Podcasting in 2025 has become harder to define—both in form and in cultural impact. According to Vulture, the most defining podcast moments of the year show how deeply the medium is now woven into entertainment, politics, and platform power struggles.
From Amy Poehler’s breakout Good Hang making waves in the celebrity chat genre, to Alternate Realities being praised as one of the year's best audio documentaries, the spectrum of styles keeps growing. Yet the industry is clearly tilting toward personality-driven, video-heavy formats, often indistinguishable from YouTube shows or influencer content.
Political discourse is increasingly shaped through podcast mics, with the medium functioning as a central hub for both left and right ideologies. Meanwhile, platforms like Netflix and YouTube are overtaking Spotify and Apple in the so-called "podcast wars," emphasizing how far the term “podcast” has evolved.
Vulture suggests we’re witnessing a major transition—from traditional audio storytelling to a looser, video-integrated media layer. As legacy podcasters like Marc Maron retire and awards shows like the Golden Globes introduce podcast categories, the format continues to stretch in every direction.
