This article compiles a list of the 40 most searched podcasts on Google in 2023.
With podcast audience metrics notoriously opaque and inconsistent across platforms, search volumes help give us an indication of which shows are attracting the most interest this year.
To collate the data, we leveraged leading online tools including Ahrefs, Semrush and Google Trends. Whilst not perfect, these programs provide the most accurate figures currently available.
Please note, the search volume numbers aggregate variants of the podcast name. For example, the Joe Rogan Experience figure includes searches for “JRE”, “Joe Rogan Experience” and “Joe Rogan Podcast”. Accounting for different name iterations provides a more complete picture.
Now, jet’s jump to it!
Here’s our list of the 40 most searches podcasts on Google in 2023.
Most Searched Podcasts in the US
| Ranking | Keyword | US Search Volume |
| 1 | The Joe Rogan Experience | 135,000 |
| 2 | Call Her Daddy | 106,000 |
| 3 | This American Life | 81,000 |
| 4 | Crime Junkie | 69,000 |
| 5 | Pod Save America | 48,100 |
| 6 | SmartLess | 46,000 |
| 7 | Morbid | 42,000 |
| 8 | Serial | 41,000 |
| 9 | The Daily (By the New York Times) | 40,000 |
| 10 | Radiolab | 37,600 |
| 11 | Stuff You Should Know | 31,300 |
| 12 | The Ben Shapiro Show | 28,100 |
| 13 | My Favorite Murder | 26,500 |
| 14 | Pardon My Take | 26,000 |
| 15 | New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce | 20,000 |
| 16 | Planet Money | 19,000 |
| 17 | Hidden Brain | 18,500 |
| 18 | The Bill Simmons Podcast | 18,000 |
| 19 | The Rachel Maddow Show | 16,000 |
| 20 | Huberman Lab | 15,200 |
| 21 | Breaking Points | 15,100 |
| 22 | Fresh Air | 15,000 |
| 23 | Office Ladies | 14,900 |
| 24 | Dateline NBC | 14,000 |
| 25 | Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend | 13,700 |
| 26 | Freakonomics Radio | 13,300 |
| 27 | The Ramsey Show | 13,000 |
| 28 | Shawn Ryan Show | 12,100 |
| 29 | The Dan Bongino Show | 12,000 |
| 30 | Bad Friends | 10,600 |
| 31 | The Tim Ferriss Show | 8,100 |
| 32 | 2 Bears, 1 Cave | 6,400 |
| 33 | Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast | 6,300 |
| 34 | The Coldest Case in Laramie | 6,100 |
| 35 | Armchair Expert | 6,000 |
| 36 | TED Radio Hour | 5,600 |
| 37 | This Past Weekend | 5,400 |
| 38 | If Books Could Kill | 5,350 |
| 39 | The Why Files | 5,300 |
| 40 | Slow Burn | 4,000 |
What are the most searched podcasts on Google?
It’s perhaps no surprise to anyone that the Joe Rogan Experience tops the list as the most searched podcast in the US with 135,000 monthly searches. The show launched in 2009 and has since gained unprecedented traction.
Call Her Daddy, a bold podcast about sex and dating comes in second with 106,000 searches. NPR’s This American Life takes the third spot with its unique storytelling garnering 81,000 searches.
Crime Junkie takes fourth spot with 69,000 searches, proving that podcast fans simply can’t get enough of true crime!
Rounding out the top 10 are political podcast Pod Save America, improv comedy podcast Smartless, true crime show Morbid, investigative podcast Serial, The New York Times’ daily news podcast The Daily, and the science-focused Radiolab.
Podcasting genres on the rise
Analyzing the list of most searched podcasts reveals some interesting trends in terms of the genres and topics resonating most with listeners:
- True crime is hugely popular – Crime Junkie, Morbid, and Serial all rank highly, showing people’s fascination with real-life mysteries and investigations.
- Comedy podcasts also have wide appeal – Call Her Daddy, Smartless, Pardon My Take and Conan O’Brien use humor to engage large audiences.
- News/politics podcasts remain in demand – The Daily, Pod Save America, The Rachel Maddow Show, and The Ben Shapiro Show highlight the desire to stay informed.
- Educational podcasts thrive – This American Life, Radiolab, Hidden Brain, Stuff You Should Know, and Freakonomics Radio all blend entertainment with learning.
- Interview podcasts succeed through celebrity – Armchair Expert, Conan O’Brien and The Tim Ferriss Show leverage big-name guests.
- Nostalgia and pop culture fuel interest – Office Ladies and New Heights capitalize on passionate fan bases.
Podcasting remains hugely popular
If you had up all of the monthly search figures, there have been a total of 1,030,550 searches for the 40 podcasts. That shows the massive appetite people have for on-demand audio content and complements data that shows podcasters are the most trusted media personalities in 2023.
Podcast Google search trends
Diving deeper into the Google search data of each individual podcast, we have noticed some interesting trends. The Joe Rogan Experience, for example, saw significant spikes in search volumes in early 2022.
Below, we show you graphs from some of the trending podcasts and offer explanations for the sharp rises and falls.
The Joe Rogan Experience
Searches for The Joe Rogan Experience spiked in January and February of 2022, which coincides with the height of debate around the accuracy of Covid-19 information being provided on the show.
Below are some other observations from the data:
- Searches surged when Rogan hosted Dr. Robert Malone and Dr. Peter McCullough who shared dangerous vaccine claims.
- Intense public backlash and scrutiny of these episodes drove interest and searches.
- Searches spiked each time a major artist like Neil Young exited Spotify in protest of Rogan. (Searches also peaked when Rogan responded publicly to the controversies).
- Searches returned closer to baseline levels by March/April as furor died down.
- Shows controversial guests and statements dramatically increase searches, but the effect is always temporary.
Call Her Daddy
Here are some potential reasons why the podcast Call Her Daddy saw a spike in Google searches in May 2020:
- In May 2020, there was public drama between hosts Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn and Barstool Sports over contract negotiations. This made headlines which likely drove searches.
- After leaving Barstool Sports, Call Her Daddy relaunched as an independent podcast later in May 2020. This new iteration probably led to curiosity and searches.
- May 2020 was the midst of lockdowns for COVID-19. With people were stuck at home and interest in entertainment podcasts like Call Her Daddy may have peaked.
- Call Her Daddy consistently discusses provocative sexual topics. During lockdown boredom this content may have attracted increased attention.
Smartless
Launched in June 2020 by hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, the Smartless Podcast has enjoyed rapid growth.
The exact reason for a huge spike in searches recently is hard to determine, but it is perhaps not surprising when you see the names of some of the guests that have been on the show since 2022:
- President Joe Biden
- Steven Spielberg
- Charlize Theron
- Tom Holland
- Matthew McConaughey
- Will Ferrell
- Keanu Reeves
- Sigourney Weaver
- Bono
- Jennifer Garner
Conclusion
That concludes our in-depth look at the 40 most searched Podcasts on Google in 2023.
We will update this data again next month, and while we expect the likes of The Joe Rogan Experience and Call Her Daddy will be high on the list, it’s also likely there’ll be newcomers to the Top 40.
The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark, for example, is showing a major surge in search traffic late in October.
Sources: AHREFS, Google Trends, Semrush
