December prompts us to look back at the media that kept us entertained all year long. In the podcast realm, HuffPost staffers found joy in new and old shows alike, seeking out compelling audio that took us back in time to a favorite show, gave us an inside look at our favorite celebrities’ lives or simply helped us feel more connected to our fellow humans.
Here are a few podcasts we loved in 2025:
‘ReLiving Single’
Rewatch podcasts are nothing new, but ”ReLiving Single″ has created something truly special for fans of the classic ’90s sitcom, like me, since its launch this past spring. Hosted by “Living Single” stars Erika Alexander and Kim Coles, the podcast thrives on the real-life best friends’ fun banter and behind-the-scenes stories of their staple series, as they take a trip down memory lane each episode — sometimes with special guests, like their former co-stars (including Kim Fields, T.C. Carson and John Henton) and, most recently, with show creator Yvette Lee Bowser. One of the latest (and most viral) episodes of the podcast featured a heartwarming reunion between Coles, Alexander and their former castmate Queen Latifah, who talked about her contributions to the “Living Single” legacy (including the iconic theme song that she wrote and performed!). It’s safe to say this podcast has become my favorite weekly escape. As the title suggests, every episode feels like I’m literally reliving the show all over again, just with more insight into these characters’ worlds back in the day. The hit show-to-rewatch podcast pipeline has become all too common these days, but “ReLiving Single” is a great example of nostalgia that actually serves a purpose. Because if we never get a proper “Living Single” reunion special with the whole cast, then this deep-dive show feels like the next best thing. — Njera
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
‘Panic World’
In a day defined by its divisiveness, “Panic World” understands paranoia is one of the few things that unites us. The podcast undersells itself as a show about how the “internet warps our minds, our culture and eventually reality,” because its real brilliance lies in the way it traces web-born hysterias back to enduring anxieties about power, politics and, of course, kids these days.
Host Ryan Broderick’s exhaustive (and often arcane) knowledge of the internet’s fringes gives “Panic World” a sort of historical heft other meme-of-the-week downloads should all aspire to. Explainers range from how a phony public health crisis sprang from jokes about candy-colored Tide Pods, to how Facebook’s schismatic algorithms basically rage-baited a legion of conspiracy-curious normies into the Jan. 6 riots.
“Panic World” never minimizes memes’ potential to mutate into full-blown moral frenzies, but each episode ends with sage advice: the only way to stay sane in today’s internet era is to log off and “touch grass.” Weekly episodes are available on all your usual podcast platforms, but those already cursed with terminal brain rot won’t regret ponying up for the Patreon subscription. — Kelby
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
‘Camp Shame’
For a teenager struggling with their weight, a weight-loss camp could seem like a silver bullet: go away for a few weeks and come back transformed. However, the reality wasn’t as simple as that. “Camp Shame” dissects the history of the long-running Camp Shane, a so-called “fat camp” that ran for over 50 years before abruptly shuttering in 2021. Host Kelsey Snelling talks to former campers and staff who had disordered habits pushed on them under the guise of health, and unearths the dysfunction behind the scenes that put campers at risk and ultimately led to the camp’s downfall. This series spoke to me as someone who, as a teenager during peak mid-aughts diet culture, would sometimes wonder what it might be like to go to a place like Camp Shane — turns out, it was probably for the best I never did. — Jillian
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
‘Good Hang’
Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang,” launched in March of this year, has the SNL alum interview guests ranging from fellow comedy insiders like Tina Fey and Kristen Wiig to pop phenoms like Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez to all-around pop culture icons like Ina Garten and Judge Judy. The throughline is the candor and comfort Poehler’s insider status inspires in her celebrity guests, as well as her upbeat, playful interview style that results in what she refers to as “good dumb fun.” In a notoriously bro-heavy medium, it’s the episodes where the comedic powerhouse talks to other powerful women — whether discussing the importance of female friendship in middle age with Kathryn Hahn, swapping astrological chart details with Kate McKinnon or bringing the stars of “Broad City” to literal tears — that m ake “Good Hang” feel like a true win for the girls. — Emily
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Amy Poehler debuted her “Good Hang” podcast this year.
‘Posting Through It’
It’s painfully obvious when “mainstream” journalists with no history of reporting on far-right extremists are tasked with writing or talking about them. What follows, usually, is a mess of euphemism and normalization, free of any historical context, let alone righteous outrage. That’s why the “Posting Through It” podcast is so refreshing. Co-hosts Jared Holt and Michael Edison Hayden have spent years in the trenches of extremism research and journalism, cataloging the rhetoric and political power of contemptible figures like Nick Fuentes and Laura Loomer when most journalists dismissed them as lunatics at best, and amusing jokes at worst. Well, the joke turned out to be on all of us: In Donald Trump’s second term, the freakshow far-right has amassed a fortune in social and political capital, and they’re on a spending spree, intent on remaking American society in Trump’s image. With the help of a knowledgeable roster of guests, “Posting Through It” explores the backgrounds of, and connections between, the new generation of anti-thought leaders, with enough of the hosts’ own mockery and derision to help the medicine down. If you’re new to the show, the “Who The Hell Is ____” series is a good place to start, offering the backstories of various influencers now sitting atop American political life. — Matt
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
‘The Downside With Gianmarco Soresi’
Another podcast hosted by a straight white comedian. You’d be forgiven for thinking “meh,” and scrolling on. But wait! Anyone who has seen Soresi’s hilarious crowd work clips on social media, or his truly excellent YouTube comedy special “Thief of Joy,” knows this podcast will be different. The title of the show gives away the format, a vehicle to have a cathartic moan about everything from personal grievances to the state of the world. Soresi brings the trademark mischievous energy that makes his stand-up sets so watchable, and it’s easy to picture him talking into the microphone with a wicked, impish grin. His co-host, actor and longtime pal Russell Daniels, is a great foil for his more outrageous bits: “Gianmarco, nooo” is a common refrain when Soresi merrily skips across the line of decency. Frequently joined by other comics, a standout episode this year features Robby Hoffman, who gives Soresi a taste of his own medicine by mercilessly skewering him for his hesitance to propose to his girlfriend. A must-listen. — Will
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
‘Handsome’
Gather up, you pretty little cowboys, for a podcast with your three best friends and a perfect premise. Mae Martin, Tig Notaro and Fortune Feimster join forces on their “Handsome” podcast to answer a random question from a celebrity guest who prompts the trio to talk about everything from the afterlife to pet peeves.
Along the way, Mae shares their favorite fun facts, Tig talks about water skiing in the swamp and smoking as a child, and Fortune Marie (!) shares anecdotes about her sweet mom and Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s all sure to bring a smile to your face. Yeah ghost! — Carly
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
‘Ride’
Comedians and best friends Benito Skinner and Mary Beth Barone have been in my cultural periphery for a while, but with the premiere of Skinner’s series “Overcompensating” in May (which features the duo playing siblings), I found myself desperate for more — this is how I stumbled onto their brilliant podcast, “Ride.” The third season of the podcast, which started at the end of May and is ongoing, follows the two as they wax poetic about the things they “ride” for, ranging from getting a massage to basic manners to “that arm vein that guys have.” It’s a straightforward concept, but it’s Skinner and Barone’s ability to alternate between being laugh-out-loud funny and earnestly vulnerable that makes each episode so special. “Ride” feels like medicine, healing in how it makes me laugh and also in how it makes me feel less alone in the unpredictability of life because I can listen to two friendly voices endure the same (in both big and small ways). If you’re like me, once you start listening, you’ll immediately want to go back to the beginning and submerge yourself in the first two seasons of “Ride” heritage. Love you kid! — Alexandra
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Benito Skinner and Mary Beth Barone host the “Ride” podcast.
Lexie Moreland via Getty Images
‘The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast’
Calling Quaid Army for the podcast that has everything ― a co-host that hates podcasting (but loves Quibi’ing ), Seth’s Corner, broken pelvises, random celebrities zooming in, and a host of scheduling problems.
“The Lonely Island with Seth Meyers” podcast is guaranteed to scratch the itch of any “SNL” fan who wants to go deep on digital shorts, guided by the careful dad energy of Seth Meyers. If you’ve ever wanted to know more about the making of “Laser Cats” or what it’s like to work with Rihanna, this is the podcast for you. Warning: do not listen in public, as you are almost guaranteed to walk around with a giant grin on your face or laugh at inappropriate times. Later, Quaids! — Carly
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
‘Glamorous Trash’
This podcast dissecting celebrity memoirs and other pop culture morsels has been around for several years, but it cemented itself among my favorites with a recent recurring feature: the Viral Article Book Club. Host Chelsea Devantez breaks down all the articles everyone’s talking about in the group chat, from “Is having a boyfriend embarrassing?” to the eyebrow-raising excerpt from Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest book. I love hearing Devantez’s and her guests’ takes on whatever is going viral in the moment — it’s chatty, current and keeps me up to date on what the girlies are talking about. I find myself coming back to this one again and again. — Jillian
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
