Why Amy Poehler’s Golden Globe Win Feels So Good

Amy Poehler has become the first person to win a Golden Globe for podcasting, and it might have just been the most satisfying win of the night—and not just because she beat her ex-husband Will Arnett (who predicted she’d beat him anyway).

Snoop Dogg presented Poehler with the inaugural podcasting award for her show, Good Hang With Amy Poehler, at the 2026 Golden Globes on January 11. She bested Arnett and his SmartLess co-hosts, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes, as well as Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, The Mel Robbins Podcast, Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy, and NPR’s Up First.

“I just want to say that I know I am new to this game,” Poehler told the audience at the Beverly Hilton, referring to the fact that her podcast is not yet a year old. “I have great respect for this form. I have great respect for all the people that I am nominated with.” She added, “I’m big fans of all of you, except for NPR, just a bunch of celebs phoning it in. So, try harder.”

But there’s more to the 54-year-old’s win than the fact that in just nine short months, she made enough of an impression to earn the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s nomination in this brand new category, which they introduced in an effort to “recognize the top of the field in an expanding entertainment industry, where personality-driven productions are now at the center of attention for audiences.” It’s something even sweeter.

For the umpteenth year in a row, the most-listened to podcast on Spotify is the Joe Rogan Experience. The fourth most-listened to podcast is hosted by Tucker Carlson, and the sixth by Theo Von. In fact, seven of the top 10 most-listened to podcasts—with collective audiences numbering in the tens of millions—are hosted by men. But for its inaugural award honoring podcasters, the Golden Globes was not looking to celebrate the most-listened to podcast. Their goal was to select the best podcast. And the HFPA’s verdict? The best podcast of 2026 is hosted by writer, actor, comedian, and great hanger-outer, Amy Poehler.

Obviously, not everything is a battle of the sexes, male podcasters versus female podcasters—nor should it be. But when it comes to the media we consume and the voices we invite into our cars, our kitchens, and beyond, day in and day out, it does make a difference how much of that idle chit chat is being uttered by a man or a woman. Especially when the most-listened to voices in the medium are often two dudes in conversation with one another about topics they may or may not be educated about.