The 15 Best Podcast Episodes of All Time [Popular]

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 NameRatingsListen Now
This American Life -#513: 129 Cars4.9/5Spotify
Radiolab – Colors4.8/5Spotify
The Joe Rogan Experience- #1169: Elon Musk4.9/5Spotify
WTF with Marc Maron–Episode 613: President Barack Obama4.7/5Spotify
Radiolab – Space4.8/5Spotify
Reply All- #102: Long Distance4.5/5Spotify
Serial- S01 E01: The Alibi4.3/5Spotify
Reply All- #29:The Takeover4.2/5Spotify
The Moth – Anthony Griffith4.2/5YouTube
Getting Doug with High – Episode 49: Jack Black4.1/5Apple Music
S-Town: Chapter II4/5Spotify

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: 

PodcastYouTube ViewsWatch
Thmanyah Podcast: How to Succeed in Relationships with Yasser Al-Huzaimi 127MHere
Joe Rogan Experience #1169 – Elon Musk68MHere
Joe Rogan Experience #1315 – Bob Lazar & Jeremy Corbell62MHere
UR Cristiano – I Meet Mr. Beast To Break The Internet54MHere
Joe Rogan Experience:  #2219 with Donald Trump52MHere
Joe Rogan Experience:  #1368 with Edward Snowden38MHere
Joe Rogan Experience: #1470 with Elon Musk34MHere 
Joe Rogan Experience: #1555 with Alex Jones & Tim Dillon28MHere
Joe Rogan Experience: #1284 with Graham Hancock27MHere

Let’s dive into the details of the podcast episodes.   

1. This American Life – #513: 129 Cars

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Released DateDecember 15, 2013
Duration1 hour 13 mins
HostIra Glass
Available to stream onSpotify, 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

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Released DateMay 21, 2012
Duration1 hour 16 minutes
Host
Available to stream onSpotify, 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

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Released DateSeptember 7, 2018
Duration2 hours 37 minutes
HostJoe Rogan
Available to stream onSpotify, 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

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Released DateJune 21, 2017
Duration1 hour 7 minutes
HostMarc Maron
Available to stream onSpotify, 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

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Released DateApril 06th, 2020
Duration59 minutes
HostLulu Miller, Latif Nasser, Jad Abumrad
Available to stream onSpotify, 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

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Released DateJuly 2017
Duration51 minutes
HostAlex Goldman, PJ Vogt
Available to stream onSpotify, 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

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Released DateOctober 3rd, 2014
Duration53 minutes
HostMultiple
Available to stream onSpotify, 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

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Released DateJune 23, 2015
Duration21 minutes
HostAlex Goldman, PJ Vogt
Available to stream onSpotify, 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

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Released DateJanuary 27, 2012
Duration9 minutes
Host
Available to stream onYouTube

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

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Released DateSeptember 29th, 2014
Duration44 minutes
HostDoug Benson
Available to stream onSpotify, 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

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Released DateMarch 28th, 2017
Duration48 minutes
HostMultiple
Available to stream onSpotify, 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.

S-Town - Chapter II

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

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Released DateOctober 26. 2024
Duration2 hours 58 minutes
HostJoe Rogan
Available to stream onSpotify, 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”

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Released DateApril 14th 2021
Duration34 min 10 sec
HostSaidu Tejan Thomas
Available to stream onSpotify, 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

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Released DateJan 1st, 2024
Duration2 hours 37 minutes
HostAndrew 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

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Released DateSeptember 06th, 2019
Duration34 minutes
HostNikole Hannah-Jones
Available to stream onSpotify, 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:

  1. 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.

  1. WTF with Marc Maron– “President Barack Obama”

Listening to the president and his intriguing thoughts is no doubt the best choice to start with.

  1. 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

What is the most downloaded podcast episode of all time?

This American Life is the most downloaded podcast of all time with more than 2 million people downloading it. 

What is the #1 podcast in the world?

The Daily, Published by New York Times is the #1 podcast in the world. It provides daily news and forecast. 

Who has the most popular podcast in the world?

The most popular podcast in the world is the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. He invites different celebrities with him for the podcast.  

Do podcasts make money?

Yes, podcasts make money by monetizing them. The most successful podcasts make money through the combination of various modes. 

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