iHeartMedia Celebrates the Best in Podcasting at SXSW

RADIO ONLINE | Tuesday, March 11, 2025

2025 iHeartPodcast Awards

The 2025 iHeartPodcast Awards, hosted on Monday evening at SXSW in Austin, Texas, showcased a spectacular celebration of podcasting talent. The event, held live at ACL Live at The Moody Theater, highlighted the industry's most creative and influential figures.

The ceremony kicked off with hosts Jack O'Brien and Miles Gray of "The Daily Zeitgeist," who brought their unique brand of humor, setting an upbeat tone for the evening. Among the night's memorable moments, Joe Manganiello and his dog Bubbles presented the award for Best Overall Ensemble to "My Favorite Murder" hosts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Their heartfelt acceptance speech emphasized the camaraderie within the podcast community.

Melissa G. Moore and Annaleigh Ashford awarded "Betrayal" the Best Crime Podcast, while Ed Helms handed the Social Impact Award to Sarah Spain for her podcast "Good Game," acknowledging her influential role in promoting women's sports.

Further highlights included Mel Robbins winning Best Overall Host for her inspiring content on "The Mel Robbins Podcast," and the presentation of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award to Dan Taberski, celebrating his longstanding contributions to the medium.

The event concluded with the announcement of "Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang" as the Podcast of the Year, a testament to their popular and engaging content. The awards ceremony was not only a live event but also broadcasted and streamed across various platforms, ensuring that podcast fans worldwide could join in celebrating the achievements of their favorite shows.

The full list of 2025 iHeartPodcast Awards winners are:

• Social Impact Award: Sarah Spain

• Audible Audio Pioneer Award: Dan Taberski

• Innovator Award: Daniel Alarcon

• Podcast of the Year: Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

• Best Business & Finance Podcast: Planet Money

• Best Comedy Podcast: Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade

• Best Crime Podcast: Betrayal

• Best Pop Culture Podcast: The World's First Podcast with Erin & Sara Foster

• Best Food Podcast: Be My Guest with Ina Garten

• Best Wellness & Fitness Podcast: Huberman Lab

• Best History Podcast: You're Wrong About

• Best Kids & Family Podcast: Story Pirates

• Best Music Podcast: Song Exploder

• Best News Podcast: Pivot

• Best Fiction Podcast: Hello From The Magic Tavern

• Best Sports Podcast: New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce

• Best Science Podcast: Ologies with Alie Ward

• Best Technology Podcast: Hard Fork

• Best Ad Read: Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend

• Best Overall Host: Mel Robbins (The Mel Robbins Podcast)

• Best Overall Ensemble: My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

• Best Political Podcast: The Megyn Kelly Show

• Best TV & Film Podcast: How Did This Get Made?

• Best Spanish Language Podcast: Radio Ambulante

• Best Advice/Inspirational Podcast: Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus

• Best Beauty & Fashion Podcast: Naked Beauty

• Best Travel Podcast: JUMP with Traveling Jackie

• Best Green Podcast: TED Climate

• Best Spirituality & Religion Podcast: Oprah's Super Soul

• Best Branded Podcast: You Can't Make This Up (Netflix)

• Best Emerging Podcast: Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce

• Best International Podcast: The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett - United Kingdom