Best interview podcasts worth your time

A great interview podcast does something no article can: it lets you eavesdrop on a two-hour conversation between smart, interesting people. No soundbites, no editing for clicks, just a real exchange of ideas. These 10 shows consistently deliver interviews worth carving out time for.

TL;DR

• Best for entrepreneurs: How I Built This (Guy Raz, NPR)
• Best for ideas: The Ezra Klein Show (New York Times)
• Best for comedy fans: Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend
• Best new show: Good Hang with Amy Poehler (Golden Globe winner 2026)
• Best deep conversations: Armchair Expert (Dax Shepard)

---

How I Built This

• Best for: Entrepreneurs and anyone curious about how companies start
• Host: Guy Raz (NPR)
• Episode length: 40-60 minutes

Guy Raz interviews the founders behind brands you know: Airbnb, Spanx, Patagonia, Bumble. Each episode traces the full arc from idea to launch to scale, including the failures and near-death moments that get polished out of press releases.

What separates this from a typical business podcast is Raz's interviewing style. He asks the uncomfortable follow-ups about money, doubt, and the moments founders almost quit. The result is a show that's inspiring without being naive. The back catalog has over 500 episodes, so you can find the story behind almost any major brand.

The Ezra Klein Show

• Best for: Thinking about politics, culture, and big ideas
• Host: Ezra Klein (New York Times)
• Episode length: 60-90 minutes

Klein moved from Vox to the New York Times and rebuilt his show into one of the most intellectually serious interview podcasts available. Guests include authors, scientists, politicians, and thinkers who are working on ideas that haven't reached the mainstream yet.

The draw is Klein's preparation. He reads the book, studies the research, and shows up with questions that push the conversation past rehearsed talking points. If you enjoy long reads in The Atlantic or The New Yorker, this is the audio version of that experience.

Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend

• Best for: Laughing while learning something about fascinating people
• Host: Conan O'Brien, Sona Movsesian, Matt Gourley
• Episode length: 60-80 minutes

Conan's show works because he treats every guest like an old friend he's catching up with. The conversations veer from career stories to absurd tangents, and Conan's self-deprecating humor keeps things loose. Guests include actors, musicians, athletes, and writers.

The pre-interview banter between Conan, his assistant Sona, and producer Matt is often funnier than the main interview. It's a comedy podcast and an interview show at the same time, and both halves land.

Good Hang

• Best for: Warm, genuine celebrity conversations
• Host: Amy Poehler
• Episode length: 45-60 minutes

Good Hang won Best Podcast at the 2026 Golden Globes, and the recognition is earned. Poehler creates an environment where guests open up about creativity, failure, ambition, and what they've figured out along the way. The conversations feel private, like you're sitting in on a dinner between old friends.

The show avoids the typical press-tour format. Guests aren't there to promote a project; they're there to talk about ideas and experiences. That distinction makes every episode feel fresh, even when the guest is someone you've heard interviewed a hundred times.

Armchair Expert

• Best for: Long, honest conversations about being human
• Hosts: Dax Shepard, Monica Padman
• Episode length: 90-120 minutes

Dax Shepard and co-host Monica Padman describe their show as celebrating "the messiness of being human." Guests range from A-list actors to researchers to authors, and the conversations go deep into childhood, relationships, addiction, and identity.

Shepard's background in anthropology shows in how he steers interviews. He's good at getting people past their polished answers and into the complicated truths underneath. The "Experts on Expert" episodes, where the guest is a scientist or psychologist, are some of the strongest.

Fresh Air

• Best for: Consistently excellent interviews across every topic
• Host: Terry Gross, Tonya Mosley (NPR)
• Episode length: 30-50 minutes

Fresh Air has been running since 1985 and still produces some of the best interview podcasts you'll find. Terry Gross is widely considered one of the best interviewers alive. Her technique is deceptively simple: she listens closely and asks the question the audience is thinking.

Tonya Mosley has taken on a larger hosting role in recent years and brings her own skill at drawing out stories. The show covers musicians, filmmakers, authors, journalists, and anyone doing interesting work. The shorter format (30-50 minutes) means episodes are tightly edited with zero filler.

SmartLess

• Best for: Celebrity interviews with genuine surprise and chaos
• Hosts: Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett
• Episode length: 50-70 minutes

The hook: two of the three hosts don't know who the guest is until they join. This creates genuine surprise reactions and unscripted chemistry. Guests tend to be actors, musicians, and public figures, and the rapport between the three hosts keeps conversations moving even when a guest is quieter.

SmartLess leans heavier on entertainment than information, but the best episodes (Barack Obama, Paul McCartney, Sandra Bullock) show that three skilled improvisers can pull out stories that scripted interviews miss. If you want to learn something specific, pick a different show. If you want to be entertained by interesting people, this works.

Sean Carroll's Mindscape

• Best for: Intellectual conversations with scientists and thinkers
• Host: Sean Carroll (Johns Hopkins physicist)
• Episode length: 60-90 minutes

Sean Carroll is a theoretical physicist who also happens to be a skilled interviewer. His guests include Nobel laureates, philosophers, neuroscientists, and authors. The conversations require attention, but Carroll's explanations make complex ideas accessible.

Carroll's strength is asking follow-up questions that clarify what the guest actually means, not just what they're promoting. If you've read popular science by people like Carlo Rovelli or Brian Greene, this is the podcast equivalent. Check out our best science podcasts list for more shows in this space.

The Diary Of A CEO

• Best for: Raw, emotional conversations about success and struggle
• Host: Steven Bartlett
• Episode length: 60-120 minutes

Steven Bartlett's show has grown into one of the most popular interview podcasts globally. His guest list spans entrepreneurs, athletes, neuroscientists, and cultural figures. The format is direct: Bartlett asks the personal questions most interviewers dance around.

The strongest episodes are with guests who don't usually do long-form interviews. When someone used to 5-minute press segments sits down for 90 minutes, the conversation gets to places that shorter formats can't reach. Episodes on mental health, relationships, and identity tend to be the most-shared.

Lex Fridman Podcast

• Best for: Multi-hour technical and philosophical conversations
• Host: Lex Fridman (MIT researcher)
• Episode length: 2-4 hours

Fridman's interviews are marathons. Conversations with guests like physicists, AI researchers, historians, and world leaders routinely run three hours or longer. The format works because Fridman gives guests room to develop ideas fully, without cutting to fit a time slot.

This isn't for casual listening. But if you've ever wished an interview would keep going instead of wrapping up just as it got interesting, Fridman's approach delivers. The episode with a guest often becomes the definitive long-form interview with that person.

How we chose these shows

We evaluated based on interview quality, consistency across episodes, and how well the host draws out genuine responses rather than rehearsed talking points. We skipped shows that feel like press tours and prioritized hosts who prepare thoroughly and adapt to each guest. If you're looking for more podcast recommendations, browse our guide to finding new podcasts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a good interview podcast?

Three things: a host who prepares and listens, guests who have something real to say, and enough time for the conversation to go somewhere unexpected. The best interview podcasts avoid the press-tour format where guests repeat the same stories across ten shows.

Are long-form interview podcasts better than short ones?

Not always. Fresh Air produces outstanding interviews in 30-50 minutes because the editing is tight. Long-form shows (2+ hours) work when the host and guest have genuine chemistry. Length alone doesn't equal quality; it's about whether the extra time adds depth.

How do I find interview podcasts on specific topics?

Most podcast apps let you search by category. For business interviews, start with How I Built This. For science, try Sean Carroll's Mindscape. For culture and ideas, The Ezra Klein Show. You can also use Podtastic's search to find shows by topic and listen ad-free.

Try Podtastic — Podcast Listening Magic

Love podcasts? Podtastic is a podcast player for iOS and Android powered by Pod-telligence:

• Smart Summaries — AI summaries for every podcast and episode, always evolving
• Smart Topics — Key topics highlighted so you can jump to what matters
• Smart Playback — A queue that fills itself based on your listening habits

Plus sleep timer, playback speed, offline downloads, and everything you'd expect.

Join the waitlist at podtastic.app to get early access.