Edison: Top Podcasts Hold Steady in Q1 2026

RADIO ONLINE | Friday, April 17, 2026 | 12:04pm CT

Edison Research at SSRS

Edison Research at SSRS, has released its Top 50 Podcasts in the U.S. for the first quarter of 2026, based on reach among weekly podcast listeners ages 13 and older.

The rankings from Edison Podcast Metrics show continued dominance at the top, with The Joe Rogan Experience, Crime Junkie, and The Daily holding the top three positions, unchanged from Q4 2025. In fact, the top six podcasts maintained identical rank order quarter-over-quarter.

Rounding out the top 10 are Call Her Daddy at No. 4, Smartless at No. 5, Stuff You Should Know at No. 6, Dateline NBC rising two spots to No. 7, This Past Weekend with Theo Von at No. 8, MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories jumping eight positions to No. 9, and New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce at No. 10.

Among the quarter's biggest movers, Good Hang with Amy Poehler surged from No. 38 to No. 13 following its win for Best Podcast at the Golden Globes in January, marking its second consecutive record-high ranking. Other finalists for the award also saw gains, including The Mel Robbins Podcast, Up First, and Armchair Expert.

New entries and notable developments include The Giggly Squad breaking into the Top 50 for the first time after being named Podcast of the Year at the iHeart Podcast Awards in March. The Herd with Colin Cowherd reached a new peak ranking amid attention surrounding the launch of an AI-generated version of host Colin Cowherd.

The Dan Bongino Show reentered the Top 50 after Dan Bongino returned to podcasting in February following a stint as FBI deputy director. Meanwhile, "Rappers Joe and Jada" continued its upward trajectory, reaching No. 57 after debuting in May 2025.

The quarterly rankings highlight both the consistency of top-performing podcasts and ongoing shifts among emerging and resurging shows in the broader podcast landscape.

The full list of Top 50 podcasts is available here.