I honestly don’t know what I’d do—or how anxious I’d feel—without podcasts. I was a somewhat early adopter and started listening to them religiously around 2013. I had recently moved to New York City for my first big magazine editing job, and while I quickly made a few friends and was excited about my new adventure, I still felt lonely and overwhelmed sometimes. When my older brother turned me on to You Made It Weird, a casual, long-form interview pod hosted by comedian Pete Holmes, I was instantly hooked.
With Holmes and his guests goofing around and chatting about nothing and everything in my ears—as I commuted on the subway, ran laps around the Central Park Reservoir, and generally went about my life—my anxious thoughts quieted and I felt more connected to humanity.
My podcast tastes and library have grown exponentially since then but casual, chit-chatty episodes are still my go-tos when I’m feeling lonely or otherwise need a distraction from tough emotions. Dedicated mental health podcasts are great, too, but most of the time, I just want to hit play and escape into the comforting feeling of yapping with friends. And that’s exactly the vibe of the shows I rounded up below. I hope the hosts of one or more of these picks—from me and a few of my fellow SELF staffers—become your pod pals, too.
1. Ask Ronna
Hosted by comedians Jessica Chaffin (playing the character of Ronna Glickman, a 50-something Jewish mother with a thick North Shore Massachusetts accent and impeccable taste, inspired by Chaffin’s own mom) and Bryan Safi, this advice pod is equal parts hilarious and insightful. The standard episodes start with topical chit-chat between Ronna and Bryan before they welcome a celebrity guest to help them thoughtfully answer listener questions about very real predicaments. But my favorite episodes are the cozy ones with just Ronna and Bryan (insiders know them as “carriage house catch-ups”), which allow their delightful and often laugh-out-loud funny relationship to fully shine—and fill my soul along with my ears. —Cathryne Keller, Lifestyle Director
2. Synced
Similar in format to Ask Ronna, Monica Padman (who also co-hosts Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard) and writer Liz Plank gab about whatever’s on their minds for the first half of each episode before offering their two cents on listeners’ everyday problems. Their conversations and advice are generally surface-level, but in a good way—I save my Synced eps for slow Sunday mornings and other times when I want to feel like I’m just hanging out with a couple of girlfriends at brunch. —CK
3. Tactful Pettiness
Peloton fans know that instructor (and author) Cody Rigsby has a lot to say, and his new podcast—which he hosts with his good friend, actor Andrew Chappelle—is a perfect vehicle for that. The two love to yap about some of my favorite low-stakes everyday topics, including journaling, organizing, setting boundaries, celebs, the Olympics, pop culture, and being gay, and every single episode makes me laugh out loud. —Rachel Wilkerson Miller, Editor in Chief
4. Good Children
Whenever I want to put my brain on a shelf and have a parasocial relationship with some digital friends, I throw on Good Children with Joe Hegyes and Andrew Muscarella. These social media content creators and childhood best friends talk a lot about growing up in the ‘90s/early aughts—as closeted queer kids on Long Island—and how that informed them who they are today. They’re also effortlessly funny and their real-life friendship lends to so many comical moments. I often find myself wishing I could chime in! —Lauren Alberti, Manager, Social Creative Development
5. Giggly Squad
You don’t have to be a Bravo fan to enjoy Hannah Berner and Paige DeSorbo’s viral podcast. These best friends and former Summer House castmates are ultra-relatable, funny, and a true delight to listen to. Each episode feels like gossiping with your crew in the best way. —Sarah Felbin, Senior Commerce Editor
6. Brooke and Connor Make a Podcast
This is my go-to podcast when I need a laugh. Social media personalities Brooke Averick and Connor Wood talk about current events and follow random trains of thought—about things like dating icks and how to craft an Erewhon smoothie that really feels like you—in a way that’s super easy to listen to. You can’t go wrong with any episode (I often listen to old ones while I wait for the latest weekly installment to drop). —SF
7. Glamorous Trash
If you love to analyze pop culture with your pals, I highly recommend this show hosted by TV writer and comedian Chelsea Devantez. Formerly called Celebrity Book Club, the pod’s website says it best: “On the Glamorous Trash podcast we recap and book club celebrity memoirs, deconstruct pop culture, and sometimes, we cry!” I’ve laughed out loud plenty of times while listening, and while the convos between Chelsea and her guests (often personal friends) can also get heavy, they’re always thoughtful and, ultimately, hopeful. —CK
8. We’re Here to Help
New Girl’s Jake Johson and his real-life close friend, comedian Garreth Reynolds, host this deeply silly advice podcast. The listener problems they tackle are super low-stakes (like dealing with a coworker who takes off their shoes and a partner who doesn’t believe in window shades) and the banter and ribbing between Jake and Garreth reminds me of my brother and his friends growing up—it’s my comfort show when I want to completely turn off my brain and feel like I’m kicking back in my mom’s basement circa 2004. (JK—like my brother actually let me hang out with his friends!) —CK
9. The Nikki Glaser Podcast
Comedian and roast master Nikki Glaser calls her listeners besties and that’s how you feel when you listen to this fast-paced, hang of a show: Like the two of you are close enough that she feels just as comfortable fangirling over Taylor Swift as she does revealing her deepest insecurities. That’s what besties are for. —CK
10. Smartless
Every week, actors Sean Hayes, Jason Bateman, and Will Arnett welcome a new celebrity guest (invited by one of the three, and a complete surprise to the others) to interview, but most listeners would agree that the best part of the pod is the bromance and banter between the hosts. Each episode feels like a comforting buddy comedy with a distinct Fun Dad vibe. These three longtime Hollywood friends let listeners in on their inside jokes and offer peeks behind the curtain of their lives in show biz, and their friendship is as relatable as it is wholesome. —Grace McCarty, Editorial Assistant
11. Best Friends
Comedians Nicole Beyer and Sasheer Zamanda are, yep, best friends and that’s the whole vibe of the show: Two super close buds, yapping and goofing around. Their conversations range from topical to historical (their childhood stories often make me giggle) and they occasionally have guests and answer readers’ friendship-related questions. If you’re craving stand-in besties, these are your gals. —CK
12. Litty and Sh*tty
These two girlies lend for great conversation and some real belly laughs. Emily Wilson is a comedian based in NYC, and her co-host, Chloe Richman is her long-time friend. They talk a lot about being New Yorkers, but regardless of where you live, you can probably relate to their trials and tribulations of being late 20-somethings, trying to make their way through adulthood. —LA
13. Dr. Gameshow
Hosted by comedians Jo Firestone and Manolo Moreno, listeners submit games to be played live on the air by callers and, in pre-pandemic episodes, in-studio guests. The vibes are light and silly, and it’s a top-tier comfort show with an extensive backlog of episodes that I’ve basically memorized at this point. Some of my favorites that I’d recommend to newcomers: “Hazelnut, Yuck! Yuck! w/ Karen Chee,” “A Victory For Trans Rights w/ Chloe Koser,” “Cowabunga Bunga w/ Rachel Pegram,” and “Be A Host, Whitney w/ Dan McCoy.” The show’s been running for almost 10 years and the older episodes are well worth digging into through WFMU and Earwolf’s websites. —Amanda Bailey, Associate Art Director
14. The Deep Dive
True to its title, the dive is always deep but the topics can go either way—hosts June Diane Raphael (you might know her from Netflix’s Grace and Frankie) and Jessica St. Clair (comedy writer and co-star and co-creator of Playing House) get just as profound about grief and motherhood as they do about the importance of long, possibly dangerous gel nails. The structure is loose (in the intro June and Jessica “make one promise and one promise only: We will not google a thing”), their friendship is real and relatable, and while they sometimes have guests, my favorite episodes are just the two of them, chatting away about whatever pops in their heads and hearts. —CK
15. You Made It Weird
I fell off of my OG pod after a few years of religious listening but I still stand by some of the earlier episodes (2011-2014-ish), especially if you’re a comedy fan. Many of Pete’s first guests were fellow pro comedians and off-air friends (the first Kumail Nanjiani and John Mulaney episodes are gold) so the laughs are plentiful (my brother and I still randomly send each other YMIW quotes). As is the runtime—most eps are two-plus hours long, making them great for hilarious (and often profound) background noise when you’re going about your business. —CK
Related:
- How to Actually Maintain Close Friendships in Your 30s
- 12 Chill but Entertaining Podcasts to Put On When You Need to Rest or Recover
- 16 People Who Made New Friends in Adulthood Share How They Did It
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