I Write a Podcast Newsletter and These Are My Favorite New Shows of 2025 (so Far)
I’ve been chock-full of podcast recommendations all year long (which is perhaps unsurprising, given that writing a podcast recommendation newsletter is part of my job). I shared my lists of the best podcasts about liars and cheaters , podcasts that expose nonsense in politics and pop culture , and podcasts you’ll enjoy if you missed Heavyweight . But then I woke up and realized we’re almost halfway through the year, and I still haven’t spent enough time talking about my favorite new shows that debuted this year.
June is a great time to recap all the new podcasts of the first half of the year. These are the shows that made my jaw drop, made me laugh, and inspired me to subscribe—and convince all my friends to do the same. I think you’ll like them, too.
Alternate Realities (embedded)
Embedded recently released a 3-part series, Alternate Realities , about an argument between reporter Zach Mack and his father, who set out to settle once and for all who was right about the other’s loss to conspiracy theories. Zach’s dad had started believing in chemtrails, that the government controlled the weather, that ANTIFA was rioting on January 6th, that cabalists called globalists controlled the world. Zach… didn’t believe in any of those things. In early 2024, they made a deal: Zach’s dad would make a list of 10 prophecies he was 100% sure would come true (i.e., a bunch of Democrats would be convicted of treason and/or murder, the United States would be under martial law), and on January 1, 2025, Zach would have to pay his dad $1,000 for each one that came true. For each one that didn’t, Zach would get the same. It’s a bright idea for a series, but also a dark family story — the stakes are a question of fate, not just for Zach and his father, but for the entire family. Beyond money, the stakes are high.
Heads of Debt
Jamie’s friends Alison Feldman ( @realgirlproject ) and Rachel Gail Webster ( @webbythefox ) use storytelling, research, resilience, humor, and fun audio elements in their podcastDebt Heads , which explores Jamie’s deep-rooted debt issues and uses them as an entry point into why so many young people are in the same boat. It’s a fascinating dive into millennials and their money — harrowing and engaging, sometimes funny, and a rich listening experience, even if you (like me) want to crawl under the table when the conversation turns to money.
Our ancestors were slobs
If you loved the way Normal Gossip pulled you into the juicy drama of strangers, and especially if you also love history, you’ll be immediately drawn intoOur Ancestors Were Messy , Nicole Hill’s show about the gossip, scandals, and pop culture that made headlines in historic black newspapers across America. Nicole tells true stories from the past (a Victorian-era love triangle that stunned D.C.’s elite, a mystery surrounding a Harlem tabloid sensation) with the help of a guest, placing you inside a vintage scandal, providing the context you need to understand why it was a scandal in the first place, and fleshing out the characters with a novelist’s skill. Nicole’s narration is descriptive, funny, conversational, and crisp, and she uses an amazing soundtrack that brings it all to life.
Why is Amy in the bath?
Have you ever noticed that Amy Adams seems to have a lot of bathtub and shower scenes in her movies? After listening to this show, you can’t help but notice. Of course, it’s a fact that caught the attention of Brandon R. Reynolds and Gabby Lombardo, who turned the observation into a podcastcalled Why Is Amy in the Bathtub? Over six episodes, they ask: Does Amy, who has never won an Oscar, do all those bathtub scenes because they provide an opportunity for dramatic acting, which brings in the biggest, goldiest prizes? Brandon and Gabby watched 1,500 movies, including every Oscar nominee for Best Actress, to figure out if there’s a connection to bathtub scenes, and their findings are the stuff of the best conspiracy theories.
What do we spend?
If you like Refinery 29’s Money Diaries or are just a curious person, you’ll drool overWhat We Spend , in which everyday people take us day by day and purchase by purchase through what they spend in a week. It’s like looking into their wallets, scrolling through their credit card statements, and hearing the personal stories behind the financial decisions they make. One person is terrified of having to pay for her cat’s funeral. A 35-year-old woman asks her dad to pay her bills for the month. In each episode, the subject realizes, along with us, that there are usually deep-seated personal issues hiding behind their money problems and the anxieties they cause. Listeners can contact the hosts for a spot on the show, but that would be a huge no-no from me! But I’ll be listening.
Write me a reply
If you’re looking for a talk show that will make you laugh out loud without making you feel like you just lost a bunch of brain cells, tryText Me Back . Best-selling author Lindy West and democracy policy expert Megan Hatcher-Meisget are childhood friends who take the mic for conversations that range from ridiculous stories to insightful commentary on pop culture and politics, with an irresistible camaraderie that flows throughout the show. Their chemistry is nothing that could have been rehearsed or planned, and they’re both such good storytellers that they can forge gold out of the most mundane things that happened to them in a week. Text Me Back will be a balm for listeners who still miss the cult-favorite podcast Call Your Girlfriend (RIP.)
The Last Days of Sergeant Tibbs
Tibbs explores the fate of the titular elderly cat who went missing in Manchester, New Hampshire and was later found dead, causing a huge stir in the community he left behind. Tibbs’ owner, Rose, was devastated when Tibbs went missing and is furious to learn that he may not have actually been missing at all, but instead ended up in the hands of neighbors, mother-daughter duo Debbie and Sabrina, who claim to have saved the cat’s life. We begin knowing that Tibbs is dead. The question is, what happened? Todd Bookman takes a microscope to a kitten’s final days and finds a story of adults behaving badly and a society being torn apart. At one point, Todd wonders if there are more important things he could be doing with his time (and microphone). “But imagine something more important than something you love disappearing and dying,” he says. “It seems worth every second trying to figure out what happened.” Pet lovers will understand. RIP, Sergeant Tibbs.
We came to the forest
We Came to the Forest introduces you to Vienna Forrest, an environmentalist who reminisces about her life in the forest with a group of other activists protesting the construction of Cop City in Atlanta, one of the largest police training facilities in the country. She speaks candidly about her partner Tortugita (Manuel Esteban Paez Teran), another protester or “forest defender” who was allegedly shot and killed by Atlanta law enforcement. We Came to the Forest revolves around Tortugita’s murder and everything that led up to it. What seems obvious (Tortugita was shot and killed by police) is difficult to prove. A police officer was shot, too, but who shot him? There is no body camera footage to prove what happened. Through narration and interviews, the show will make you think about how quickly things can go sideways when law enforcement gets involved, and how thin the line between safety and danger can be.
CRAMPED
Kate Downie has suffered from debilitating period pain every month since she was 14. Debilitating period pain is common, but no one seems to want to talk about it or explore it – and certainly no one is trying to have fun with it. But Kate does all of the above withCRAMPED , which is somehow loud and deadly serious at the same time. It’s full of fascinating interviews, illuminating information, and helpful advice for anyone with a uterus. She invites smart, funny people to the mic to talk about their experiences at that time of the month, what’s really going on in their bodies and why no one cares, and why Kate hasn’t been able to get an answer from her doctor after 20 years of asking.
Polite (Season 2)
In its first season,Suave won the Pulitzer Prize for telling the story of Luis “Suave” Gonzalez, a convict who turned his life around in prison, and his relationship with journalist Maria Hinojosa. The show is pieced together from years of recordings of their conversations, an audio document of the ups and downs of Suave’s life both in and out of prison, and the mother-son bond that develops between them. In the end, Suave is released, and we’re left wondering what freedom really means. That’s where Season 2 picks up: Suave is now “Mr. Pulitzer,” but life on the outside is tough.
Proxy
On her excellent showProxy, “emotional journalist” Yowei Shaw investigates and solves deeply intimate puzzles through proxy—she finds people with unresolved relationship issues and connects them with a stranger who can help them better understand what’s going on. (She recently connected a man whose wife left him for a woman with a woman who left her husband for a woman.) Yowei also appears on NPR’s wildly popular podcast Invisibilia , so you know you can trust her to deliver a good story that’s professionally structured. It’s a space for unique conversations the likes of which I’ve never heard before.
Sea of Lies (Expand)
In Sea of Lies (available on the Uncover podcast ), Sam Mullins ( Wild Boys ) tells the story of one of the world’s most wanted men, Albert Walker, who is arrested for fraud after a body washing ashore with an unmistakable watch. From there, the worldwide saga gets even wilder, always veering left when you think it’s going to go right. With meticulous reporting, Sea of Lies bypasses Walker’s manipulative tactics to get to the psychological questions behind his crimes.