, is a very blunt instrument.”
Controversy almost immediately ensued after the initial announcement when it was revealed that Luminate Data, an entertainment tracking and analytics company, would create the shortlist.
Luminate belongs to Penske Media Corp, which owns the Globes. Then there’s the accompanying costs associated with traditional ad campaigns for the award in the pages of Variety and The Hollywood Reporter — also owned by Penske.
The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
While more digital-friendly awards shows like the Webby Awards, the Ambies, iHeartRadio and The Shorty Awards recognise podcasting, the Globes' move marks the first time podcasts have been included by a major awards show.
Hughes says that's a natural step as podcasting matures and starts attracting more corporate dollars. He hopes the Globes' spotlight will make podcasting accessible to more people.
“It’ll open up the door for more individuals and businesses that want to use the medium to tell interesting stories because it’s got a little more respect, a little more gravitas, a little more mainstream appeal,” he said.
Bogardus marvelled at how the podcasting industry has grown up in the past 25 years, moving beyond its origins in radio and giving hosts freedom that content creators in other media don't have.
He stated: “Going into an award show now really shows that it has come into its own as a type of communication that people consume, which can be on par with television, with radio, with streaming, with internet videos, with social media.”
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