Podcasts are increasingly becoming one of the most popular ways that one can partake in the digital sphere with millions of people tuning in to talks that are hours long. Similar to radio show discussions, they allow the listener to take in information in the comfort of their own homes and at their own pace. Now, Apple has released a list of the most popular podcasts of 2025 and there’s a new reigning champion.
Podcasts open up a variety of topics from discussion – they can be as impersonal as debating over the news and as private as delving into the life of a star. Celebrity guests are often the main attraction for audiences and more often than not, a press circuit also involves appearing on the most popular podcasts with hosts who have developed a cult of personality of their own.
The Daily has been dethroned
Joe Rogan‘s wildly popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience has grabbed the #1 spot on Apple’s Top Charts of 2025, a step up from last year when it was ranked #3. With interesting discussions, a wide range of controversial and divisive guests, unfiltered format and the hosts’ charisma and magnetic personality, it is no surprise that it has managed to captivate audiences globally. The Joe Rogan Experience managed to beat out New York Times‘ The Daily which was the #1 podcast on this list last year. This year it has been ranked at #2.
The Daily is one of the most popular and influential podcasts in the world discussing everything from pop culture to current affairs. Hosted by American journalists Michael Barbaro, Rachel Abrams, and Natalie Kitroeff, podcast topics are based on the Times reporting for the day and involve interviews with other journalists so the scope of the episodes are wide. The episodes are conducted in a more formal manner than Joe Rogan’s podcast and involve in-depth reporting whereas The Joe Rogan Experience is more like a casual chat between friends.
Other podcasts on the list
The Mel Robbins Podcast which didn’t rank at all in 2024, managed to nab the #3 spot and two other podcasts broke into the rankings for the first time this year: Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy and The Ezra Klein Show, another New York Times podcast. Check out the complete list below:
Top Shows of 2025 in the US:
- The Joe Rogan Experience
- The Daily
- The Mel Robbins Podcast
- Crime Junkie
- Dateline NBC
- SmartLess
- Call Her Daddy
- This American Life
- Huberman Lab
- The Ezra Klein Show
