Apple Reveals Top Podcasts of 2025

[Cheesehead Dave]

I guess I'm just set in my ways for the podcasts I listen to. I have heard of exactly one of these (Joe Rogan, which I don't listen to.)

 

[Dj64Mk7]

Looks like the user above who grabbed popcorn for this thread knew something. 😂

Yes, I know that popcorn is delicious. 😜

He’s only contentious to people who are extremely comfortable living inside their echo chamber

I feel like I live in between echo chambers; Facebook thinks I'm conservative and Trump-loving, while Threads seems to think I'm a very liberal feminist. In reality, neither are correct.

Classic "free thinker", the "I do my own research" kind of person who manages to be confidently wrong about almost everything.
Plus, whenever he accidentally appears to be right about anything, he has no problem offering a huge platform to all sort of weirdos and anti-democratic people, normalizing their crazy ideas and hate and giving the impression that there's an active debate about everything. He's there, challenging them in the mildest possible way because he wants them back.

Like those guys who say they don't need to respect police orders because they're "sovereign citizens"? Or the

No lol, leave the bluesky bubble and it will open your eyes and your mind to other opinions.

It's funny because Bluesky is my least used social media, lmao.

The episodes are long though so it becomes a bit tiring and repetitive after you listen more to it

I feel this way about most media. I'm not TikTok-brained insofar as my attention span goes, but I do have ADHD, and so something REALLY needs to captivate me to hold my attention, you know?

like actually getting out in your community and talking to real people with differing opinions and outlooks.

I've realized this over the last few years or so: a lot of the discourse and division is exclusively online, and in the real world people are mostly just trying to get by.

I feel like much of the list is really just:

1. Slop
2. Slop
3. Slop…

Everyone’s talking about Joe Rogan, but I think “The Telepathy Tapes” being so high on multiple lists is more damning for the state of humanity…

I've never heard of Telepathy Tubes. What's it about, and why is it so damning?

Everybody I don’t like is an idiot! Hey, I can do that too!

This is a great type of humor! Thank you for brightening my day!

 

[Oestreich Dieter]

Grabbing popcorn 🍿 to wait for the comments about Joe Rogan being number 1.

(never listened myself, but from what I hear through the grapevine he’s very contentious and perhaps conspiratorial? Is that accurate?)

He once had a guy on who claimed 1x1=2 and that being told 1x1=1 was all wrong. Rogan responded with "if you're right about this, this is going to be huge".

so make of that what you will.

 

[Thisismattwade]

I did very much appreciate the Huberman show about drinking and how "not good it is for you". That resonated with some folks I know simply because it came from him.

I listened to him for a while, including the episode you mentioned. It was good, and I've shared it with many people to maybe help them feel comfortable saying "no" to a drink. I'm sure all of the science in that episode was known before Dr. Huberman made it mainstream with a podcast, but his episode was helpful to a lot of people I've talked to about it since then. (I've significantly reduced my drinking, to almost zero, after listening to it.) When it comes to science stuff, I found out I'm more of a reader than a listener. I might get inspired about a topic from a podcast, but then I like to do the reading and research myself for days afterward. (Online I try to stick to NIH/.gov/.edu sites.) I'm just a layman trying to be a little more educated.

Generally, I struggle with long-form podcasts. At 1-2 hours, I'd rather just listen to a good audiobook.

I'm happy to see Bible in a Year still on at least one of the lists. My wife and I did that challenge a few years ago. It's been out for a while now and I don't think he does anything new with it, just a repeat of the cycle each Jan 1.

 

[VisceralRealist]

That's a really crappy way of responding.. it wasn't towards me, but chiming in anyway.

I've never used BlueSky, or Threads, or Twitter/X, and I've never listened to Joe Rogan..mostly because I couldn't stand him as a host back when I watched Fear Factor in college, but there are plenty of better ways to "open your mind" other than the Joe Rogan..like actually getting out in your community and talking to real people with differing opinions and outlooks.

Also, unpopular spicy hot take, I know, but...reading books is a good idea too.

Rogan's an idiot!

The funny thing is I feel the same way about Rogan as I do about Ezra Klein. So people's assumptions about "bubbles" and "echo chambers" are often dead wrong.

 

[Char Aznable]

He’s only contentious to people who are extremely comfortable living inside their echo chamber

He gets things wrong all the time and lives in his own echo chamber. Come on, man.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

Half of these names sound like ChatGPT came up with them. I mean, seriously? The Binge Cases?

 

[rhinosrcool]

Everybody I don’t like is an idiot! Hey, I can do that too!

Well, geez, let's see:

He took ivermectin for Covid-19 (it's used to treat heartworms in horse).
He says the moon landing was faked.
He doesn't understand that climate change is real (he misinterprets studies).
He said the insurrection wasn't that bad.
He's a fan of Alex Jones.

He's a ****ing idiot!!

 

[jwdsail]

Apple today shared its annual Apple Podcasts Top Charts of 2025, highlighting the most popular shows, episodes, and listening trends of the year.

The 2025 charts are now available in the New tab of the Apple Podcasts app and will remain accessible through the end of the year. Listeners in more than 15 countries will also see a curated Best Shows of 2025 selection chosen by its editorial team.

Apple identified The Joe Rogan Experience as the most popular podcast in the United States for 2025, based on overall listenership. The company also published full top-ten lists for all major categories:

Top Shows

1. The Joe Rogan Experience
2. The Daily
3. The Mel Robbins Podcast
4. Crime Junkie
5. Dateline NBC
6. SmartLess
7. Call Her Daddy
8. This American Life
9. Huberman Lab
10. The Ezra Klein Show

Top New Shows

1. Good Hang with Amy Poehler
2. Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce
3. Deadly Mirage
4. Blink | Jake Haendel's Story
5. Murder in the Moonlight
6. Devil in the Desert
7. What Happened to Holly Bobo?
8. Cold Blooded: Mystery in Alaska
9. Unicorn Girl
10. The Best People with Nicolle Wallace

Top Series

1. The Telepathy Tapes
2. The Binge Cases
3. Deadly Mirage
4. Blink | Jake Haendel's Story
5. Dateline Originals
6. Murder in the Moonlight
7. Serial
8. THREE
9. Devil in the Desert
10. CounterClock

Top Episodes

1. The Telepathy Tapes: "Unveiling the Hidden World of Telepathic Communication in a Silenced Community"
2. Crime Junkie: "MURDERED: The Feeney Family"
3. New Heights: "The Taylor Swift Episode"
4. The Joe Rogan Experience: "#2223 - Elon Musk"
5. The Daily: "Trump, Again"
6. Blink: "Blink"
7. Deadly Mirage: "Death in the High Desert"
8. SmartLess: "Amy Poehler"
9. Good Hang with Amy Poehler: "Tina Fey"
10. Murder in the Moonlight: "In Cold Blood"

Most Shared Shows

1. The Telepathy Tapes
2. The Mel Robbins Podcast
3. Sold a Story
4. Blink | Jake Haendel's Story
5. The Bible in a Year
6. The Daily
7. Huberman Lab
8. The Bible Recap
9. Scamanda
10. The Ezra Klein Show

Most Shared Episodes

1. The Mel Robbins Podcast: "The Body Reset"
2. The Telepathy Tapes: "Unveiling the Hidden World..."
3. The Ezra Klein Show: "Don't Believe Him"
4. The Shawn Ryan Show: "#163 Gary Brecka"
5. The Peter Attia Drive: "Women's sexual health..."
6. The Joe Rogan Experience: "#2294 - Dr. Suzanne Humphries"
7. The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart: "Trump Won. What Now?"
8. The Daily: "The Secret Power of Siblings"
9. On Purpose: "Let Them Theory"
10. Armchair Expert: "Mary Claire Haver"

Most Followed Shows

1. The Mel Robbins Podcast
2. The Joe Rogan Experience
3. Good Hang with Amy Poehler
4. The Charlie Kirk Show
5. Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce
6. The Telepathy Tapes
7. The MeidasTouch Podcast
8. The Shawn Ryan Show
9. Call Her Daddy
10. The Daily

Top Subscriber Shows

1. The Daily
2. Apple News+ Narrated
3. The Ezra Klein Show
4. Unicorn Girl
5. Morbid
6. Extrasensory
7. Dateline NBC
8. Scamtown
9. Big Time
10. The New York Times Narrated

Top Channels

1. SiriusXM Podcasts
2. Wondery
3. iHeartPodcasts
4. The New York Times
5. audiochuck
6. Dateline NBC
7. Dear Media
8. Cumulus Podcast Network
9. Audacy
10. Vox Media Podcast Network

The Top Charts of 2025 are localized for audiences around the globe, offering a distinct regional perspective on the year's top podcasts.

The Apple Podcasts Show of the Year will be announced on Thursday, December 4. The annual award recognizes a single podcast that made what Apple described as a "significant cultural or creative impact" across the platform over the past year.

Article Link: Apple Reveals Top Podcasts of 2025

I subscribe to a lot of podcasts/vidcasts... a lot.. Since "podcast" became a term... and.. there's only one show listed in all of this mess that I've ever listened to/watched.


These are *really* the *top* shows?

Really?

*Really???*


(Insert "I don't believe you!" gif here)

 

[Complex757]

No lol, leave the bluesky bubble and it will open your eyes and your mind to other opinions.

This is always funny to see, because the person never sees the irony and hypocrisy in their statement.

 

[JosephAW]

None of the podcast listed are any of my regulars, it’s good to see a smattering from both side sides of the aisle.

 

[Cave Man]

Grabbing popcorn 🍿 to wait for the comments about Joe Rogan being number 1.

The Joe Rogan Experience: Accelerating the Decline and Fall of America. How's that?

 

[mansplains]

Well, geez, let's see:

He took ivermectin for Covid-19 (it's used to treat heartworms in horse).
He says the moon landing was faked.
He doesn't understand that climate change is real (he misinterprets studies).
He said the insurrection wasn't that bad.
He's a fan of Alex Jones.

He's a ****ing idiot!!

Cool, so host him for everyone to hear and come to their own conclusions. There’s nothing wrong with increasing exposure in pursuit of knowledge and truth. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, as they say.

 

[salz4life]

Grabbing popcorn 🍿 to wait for the comments about Joe Rogan being number 1.

(never listened myself, but from what I hear through the grapevine he’s very contentious and perhaps conspiratorial? Is that accurate?)

Hey... I don't listen to him, but there is zero doubt that he is made his podcast one of the best (and in this particular case THE best) of them all.

 

[salz4life]

I listen to mostly sports and pro wrestling podcasts.... so none of mine are here. LOL

 

[rhinosrcool]

Cool, so host him for everyone to hear and come to their own conclusions. There’s nothing wrong with increasing exposure in pursuit of knowledge and truth. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, as they say.

What a crock! He's spewing nonsense and people are buying it. There's no pursuit of knowledge and truth, just garbage from an idiot.

 

[MacLawyer]

I feel like I live in between echo chambers; Facebook thinks I'm conservative and Trump-loving, while Threads seems to think I'm a very liberal feminist. In reality, neither are correct.

Refreshing! You may be one of a dozen or so people who think that way in these crazy times.

 

[christianXO]

No Macrumors Show?

 

[mansplains]

What a crock! He's spewing nonsense and people are buying it. There's no pursuit of knowledge and truth, just garbage from an idiot.

If it’s such blatant nonsense, then people will come to terms with it. He’s not your mouthpiece, and can host who he wants on his show. If people buy it, so be it. Maybe you can start your own show, hosting the “right” opinions, and refute him. When did you become the arbiter of truth?

 

[elrojo69]

These Podcasts are always interesting to see, but I rarely relate to them.

Only one on this list that I've heard is This American Life; been listening for at least 15 years. I've never even checked out any of the others.

you never heard of rogan?

 

[elrojo69]

Rogan's an idiot!

ok buddy

 

[elrojo69]

Well, geez, let's see:

He took ivermectin for Covid-19 (it's used to treat heartworms in horse).
He says the moon landing was faked.
He doesn't understand that climate change is real (he misinterprets studies).
He said the insurrection wasn't that bad.
He's a fan of Alex Jones.

He's a ****ing idiot!!

Ivermectin has been shown to work effectively.
Moon landing is very sus.
Man made climate change is up for debate
The insurrection was a psyop
Alex Jones has made some HUGE mistakes that are hard to forgive. However, he did get a long of things right in his career.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

you never heard of rogan?

I've heard of many of them, including Rogan, I should have said I haven't listed to any others.

 

[hch720]

Well, geez, let's see:

He took ivermectin for Covid-19 (it's used to treat heartworms in horse).
He says the moon landing was faked.
He doesn't understand that climate change is real (he misinterprets studies).
He said the insurrection wasn't that bad.
He's a fan of Alex Jones.

He's a ****ing idiot!!

CNN would be proud.

 

[Happy_John]

According to a quick google search I just ran, there are over 2,500,000 shows (not episodes but shows) currently available on Apple Podcasts.

But of course, the internet being the internet, this thread is obsessing about one show.

Perspective is good.