Are you looking for the Best Podcast Episodes Of All Time to listen to? Whether you’re a fan of storytelling, interviews, or true crime, podcasts offer something for everyone.
From iconic episodes like This American Life to in-depth interviews on The Joe Rogan Experience, these episodes stand out for their compelling content and lasting impact.
If you’re curious about where to start or want to revisit some of the greatest moments in podcasting, this guide will point you to the top episodes you don’t want to miss.
The Best Podcast Episodes Of All Time: In A Nutshell
If you don’t have enough time to dive into the details, you can scheme through the table below.
Podcast Name | Ratings | Listen Now |
---|---|---|
This American Life -#513: 129 Cars | 4.9/5 | Spotify |
Radiolab – Colors | 4.8/5 | Spotify |
The Joe Rogan Experience- #1169: Elon Musk | 4.9/5 | Spotify |
WTF with Marc Maron–Episode 613: President Barack Obama | 4.7/5 | Spotify |
Radiolab – Space | 4.8/5 | Spotify |
Reply All- #102: Long Distance | 4.5/5 | Spotify |
Serial- S01 E01: The Alibi | 4.3/5 | Spotify |
Reply All- #29:The Takeover | 4.2/5 | Spotify |
The Moth – Anthony Griffith | 4.2/5 | YouTube |
Getting Doug with High – Episode 49: Jack Black | 4.1/5 | Apple Music |
S-Town: Chapter II | 4/5 | Spotify |
Top 10 Most Viewed Podcast Episodes Ever
With the list of the best podcast episodes of all time covered, I have another list of the most viewed Podcast episodes ever. Since podcasts have evolved over the years and are often majorly focused on video podcasts, too, here are some more podcasts you can binge on:
Podcast | YouTube Views | Watch |
---|---|---|
Thmanyah Podcast: How to Succeed in Relationships with Yasser Al-Huzaimi | 127M | Here |
Joe Rogan Experience #1169 – Elon Musk | 68M | Here |
Joe Rogan Experience #1315 – Bob Lazar & Jeremy Corbell | 62M | Here |
UR Cristiano – I Meet Mr. Beast To Break The Internet | 54M | Here |
Joe Rogan Experience: #2219 with Donald Trump | 52M | Here |
Joe Rogan Experience: #1368 with Edward Snowden | 38M | Here |
Joe Rogan Experience: #1470 with Elon Musk | 34M | Here |
Joe Rogan Experience: #1555 with Alex Jones & Tim Dillon | 28M | Here |
Joe Rogan Experience: #1284 with Graham Hancock | 27M | Here |
Let’s dive into the details of the podcast episodes.
1. This American Life – #513: 129 Cars
Parameters | Details |
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Released Date | December 15, 2013 |
Duration | 1 hour 13 mins |
Host | Ira Glass |
Available to stream on | Spotify, Apple Podcasts, This American Life website |
This exciting story is about a car salesman trying to hit their monthly sales goals.
The characters spend a month inside a Long Island car dealership club at the end of October 2013. They have to achieve their monthly sales goal of 129 cars. On completing the goal they will receive a large bonus of $85,000 from their manufacturer. It will be a consecutive 2nd row in a month if they aren’t able to complete the goal.
2. Radiolab – Colors
Parameters | Details |
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Released Date | May 21, 2012 |
Duration | 1 hour 16 minutes |
Host | – |
Available to stream on | Spotify, Apple Podcasts |
This podcast is great for kids as well as adults. If you are curious about questions like: Where do the colors come from? And what colors actually are? This episode is the one you might be searching for.
The content of the podcast does a great job of breaking down the rainbow into pieces with Jad and Robert. It is a great mixture of poetry and science. We see the colors from the eyes of Sir Issac, a sea creature and a woman. The narration is full of entertainment and knowledge.
3. The Joe Rogan Experience- #1169: Elon Musk
Parameters | Details |
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Released Date | September 7, 2018 |
Duration | 2 hours 37 minutes |
Host | Joe Rogan |
Available to stream on | Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube |
In this best podcast to listen to all the time, Elon Musk joins Joe Rogan for conversations on technology and innovation, along with a controversial moment. Elon Musk is an engineer, Designer, and business owner. He is the owner of companies like Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, etc.
Note that this episode can only be searched and found, as it is age-restricted and in this Joe Rogan Experience episode, the duo smoked weed.
The episode was aired in 2018. The podcast is available on YouTube with approximately 62,700,000 views.
4. WTF With Marc Maron–Episode 613: President Barack Obama
Parameters | Details |
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Released Date | June 21, 2017 |
Duration | 1 hour 7 minutes |
Host | Marc Maron |
Available to stream on | Spotify, Apple podcasts |
The episode was released when Barack Obama was the president. The episode was a hit at that time. In 24 hours, it was downloaded 735,063 times.
Marc Maron invited Barack Obama to his garage for the conversation. The duo had a chat about colleges, race relations, comedians, gun violence, overcoming fear, and fatherhood.
This podcast is considered to be a milestone in the podcast world. It was fantastic to see the president devoting time to a medium that wasn’t famous yet.
5. Radiolab – Space
Parameters | Details |
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Released Date | April 06th, 2020 |
Duration | 59 minutes |
Host | Lulu Miller, Latif Nasser, Jad Abumrad |
Available to stream on | Spotify, Apple Podcasts |
The podcast contains a discussion on romance angles, space, aliens, black holes, etc. we begin with listening to Ann Druyan, the widow of Carl Sagan. The story she illustrates includes traveling through space with true love and golden records.
Astrophysicist Neil de Grasse Tyson follows Druyan with the Copernican Principle and related theories. Moreover, you will find tons of great sound effects and music.
6. Reply All- #102: Long Distance
Parameters | Details |
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Released Date | July 2017 |
Duration | 51 minutes |
Host | Alex Goldman, PJ Vogt |
Available to stream on | Spotify, Apple Podcasts |
The episode narrates a story about a telephone scammer. He calls Alex Goldman.
The scammer tries to hack the iCloud of Alex Goldman and misses some basic details.
You can check out the podcast for the rest of the story as we don’t believe in providing spoilers.
7. Serial- S01 E01: The Alibi
Parameters | Details |
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Released Date | October 3rd, 2014 |
Duration | 53 minutes |
Host | Multiple |
Available to stream on | Spotify, Apple Podcasts |
This is a true crime podcast episode. The story takes place in 1999. The main characters are Adnan Syed, the murderer, and Hae Min Lee. The victim is a high-school senior.
One day after school she suddenly disappears. The detective arrests her ex-boyfriend for her murder after 6 weeks. However, Adnan claims to be innocent.
8. Reply All- #29:The Takeover
Parameters | Details |
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Released Date | June 23, 2015 |
Duration | 21 minutes |
Host | Alex Goldman, PJ Vogt |
Available to stream on | Spotify, Apple Podcasts |
The story in the episode is about Thomas Oscar. He is an Australian teenager who made the most boring Facebook group possible. In the group, the members acted to be employees of the corporate employees of the office that doesn’t exist.
The episode includes all the fun that takes place in an office that may seem ridiculous or cringe to the teenagers. The takeover is no doubt entertaining and fun stuff to watch after a hectic day.
9. The Moth – Anthony Griffith
Parameters | Details |
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Released Date | January 27, 2012 |
Duration | 9 minutes |
Host | – |
Available to stream on | YouTube |
The episode is from 2013. The Moth with Anthony Griffith is one of the best Moth stories. At the time of narration, Griffin was getting ready to perform on The Tonight Show and was at the peak of his career.
While he was getting ready for the show, he received a call from the doctor. He was informed about the reports of his 2-year-old daughter. The reports diagnosed returning cancer. This turned one of his best times into the worst.
10. Getting Doug with High – Episode 49: Jack Black
Parameters | Details |
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Released Date | September 29th, 2014 |
Duration | 44 minutes |
Host | Doug Benson |
Available to stream on | Spotify, Apple Podcasts |
The episode was aired in the year 2014, and lasts up to 40 minutes. Doug Benson invites celebrities to smoke with him and have a talk. His podcasts usually include a lot of laughter, mysteries, and good vibes.
On the contrary, this episode was not like any other episode of Jack Black. It was filled with cringes and uncomfortable discussions which added flavor to their discussions. The episode switched from being fun to creating anxiety and panic.
11. Serial: S-Town – Chapter II
Parameters | Details |
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Released Date | March 28th, 2017 |
Duration | 48 minutes |
Host | Multiple |
Available to stream on | Spotify, Apple Podcasts |
This episode was aired back in March 2017, and the podcast became popular really quickly. This entire podcast is based on the life of a man named John who hated his town Alabama and made his goal to do something about it.
Later on, he contacted a podcast creator named Brian and asked him to investigate a story of someone from a very wealthy family who got away with murder. All the episodes or chapters of this podcast are full of mystery, but the 2nd chapter is the most intriguing.
12. Joe Rogan Experience: #2219 With Donald Trump
Parameters | Details |
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Released Date | October 26. 2024 |
Duration | 2 hours 58 minutes |
Host | Joe Rogan |
Available to stream on | Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube |
Currently the second most viewed Joe Rogan podcast on YouTube (52 M views), this episode provides a 3-hour long unfiltered conversation between the 2024 Presidential candidate Donald Trump and Joe Rogan.
This episode can be one of the best podcast episodes ever, as it discusses Donald Trump’s life, political career, past presidency, and plans for the upcoming term. It is a great podcast that gives insights into Trump’s life, which he had not known before, and his transition from a businessman to a politician.
13. Resistance – “F Your Water Fountain”
Parameters | Details |
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Released Date | April 14th 2021 |
Duration | 34 min 10 sec |
Host | Saidu Tejan Thomas |
Available to stream on | Spotify, Apple Podcasts |
This podcast highlights the struggles of individuals fighting against societal racial biases. The host discusses how Cecil J. Williams defied the norms in this popular episode and sipped through a whites-only water fountain.
Talking about Williams’s life, this podcast celebrates his confidence and attitude of pushing through fear and going against all odds.
14. Huberman Lab – How To Build Immense Strength w/ David Goggins
Parameters | Details |
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Released Date | Jan 1st, 2024 |
Duration | 2 hours 37 minutes |
Host | Andrew Huberman |
Available to stream on |
In this best podcast episode of all time from Huberman Lab, Andrew Huberman speaks with David Goggins, a popular public speaker, ex-Navy SEAL, author, and ultramarathoner. This podcast discusses David’s journey and highlights the importance of studying and learning.
From this two-and-a-half-hour conversation, we get to know how David overcomes his struggles with ADHD, and his current goals and acts as an inspiration for anyone struggling to get disciplined, gain confidence, and reach true potential.
15. 1619 – The Birth Of American Music
Parameters | Details |
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Released Date | September 06th, 2019 |
Duration | 34 minutes |
Host | Nikole Hannah-Jones |
Available to stream on | Spotify, Apple Podcasts |
This podcast on 1619 – A New York Times channel is one of the best podcast episodes of all time which discusses how the origins of black music. The episode has beautiful music running throughout while discussing how America practically stole the claims to Black Music.
The episode talks about minstrel shows and how music originated from them, with many examples of yacht rock, minstrel songs, and more such Black Music categories.
Related Read:
Final Thoughts: This American Life – Cars Is The Best Podcast Episode Of All Time
That’s all with the best Podcast episodes of all time. I think that the list will help you to choose a podcast you must not miss.
If you are still hanged on which podcast to choose here are our top picks for you:
- The American Life- “Cars”
The hustle to complete the target of selling 129 cars and the storyline that one cannot miss is the best part of this episode.
- WTF with Marc Maron– “President Barack Obama”
Listening to the president and his intriguing thoughts is no doubt the best choice to start with.
- The Joe Rogan Experience With Donald Trump
Sharing more access to President Trump’s life, this podcast shares raw and unfiltered conversations for 3 hours.
What else are you waiting for? Choose the podcast episode that suits you the most and start listening. Remember to share your views and comment about which one you liked the most.
FAQs
This American Life is the most downloaded podcast of all time with more than 2 million people downloading it.
The Daily, Published by New York Times is the #1 podcast in the world. It provides daily news and forecast.
The most popular podcast in the world is the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. He invites different celebrities with him for the podcast.
Yes, podcasts make money by monetizing them. The most successful podcasts make money through the combination of various modes.