This post was originally published on Audible.com.
The interview has been a powerful form of entertainment and revelation since long before podcasts came around. There's little as compelling as listening to an in-depth and intimate conversation between a skilled interviewer and someone with a story to share. Interviews can teach us about ourselves and the world; introduce us to new ideas and ways of thinking; offer insight into smart, fascinating people; provide new perspectives on history, pop culture, and celebrities—and so much more.
What makes a good Interview podcast? It's not just the subject matter—they can be about celebrities, art, pop culture, global events, or self-improvement. Or they can just be humorous. The secret to success is combining a fascinating topic and people who are passionate about it with the right talented interviewer.
Below you'll find some the best interview podcasts across a variety of styles and subjects. If you're a diehard fan of Fresh Air and looking for something equally engaging, you'll find it on this list. If you're interested in interview podcasts but aren't sure where to start, you'll find some great suggestions as well. We've got interview podcasts for music lovers, history buffs, businesspeople, culture aficionados, literature nerds, and everyone in between. Our daily lives are made up of conversations. These interview podcasts take those conversations to the next level. The hosts and their guests delve into love and work, spirituality and parenting, fame and politics, art and identity—and everything else that makes us human.
Actor and comedian Marc Maron hosts this intimate interview podcast, in which he invites guests into his home to share meaningful, and often revealing, conversations. Guests include actors, comedians, writers, directors, musicians, and many other creative people from an array of fields, all with differing perspectives and experiences. Maron's unique style allows for in-depth conversations; sometimes, WTF's episodes run as long as two hours—but they're never boring, even for a minute.
NPR's Fresh Air is one of the most successful and well-known interview podcasts there is. Terry Gross's ability to deeply engage with her guests, drawing them into far-ranging and insightful conversations, has made her a household name. Gross has spent countless hours talking with fascinating people—artists, activists, politicians, entrepreneurs, inventors, and more—from all over the country. If you're not sure where to start with interview podcasts, you can't go wrong with Fresh Air; it's got something for everyone.
If you're looking for a thoughtful, inspiring podcast without having to choose from hundreds of episodes, check out Mind Power Mixtape. Award-winning rapper Common hosts a series of illuminating conversations with artists, exploring their motivations and ways of thinking, and how their particular thought processes affect their work. Common asks what drives each artist's creativity, and each interview offers a different—and fascinating—answer.
If you enjoy listening to interviews with a bit of humor, you'll love this clever podcast hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett. SmartLess is an interview podcast with a twist: only one of the three hosts knows who'll be joining them ahead of time. The element of surprise creates an impromptu atmosphere, which leads to plenty of stimulating conversation as well as plenty of hilarity. Past guests include Tina Fey, LeBron James, and Megan Rapinoe, to name only a few.
This podcast sets out to challenge the assumptions we hold about the world we live in, and encourage new ways of thinking and being. Hosts Sean Illing and Jamil Smith, along with their colleagues at Vox, engage in conversations with a diverse mix of people, leaving listeners with plenty to ponder. What's the science behind dating? What unexpected role does caffeine play in our lives? How do we go about forgiving those who have hurt us? These are just a few of the questions you'll encounter in Vox Conversations.
In this funny but heartfelt podcast, queer comedian Cameron Esposito sits down with a different member of the LGBTQIA+ community each week. Their conversations encompass personal stories, LGBTQIA+ history, queer culture, civil rights, and much more. Past guests include authors Casey McQuiston and Kacen Callender, queer musical icon Brandi Carlile, and Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza.
The Unmistakable Creative is a podcast that will inject some inspiration into your life. Host Srinivas Rao interviews creative thinkers from all walks of life—authors, artists, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, scientists, and a professional dominatrix among them. Her guests share deeply personal and always insightful stories about their work, what matters to them, their creative processes, and their sources of motivation.
From AI and cryptocurrency to the latest Twitter drama, seasoned journalist Kara Swisher unpacks the biggest headlines in tech by putting powerful people in the hot seat of her popular podcast. Twice a week, Swisher and her executive producer Nayeema Raza invite a guest to relax, get grilled, and be “On with Kara Swisher.” Why do newsmakers show up? “Smart people,” says Swisher, “like difficult questions.” Listeners will appreciate the meaty conversations, lively debate, and insider intel from some of the biggest names in Silicon Valley and beyond.
We all ponder the big questions from time to time—questions of spirituality, science, artistic expression, and human connection. In this groundbreaking podcast, host Krista Tippett delves right into the heart of those big questions. Each week, she interviews a different guest about the messy, surprising discoveries that give our lives meaning. Her conversations with authors, scientists, activists, and many others are rich and multifaceted, and will leave you with lots to think about. Each week, she releases both an edited 50-minute version of the show and a longer, unedited version—so if there's an On Being conversation that really interests you, you have the option to listen to even more of it!
In one of the year’s most anticipated new podcasts, Michelle Obama brings listeners deeper into the world of her bestselling memoir, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times. Where the audiobook initiated a dialogue with listeners on some of life’s biggest challenges—from building lasting relationships and meaningful success to overcoming obstacles and navigating identity—the podcast will explore these themes and more with an esteemed selection of friends and luminaries. In intimate recordings from her star-studded book tour, the former First Lady draws on her trademark humor, warmth, and compassion to elicit moments of startling insight and vulnerability from guests including Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Tyler Perry, and Conan O’Brien. The result is a series of searching conversations that will leave you feeling smarter, inspired, and, yes, lighter.
