YouTube today released a number of year-end lists tracking the trends “that defined 2025.”
Among them was the site’s Top 10 podcasts. Per YouTube, it “ranks the most popular podcast playlists on YouTube, based on total watch time in the U.S. in 2025.” The data excludes clips and Shorts.
Podcasts, of course, have become important crucibles for viral clips — especially video podcasts. That’s why companies like Netflix, Fox and ESPN are stocking up on podcasts and the talent pool therein for new programming.
Scroll through the list below to see who’s on the list and why.
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The Diary Of A CEO
Image Credit: Supplied
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This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von
Image Credit: Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images
Don’t let the Kentucky waterfall fool you, Theo Von is a force in podcasting. He has interviewed everyone from the current president and vice president to Tucker Carlson to Ben Affleck and Timothée Chalamet.
His bro-centric podcast bills itself succinctly as, “What happened this past weekend. And sometimes what happened on other days.”
Most Popular Episode: Joe Rogan | This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von #403 (25M views)
Subscribers: 4.36M
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Smosh Reads Reddit Stories
Image Credit: YouTube
Shayne Topp and the Smosh comedy collective were highlighted for their Smosh Reads Reddit Stories podcast, but their other YouTube are even more popular, with TRY NOT TO LAUGH CHALLENGE #12 w/ JUJIMUFU logging 40M views in the past seven years.
Most Popular Video: The Most Unpredictable Reddit Stories (7.2M views)
Subscribers: 9.1M (main Smosh Pit page)
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The Shawn Ryan Show
Image Credit: YouTube
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48 Hours
Image Credit: YouTube
The venerable CBS true-crime show has found new life on YouTube, where true crime is big business. 48 Hours’ lengthy news magazine style investigations play well on the streaming giant. Its mix of cold cases, wrongly-convicted prisoners and missing persons is popular. Pretty good for a franchise that premiered on network TV in 1988.
Most Popular Video: Mandy Stavik: The Case No One Could Forget (15M views)
Subscribers: 4.3M
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The MeidasTouch Podcast
Image Credit: YouTube
MeidasTouch calls itself “the fastest growing independent news network in the world.” Its namesake podcast stands out among the sea of right-wing voices on this list for its unapologetically liberal bent. Host Ben Meiselas covers the hot topics of the day in politics, news and media.
Most Popular Video: HIDDEN Trump Videos FOUND by Meidas as SECRETS SURFACE (5.6M views)
Subscribers: 5.61M
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Rotten Mango
Image Credit: YouTube
Since logging on in February 2023, Rotten Mango has tallied nearly a billion views with what it calls “a true crime podcast that focuses on storytelling with a purpose.” That purpose, according to host Stephanie Soo, is to bring people together around storytelling and shed “light on international stories that are lesser known.”
Most Popular Video: Worst TikTok Mom Loves To Date Killers In Prison & Makes Daughters Call Them “Daddy” (11M views)
Subscribers: 6M
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Good Mythical Morning
Image Credit: YouTube
Former Christian evangelists Rhett and Link now call themselves “Internetainers” who strive to “eat truly unbelievable things, explore surprising new products and trends, compete in original games with celebrity guests, implement serious experiments in hilarious ways.” Good Mythical Morning has new episodes every Monday through Friday.
Most Popular Video: World’s Hottest Pepper Challenge: Carolina Reaper (32M views)
Subscribers: 19.4M
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Kill Tony
Image Credit: YouTube
Brian Redban was the original producer and co-host of The Joe Rogan Experience. Since leaving Rogan, he’s teamed with comedian Tony Hinchcliffe for Kill Tony, “a live podcast taped in Austin, Texas and all over the world.” It features & Brian Redban and a band “with huge celebrity guests” and, more often than not, well-known comedians.
Most Popular Video: KT #672 – DONALD TRUMP (SHANE GILLIS) + JOE BIDEN (ADAM RAY) (27M views)
Subscribers: 2.5M subscribers
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The Joe Rogan Experience
Image Credit: PowerfulJRE
Since launching in 2013, The Joe Rogan Experience has amassed more 6B views. Rogan is the king of the mountain and he didn’t get that way by sheer luck: Over the past dozen years he has churned out more than 3,500 podcast episodes covering everything from the stock market to Ayahuasca, building a broad (and mostly male) audience in the process.
Most Popular Video: Joe Rogan Experience #1315 – Bob Lazar & Jeremy Corbell (65M)
Subscribers: 20.5M
