Are you too busy packing for school to watch Netflix? Do you have a long, mind-numbing commute to work? Are you generally bored out of your mind with your typical YouTube videos and social media? Perhaps podcasts are the new medium for which you have been searching. There are podcasts on, quite literally, any subject which one can imagine, but the majority of my personal favorites belong in the comedy category. However, these are not simply comedians exchanging lowbrow jokes -well, most of the time, anyway- rather, these podcasts are designed to make one ponder and chuckle simultaneously, and will give a new life and entertaining quality to any of the dreaded aforementioned activities.
7. You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes
Many of us have been told since our youth to never discuss religion, politics, or sexuality publicly. Comedian Pete Holmes breaks this rule weekly with his aptly named podcast, by inviting someone from the public eye -anyone from comedians, religious figures, musicians, his own therapist, to Bill Nye the Science guy- and asking them the tough questions. If you feel like making it weird, and learning things you never knew you wanted to know about your favorite celebrities and comedians, this is the podcast for you. Keep it crispy.
6. Dear Hank and John
This podcast features author and YouTuber John Green giving dubious advice and discussing death, Mars, and fourth tier English football clubs with his brother Hank Green. The brothers got their start online in 2007 through the YouTube series The Vlogbrothers, a channel which is still active currently. Their podcast is one of their newer ventures, and is certainly worth a listen! Together, they answer questions regarding poetry, science, and more, questions like: Are the bees OK? Should I keep chasing my dreams? If you could punch anyone in the face, who would it be? Are bell peppers airtight? And so many more! Make sure to check out the podcast to learn the very dubious answers to these important questions, and as they say in the Green brothers' hometown: DFTBA.
5. The Read
If you love the throwing of shade and the spilling of tea, you will love the podcast of the incredibly woke and always hilarious Crissle and Kid Fury. Each week, these two New York City transplants discuss and scrutinize the latest in hip-hop and pop culture. As it says in the podcast's description, "... no star is safe from Fury and Crissle unless their name is Beyonce. Or Blue Ivy". However, beyond the latest celebrity drama, this podcast also features important discussion regarding topics within black culture, such as the Black Lives Matter movement, racism in all its forms, white privilege, and so much more. You will never walk away from listening to one of these podcasts without learning something, guaranteed.
4. My Favorite Murder
This particular podcast is a little more niche than the other podcasts mentioned in this article, but it is just too good to go unnamed. If you are not a fan of detailed stories regarding murderers and their victims, this may not be the podcast for you. However, if that sounds like something you'd get a kick out of, then the comedy podcast of Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark is the place to be! Each week, Georgia and Karen pick a story of a murder and share it with all the gory details, cushioned with plenty of jokes and all the banter you can handle. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll have trouble falling asleep.at night- what more could you ask for from a podcast?
3. Stuff You Should Know
Based out of Atlanta, this NPR podcast will tell you a little bit about everything you never needed to know, but are excited to learn. The hosts, Josh Clark and Charles W. "Chuck" Bryant are funny, knowledgeable, and filled with tons of interesting (and often unrelated) tangents that will have you hanging onto every word. Past podcast subjects include: the Big Bang, McDonalds, Labor Strikes, Satanic Panic, the Great Wall of China, and more!
2. Guys We F****d
In case you didn't catch it from the title, this podcast is NSFW, but is hilarious enough that it's worth taking an early lunch to go give it a listen. Hosted by Krystyna Hutchinson and Corinne Fisher, Guys We F****d is an anti slut-shaming podcast that covers every sexual and feminist topic under the sun, and then some. However, the individuals they interview are not only strong female influences- rather, Krystyna and Corinne strive to invite interviewees that vary in opinion and political correctness, so as to broaden their own world view, as well as that of their listeners.
1. Crybabies
Sad puppy commercials, an elderly man sitting alone at a restaurant, that Charlie Brown Christmas song- we all have triggers that make us emotional, whether we acknowledge them or not. Hosts Sarah Thyre and Susan Orlean invite individuals onto their podcast to share their stories and the things that make them cry. Fair warning: you might (definitely) need to keep a box of tissues handy when listening to this one, both for tears of sadness and laughter.
