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Apple has published its Apple Podcasts Top Charts 2025, spotlighting the shows, new hits, series and standout episodes that defined listening in the United States this year. The curated charts are available inside the Apple Podcasts app and a selection of top picks is accessible in more than 15 countries.
What’s in the Apple Podcasts Top Charts 2025?
Apple’s new Top Charts tab collects the platform’s most popular programs across multiple categories: established favorites, breakout new shows, narrative series, most-shared episodes and plays, plus the channels and networks that attracted the biggest audiences. Think of it as a snapshot of podcast culture in 2025 — who sparked conversations, who dominated play counts, and which episodes listeners kept sharing.
Top shows in the U.S.
- The Joe Rogan Experience
- The Daily
- The Mel Robbins Podcast
- Crime Junkie
- Dateline NBC
- SmartLess
- Call Her Daddy
- This American Life
- Huberman Lab
- The Ezra Klein Show
Breakout new shows to watch
- Good Hang with Amy Poehler
- Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce
- Deadly Mirage
- Blink | Jake Haendel's Story
- Murder in the Moonlight
- Devil in the Desert
- What Happened to Holly Bobo?
- Cold Blooded: Mystery in Alaska
- Unicorn Girl
- The Best People with Nicolle Wallace
Narrative series grabbing attention
- The Telepathy Tapes
- The Binge Cases
- Deadly Mirage
- Blink | Jake Haendel's Story
- Dateline Originals
- Murder in the Moonlight
- Serial
- THREE
- Devil in the Desert
- CounterClock
Episodes that stopped feeds and sparked shares
Certain episodes rose above the rest — either for cultural impact, big-name interviews, or investigative storytelling. Apple lists the most-played and most-shared episodes separately, offering a clear view of what listeners loved to press play on and send to friends.
Apple’s top episodes of 2025
- The Telepathy Tapes: Unveiling the Hidden World of Telepathic Communication in a Silenced Community
- Crime Junkie: MURDERED: The Feeney Family
- New Heights: The Taylor Swift Episode
- The Joe Rogan Experience: #2223 - Elon Musk
- The Daily: Trump, Again
- Blink: Blink
- Deadly Mirage: Death in the High Desert
- SmartLess: Amy Poehler
- Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Tina Fey
- Murder in the Moonlight: In Cold Blood
Most-shared episodes and programs
Sharing gives a glimpse into viral momentum. Shows and episodes that listeners forwarded most included:
- Top shared programs: The Telepathy Tapes; The Mel Robbins Podcast; Sold a Story; Blink; The Bible in a Year; The Daily; Huberman Lab; The Bible Recap; Scamanda; The Ezra Klein Show.
- Top shared episodes: The Mel Robbins Podcast "The Body Reset"; The Telepathy Tapes lead episode; The Ezra Klein Show "Don't Believe Him"; The Shawn Ryan Show #163; The Peter Attia Drive on women's sexual health; Joe Rogan #2294; The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart; The Daily; On Purpose; Armchair Expert.
Plays, subscriptions and the networks behind them
Beyond viral moments, Apple’s charts also surface reliable performers — the shows with the biggest play counts, fastest-growing subscriptions, and the networks that consistently deliver hits.
- Most-played shows: The Mel Robbins Podcast; The Joe Rogan Experience; Good Hang with Amy Poehler; The Charlie Kirk Show; Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce; The Telepathy Tapes; The MeidasTouch Podcast; The Shawn Ryan Show; Call Her Daddy; The Daily.
- Most-subscribed shows: The Daily; Apple News+ Narrated; The Ezra Klein Show; Unicorn Girl; Morbid; Extrasensory; Dateline NBC; Scamtown; Big Time; The New York Times Narrated.
- Top podcast channels and networks: SiriusXM Podcasts; Wondery; iHeartPodcasts; The New York Times; audiochuck; Dateline NBC; Dear Media; Cumulus Podcast Network; Audacy; Vox Media Podcast Network.
Apple is also planning to name a single 'Podcast of the Year' — an award for the show that made the most notable cultural or creative impact on listeners and the platform. That announcement will arrive on December 4 (13 Azar).
Whether you follow politics, true crime, pop culture interviews, or serialized storytelling, Apple’s Top Charts 2025 is a useful guide to what listeners were bingeing, debating, and sharing across the U.S. Tune into the Apple Podcasts app to explore the full charts and discover new listening picks selected by Apple’s editorial team.
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