It’s been two years now since I last did a roundup of all of my favorite podcasts, so I figured it was time to come back and let you know what I’ve been listening to. I most definitely listen to more hours of podcasts than music, and so I need a wide variety of voices and stories to help fill up my day. As such, I frequently run out of episodes to listen to or get bored of hearing a particular person, so not a single podcast from 2022 is on my rotation right now. Here are the 8 that I listen to most often, broken down by category.

Education

If Books Could Kill

If Books Could Kill is my newest discovery. This podcast takes popular “airport books” and debunks them systematically, providing facts and breaking down the arguments the authors pose. I’ve read the vast majority of these books already, which makes the episodes extra fun since I didn’t love them when I read them. Even for the books I haven’t read, Michael Hobbes and Peter Shamshiri explain the arguments in a way that’s easy to understand and enjoyable to listen to.

The Daily

I admittedly do not listen to The Daily every day, instead picking and choosing episodes that seem interesting and then binging them all at once. To be honest, this feels like a better way to listen. I am only sometimes in an educational mood, and because of the density of this New York Times-led podcast, you need to be focused to absorb what they’re saying. If you’re interested in knowing what’s going on in the world, it’s certainly worth at least the occasional listen.

Lifestyle

Exes and O’s

If you’re a queer woman born before 2002, odds are you know Shannon Beveridge. The lesbian Youtuber has finally joined the trend and started a podcast of her own. She’s been largely offline for the past half dozen years, so this is a rare chance to hear her speak in long-form and explain things that have happened in the past. Shannon is still classically Shannon—shy, soft spoken—but she’s approaching more mature subjects and sharing the truth about her exes (and o’s)

Gayotic with MUNA

I love the band MUNA, and it’s deeply fun to listen to them chat and interview guests on Gayotic. They have a unique level of banter and comfort with each other that comes through in the episodes. If you’re a fan of the band and want to know more about them, or even if you hate their music but enjoy chaotic gay content, this podcast is something you absolutely have to listen to.

Hot Girl Mondays

I know the straight people reading this article are sick and tired of my queer lifestyle recs. Worry no longer, here’s the podcast for you! My good friend Anna Broski has started a podcast called Hot Girl Mondays where she gives tips and tricks on how to be your hottest self. According to the log line, being hot is a state of mind more than anything else, and by making changes to better your life, you are also increasing your hotness. This podcast is fun, the episodes are easy to get through, and it definitely makes me think about my life.

TV Show Recaps

Bitter Jurors

Bitter Jurors is a queer Survivor Super Fan podcast led by three people who have never played the game, but have watched it at length. They always have a fun gay perspective to bring to a game that normally tries to cover up queerness as much as possible. As you can tell by the rest of this list, I’ve gotten very into Survivor lately and listen to more hours of recaps than the actual show itself! Getting involved in this fan community is very worth it, as someone who typically stays on the far peripheries of all fan communities (including this one).

Drop Your Buffs

Drop! Your! Buffs! The three words every Survivor player dreams of hearing. This is one of the biggest Survivor pods out there, led by Evan Ross Katz, a mainstay in reality television influencing. Both Evan and his cohost, Sean Ross, are extreme haters. They hate everything going on with the show, and so if you’re not a fan of hating, this will not be the pod for you. If you, like me, enjoy the hater energy, this pod is fun and always has hot takes.

Game of Roses

I saved my absolute favorite podcast for last, so hopefully you waited around long enough to get here. Game of Roses is a Bachelor franchise recap podcast that has lately been expanding into other dating games. The hosts, Pace Case and Bachelor Clues, bounce off each other incredibly well and most of the time I find their recaps better than the actual episodes. They also provide in-depth analysis of things that happen outside of the show itself. Unlike most Bachelor pods, they treat the entire show like a game, and that makes it less personal and attack-y than I’ve found other pods.

What are your favorite podcasts right now?