While accepting the inaugural award for best podcast at last Sunday’s Golden Globes, Amy Poehler — perennial optimist and the mind behind some of contemporary culture’s most feel-good media — made a rare off-color joke. “I have great respect for this form, I have great respect for all the people that I’m nominated with. I am [a big fan] of all of you . . .” Poehler began, teeing up her punchline. “. . . Except for NPR. Just a bunch of celebs phoning it in, so try harder.”
Poehler was, of course, being sarcastic, taking aim at the actor-to-podcast pipeline that has proliferated the medium as it’s exploded over the last decade — which her podcast, “Good Hang with Amy Poehler,” is technically part of. Still, just shy of a year since its first episode aired in March 2025, Poehler’s show has managed to build a faithful audience of more than 500,000 YouTube subscribers and has amassed countless viral clips. Poehler might be far from an unknown, but that kind of attention is nothing to scoff at, especially when the podcast market is as crowded as it is. At the Globes, Poehler was up against heavy-hitters like “Call Her Daddy,” NPR’s “Up First” and “Smartless,” hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Poehler’s ex-husband, Will Arnett. Granted, Poehler is a Globes favorite, winning a best actress trophy for her sitcom “Parks and Recreation” and co-hosting the show three times alongside Tina Fey.
