Need a good laugh? Whether you love irreverent jokes, insightful humor, or witty banter, you'll find the perfect podcast pick on this list!
No matter what you find fascinating, there’s a podcast out there for you—from the best true crime podcasts that will keep you on the edge of your seat to the best motivational podcasts to put you in the right frame of mind. But sometimes you just want to laugh. Especially after the last year and a half we’ve had, this is more important than ever, and that’s where the best comedy podcasts come in.
While listening to a hilarious story or a funny joke feels good, it also has benefits that go far beyond that moment, says clinical psychologist Steven Sultanoff, PhD, a professor at Pepperdine University and the former president of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor. The benefits of a daily dose of humor include reduced stress and negative thoughts, a boost to your immune system, increased connection with others, and a decrease in loneliness as you feel like you’re a part of the fun. Experts also say that humor also contributes to brain health.
So, don’t argue with science! While you’re sifting through the best podcasts, whether you’re looking for a podcast for a road trip with the family, the smartest podcasts, or something for your morning commute, consider adding some laughs to your lineup. From irreverent takes on politics to hilarious looks at pop culture and everything in between, this list of top-rated comedy podcasts has something that’s guaranteed to tickle your funny bone. Even better? You can listen to most of these podcasts for free. Happy listening!
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My Favorite Murder
Murder shouldn’t be funny, right? Except on this podcast, it’s laugh-out-loud hilarious. Hosts Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff make it clear that the humor isn’t about people dying—it’s that homicide is a thing we all think about and are fascinated by, and humor is a great way to cope with that dark reality. Come for the suspenseful murder-mystery stories, but stay for the witty banter, funny life tips, and the feeling of hanging out with your best girlfriends (if your girlfriends are professional comedians).
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SmartLess
Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett are all known for being funny on-screen, but they’re absolutely hilarious when they team up on this podcast. Each episode is based around the men interviewing a “mystery guest,” whose story unfolds through their insightful, unique, and funny questions. Laughter is the point, but you will probably also end up learning a thing or two along the way!
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Ask Me Another
This podcast, hosted by Ophira Eisenberg, takes your average bar trivia night to a whole new level. Sure, there’s plenty of fun trivia questions, but there’s also original music, celebrity guests, listener games, and a whole lot of laughing. It’s like a roller coaster for your brain. Get in the mood for this comedy podcast by reading these random interesting facts about everything.
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Plumbing the Death Star
How exactly would plumbing work on the Death Star? What would make better hands than scissors for Edward Scissorhands? Who is the worst-dressed Avenger? Asking dumb questions about pop culture and answering them in hilariously deep ways is the theme of this podcast. No one and no franchise is sacred here, and every silly question you’ve ever had while watching a show is welcomed! See if these Star Wars trivia questions spark any ideas.
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Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
You may remember Conan O’Brien as the talented comedian who hosted Late Night for 25 years. His one regret? That he didn’t make any real celebrity friends during his tenure. He’s back with his own podcast and trying to do exactly that. Each week, he interviews a different celeb in an attempt to find his bestie.
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Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me
One of the longest-running and most popular radio comedy shows, this NPR gem is also a podcast. Each week, host Peter Sagal brings together a panel of comedians to talk about the news headlines, big and small, important and obscure. Listeners at home and on the phone get to participate in a variety of fun games. For a more serious take on the news, check out these political podcasts to keep you informed.
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My Brother, My Brother & Me
Who doesn’t want to get life advice from random strangers? Brothers Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy may seem like the most unlikely people to give advice—they have zero qualifications—but their humorously wise (or wisely funny?) answers will make you want to write into this comedy podcast with your own life quandaries. Bonus: When they aren’t answering listener questions, they’re tackling the notoriously bizarre questions from Yahoo questions.
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What a Day
Stop avoiding the news: Comedian Akilah Hughes and reporter Gideon Resnick team up to give you the news for the day…with a darkly funny twist. It’s the perfect podcast for people who want to know what’s happening but also find the regular news to be too depressing.
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Doughboys
Chain restaurants may not sound like the funniest places, but in the hands of comedians Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger, they are hysterical. The duo review different fast-food and sit-down chains around the country while arguing over the food and everything else. You’ll never look at a KFC the same way again.
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How Did This Get Made?
Have you ever watched a movie that was so bad, you were left wondering how it even got made in the first place? In this podcast, movie critics and comedians Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas attempt to answer that exact question. Their humorous takes may even change your mind from thinking the movie was bad to being so bad that it’s actually good!
RELATED: The 100 Best Funny Movies of All Time
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Office Ladies
NBC’s The Office was one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, and its reruns are some of the most-streamed videos. What better way to rewatch (or watch for the first time!) this hilarious show than with two of the show’s stars? Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, who played Pam and Angela, take you through each episode, sharing interesting and funny tidbits.
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You’re Dead to Me
History doesn’t have to be boring, and this podcast proves it! In each episode, host Greg Jenner invites a different comedian to get their take on a historical event. You’ll laugh and learn something new at the same time. It’s made by the BBC, and if you’re looking for a place to start, Yanks will get a kick out of the episode “Becoming America.”
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Hello from the Magic Tavern
Many podcasts stick to real-life or true subjects, but podcasts based around dramatic fictional stories are skyrocketing in popularity. This podcast combines humor with a fantastical story about getting sucked through a dimensional portal at a Burger King and ending up in a strange land that has both Wi-Fi and wizards. Here are more of the best new fiction podcasts you’ll obsess over.
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Crime in Sports
Pro athletes are famous for getting in trouble with the law nearly as often as they are for playing sports, and the results can be pretty darn funny. Sports fans and true crime aficionados will both find something to love in this comedy podcast about the petty crimes of the people who are paid way too much to need to be petty criminals.
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Beach Too Sandy, Water Too Wet
The Internet is a treasure trove of hilarious one-star reviews. This podcast finds the best of the worst ratings online and, through dramatic readings, turns them into hilarious narratives that will have you laughing and wondering why people post the things they post.
RELATED: The Funniest Amazon Reviews of All Time
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Rooster Teeth
Geeks and tech nerds will love this funny take on gaming, technology, films, the Internet, and pop culture. Hosts Gus Sorola, Gavin Free, and Barbara Dunkleman cover everything from dentist visits to the latest game drops to ’90s movies. Bonus: They produce a wide variety of multimedia content on different platforms, so you can watch and listen while you laugh.
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Hey Riddle Riddle
Improv artists Adal Rifai, Erin Keif, and John Patrick Coan take on different types of riddles and attempt to solve them—in the funniest ways. They tackle brain teasers, puzzles, and even whodunits (and everything in between). Follow along to see if you can figure it out before they do!
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Comedy Bang! Bang!
You’ll only need to listen to one episode to understand why this podcast has topped the comedy charts for two decades. Host Scott Aukerman starts with the traditional format of interviewing a celebrity, but hilarity and shenanigans ensue as random guests pop in, interrupted by comedic plugs (so don’t skip the ads!).
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Bad Friends
Good friends can be, well, kinda boring sometimes. Bad friends, on the other hand, are endlessly entertaining. Bobby Lee and Andrew Santino fill that role with their expletive-filled rants about humorously bad exploits. You wouldn’t want to ask them to come help you move, but they are the friends you love to listen to…from a safe distance. For something more family-friendly, check out the best podcasts for kids even adults will love.
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Big & Hungry
This podcast is new (it premiered in February 2021), but it’s already getting rave reviews for its hilarious hot takes on random everyday things. Hosts Bryan Callen and Steve Byrne are manly men talking about the manliest things in the funniest and weirdest way possible.
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Judge John Hodgman
John Hodgman is not a judge in the legal sense, but the actor and writer plays one on this podcast. He adjudicates real-life legal disputes in his pretend courtroom, giving practical, sarcastic, and hilarious rulings. Listening to the strange scenarios people bring before his bench will either make you grateful for your boring life or inspired to write into the show yourself.
RELATED: The Best Podcasts on Spotify in Every Category
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Timesuck
Have you ever googled something that you thought would be a quick question, but you ended up falling down an Internet rabbit hole for hours, doing a deep dive into a topic you didn’t even realize you cared that much about? That’s essentially what Dan Cummins does on this podcast. In each episode, he takes one obscure topic suggested by a listener and researches it to death. His sarcastic commentary will keep you entertained the whole way down the rabbit hole.
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2 Bears, 1 Cave
Have you ever wanted to sit around and just listen to two friends shoot the breeze? What if those two people were stand-up comedians? Bert Kreischer and Tom Segura take small talk to the next level with their witty banter in this hilarious comedy podcast.
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Wonderful!
There may be a lot of focus given to the bad things happening in the world, but there are also a ton of amazing, fun, entertaining, and wonderful things happening. Rachel and Griffin McElroy enthusiastically and humorously share all the good news and fantastic ideas they can find. This podcast will make you laugh—and feel better, too.
Source:
- Steven M. Sultanoff, PhD, clinical psychologist, past president of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor, and professor at Pepperdine University
