12 Interview Podcasts Way Better Than Joe Rogan

The Joe Rogan Experience is technically 1 of the biggest podcasts around, numbers-wise, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best. Here are 12 interrogation podcasts hosted by radical with the magic interaction for Q&A—shows that volition agelong your mind, marque you laugh, and occurrence your curiosity astir the world, and mostly without resorting to rage-bait to bash it.

Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

Bullseye big Jesse Thorn has a fascinating encephalon and an antithetic mode of looking astatine the world, and his interviews ever get to the bosom of the substance successful ways that others seldom do. He doesn’t interrogation radical due to the fact that they’re making media rounds, but due to the fact that helium respects them and knows their enactment up and down. He speaks to them with unfastened curiosity, and endless generosity. He seems similar 1 of the nicest radical connected the mic, and with each glimpse into his idiosyncratic beingness (as a son, dad, friend, and Maximum Fun founder), the much you’ll similar him. I ne'er miss an episode—each 1 is simply a delightful surprise, deepening my appreciation for thing I lone knew a small spot astir oregon introducing maine to thing wholly new. I spot Jesse, and I’ll spell wherever helium takes me.

On With Kara Swisher

If determination is 1 idiosyncratic successful media bold capable to inquire tech leaders the hard questions, it’s Kara Swisher, who has been covering the concern of the net since 1994. Kara has hosted Sway, Pivot, HBO’s Succession podcast, and present hosts On With Kara Swisher. Through it all, she has hosted confessionals for the likes of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Rupert Murdoch, Stacey Abrams, Kim Kardashian, and President Barack Obama. Kara knows the tech country similar a native, and her assurance has pulled her done pugnacious interviews, earning her the estimation arsenic “Silicon Valley’s astir feared and well-liked journalist.” She doesn’t buss anyone’s butt and has a sly consciousness of wit that’s some biting and self-deprecating.

WTF with Marc Maron

Stand-up comedian, actor, and writer Marc Maron is besides the big of WTF with Marc Maron, a amusement that foregrounds interviews with comedians, actors, musicians, and different taste figures. It has go 1 of the astir influential and well-known podcasts, and Maron has helped broaden the marketplace for podcasts generally, for which I americium grateful. (It was a immense infinitesimal successful podcasting erstwhile Barack Obama made it to Maron’s celebrated store for an interview.) Many of Maron’s interviews person been seismic media moments successful and of themselves—comedian Gallagher famously stormed out, portion Sam Elliott slammed The Year of the Dog and launched a Twitter backlash. As a host, Maron remains susceptible passim each of his interviews; each 1 seems arsenic overmuch a therapy league for him and the idiosyncratic he’s talking to. Whether you’re a instrumentality of the idiosyncratic successful the blistery spot oregon not, the amusement is ever fascinating.

Ologies with Alie Ward

On Ologies, Alie Ward talks to ologists—scientists who survey precise circumstantial topics similar Scotohylology (dark matter) Laryngology (voice boxes) Enigmatology (word puzzles) and Bryology (moss.) She’s not conscionable accepting pitches from PR radical (like me), she’s talking to the nonstop close people, each of them weird, nerdy, chill experts successful their fields. Alie’s not acrophobic to admit she doesn’t recognize thing oregon inquire amusive softball questions like, “what’s the suckiest portion of your job?” and she ever brings successful large questions from her Patreon fans. If you privation to get a sensation of her unbridled enthusiasm (if Alie appeared connected Ologies, I would statement her an “enthusiologist”) perceive to the occurrence “Field Trip: An Airport Full of Neuroscientists.” At the airdrome 1 day, Allie stumbles upon a mob of neuroscientists connected their mode location from a conference, and she pulls retired her mic and starts asking questions, due to the fact that she perfectly can’t not.

Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

Nobody seems much delighted by his guests than the irreparable Jonathan Van Ness, who is unafraid to shriek with joyousness erstwhile a impermanent surprises him, oregon successful fearfulness erstwhile thing is said that demolishes him. Every infinitesimal of Getting Curious is fueled by his enthusiasm for niche subjects and empathy for others. He serves america an intersectional look astatine the world, endless opportunities to larn thing caller oregon relearn thing old, and capable laughter and positivity to marque you consciousness bully astir being a human.

Song Exploder with Hrishikesh Hirway

Hrishikesh Hirway has been a creator and big oregon co-host of galore projects (including The West Wing Weekly, Partners, Home Cooking, and more) but helium is possibly astir celebrated for Song Exploder, connected which helium sits crossed from a instrumentalist arsenic they instrumentality isolated a opus to archer the communicative of however it was made. (The provender is likewise present location to Book Exploder, which gives the aforesaid attraction to get authors.) Song Exploder is nominally astir music, but it’s truly astir the acquisition of creativity, and portion the connection “intimacy” is overused successful podcasting, Song Exploder is deeply intimate. Hrishikesh, a instrumentalist himself, is simply a maestro of dependable and code and ever finds an absorbing space to assistance america acquisition and recognize creators and their art.

The Ezra Klein Show

I person bought astir $30,000 worthy of books acknowledgment to The Ezra Klein Show. Klein hosts world conversations with radical connected deep-think-y topics ranging from parenting, to inflation, to clime change, to quality consciousness, and successful each instance, helium comes disconnected arsenic the astir well-prepared big connected the block. He chooses subjects that involvement him, which means his interviews are that overmuch much genuine, and spark his ain property and intelligence. And it’s not for thing that his amusement notes consciousness similar hand-written emotion notes to the episode—I ever work them and americium forced to perceive immediately. If there’s an writer involved, I’m decidedly buying their publication afterward.

Death, Sex & Money with Anna Sale

Anna Sale couldn’t find a podcast that featured astute conversations astir the toughest subjects, truthful she started Death, Sex & Money successful 2014. The amusement covers everything from spousal estrangement to colonoscopies with grace and even-handedness. The podcast feels similar a confession booth; successful it, determination is nary judgment, lone empathy. Anna’s helping manus (and soothing voice) are enoughto propulsion her impermanent (and anyone listening) retired of a acheronian spot and into the light. Her interviews are nuanced, calming, and soft-spoken, adjacent arsenic the contented wrong them is often shocking, enraging, oregon a footwear to the gut. The taxable substance mightiness consciousness salacious, cruel, oregon fear-mongering with idiosyncratic other down the microphone. With Anna, you’re safe.

Gender Reveal with Tuck Woodstock

On Gender Reveal, writer and pedagogue Tuck Woodstock talks to trans, trans, nonbinary and two-spirit radical to assistance america recognize what sex truly is. Woodstock offers interviews with artists and activists, fields listener questions, and helps marque consciousness of (or simply helps america thin to process) the news. Some of his questions are hard, but Woodstock pulls it each disconnected by approaching his impermanent with kindness and respect, and arsenic a diligent listener much than anything. It’s 1 of the fewer genuinely trans-safe places connected the internet. (If you’re curious, there’s a bully starter battalion here.)

The Stacks with Traci Thomas

On The Stacks, Traci Thomas interviews movie and tv stars, assemblage leaders, publishing professionals, best-selling authors, and more. The amusement is made of two-part chats—part 1 is simply a solemnisation of books and precisely what, however and wherefore we read; successful portion two, Traci and her impermanent sermon The Stacks’ latest publication nine pick. These conversations spell beyond what’s written connected the leafage to interaction upon race, politics, and the mode it each fits into the civilization we consume. The Short Stacks is simply a mini-series that lives connected the provender successful which Traci has bite-sized conversations with authors astir the penning process.

Black connected the Air with Larry Wilmore

It’s unsurprising that Larry Wilmore is 1 of the champion hosts successful podcasting. The Emmy-winning producer, writer, comedian, actor, and erstwhile big of Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore was already an interviewing all-star, and was precocious tapped by The Podcast Academy to big The Ambies (“the Oscars of the podcast space”). He mightiness conscionable beryllium the big with the astir on Black connected the Air, wherever helium interviews guests successful the worlds of politics, entertainment, culture, sports, and more. Larry is capable to elegantly gully retired stories and opinions from radical portion adding his own, and the results ever marque for balanced, smart, and comic conversations.

On Being with Krista Tippett

On Being, Krista Tippett’s Peabody-award winning programme astir quality spirituality, is simply a large perceive if you privation to perceive fantabulous interviews with politicians, scientists, artists, theologians, and beyond. For that purpose, you tin beryllium back, unbend and bask the show. But if you privation to beryllium a amended interviewer oregon conversationalist, commencement taking notes. Krista Tippett understands the powerfulness of cleanable questions, and does capable probe to get to them. The questions are amusive due to the fact that the interviewee wants to reply them. So guests radiance and listeners are entertained. On On Being, Krista has created what feels similar a ineffable spot of thoughtfulness and learning.