The best comedy podcasts for belly laughs and hearty chuckles

The best comedy podcasts for belly laughs and hearty chuckles

You can never have enough laughter in your life. It is the best medicine, after all. In a world of true crime podcasts, a good laugh is utterly priceless. The best comedy podcasts on the planet offer up chuckles from start to finish, but one thing that goes overlooked is just how varied they all are. Sure, you get classic quips from stand-up legends and TV show comedians, but the creativity of pop culture and improv is best expressed in an innovative comedy podcast. When it comes to making a funny podcast, no idea is too wacky. From podcasts making light of current events to iconic comedian shows, the best comedy podcasts will have you doubled over in no time.

1.

No matter which version you prefer, The Office retains its wing in the modern comedy Hall of Fame. Office Ladies sees co-stars (now co-hosts) and best friends Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey revisit the iconic tv show in this weekly podcast, dissecting the events of The Office and bringing new light to famous scenes. Expect plenty of behind-the-scenes gossips and no small amount of shimmering chemistry from two stars who have been there, done that, and helped design the t-shirt. Office Ladies is a comedy podcast that appeals even to those who aren't fans of The Office, whoever such individuals may be.

2.

Being a world-famous chat show host and pop culture icon can sometimes be lonely. Despite being surrounded by friendly faces, it seems as though Conan O'Brien needs a friend. This endearing podcast from the Late Night icon features interviews with celebrity guests as Conan O'Brien searches for a best friend, or at least a friend of any ranking whatsoever. The results are predictably hilarious, and each episode sees O'Brien bring his inimitable charm to the podcast arena. The special guests? They got the memo, and the atmosphere is never far away from hilariously awkward, even at its most endearing. Conan O'Brien needs a friend, but such a thing isn't so easy to find.

3.

Many of the best comedy podcasts doing the rounds today revolve around elaborate concepts and out-there ideas, but sometimes you can't beat a candid conversation between friends. That is precisely what Ear Biscuits provides, just people sitting down to have a chat about anything and everything, allowing natural hilarity to ensue. Rhett and Link are the co-hosts of Ear Biscuits, a laugh-out-loud listen that revels in the awkwardness of friendship throughout the decades, revealing unsaid truths that have a universal quality. That is what makes comedy so wonderful; after all, its universality, and Ear Biscuits is a comedy podcast that is more universal than most.

4.

A hilarious podcast from two comedians and best friends, 2 Bears, 1 Cave draws listeners into the bear cave over an hour of effortless conversation and chuckles. Tom Segura and Bert Kreischer have a chemistry that you cannot manufacture, and that appreciation flows out of the speakers as the two discuss life experiences, the latest news, and lord knows what else. What happens in the bear cave stays in the bear cave, except it doesn't really, what with it being broadcast to fans across the world in one of the best funny podcasts today. With more than 120 episodes already released, 2 Bears, 1 Cave is a binge-worthy podcast that doesn't let up from start to finish.

5.

If you still haven't listened to My Dad Wrote a Porno, stop whatever you are doing and load up an episode right away. An all-time funny podcast, Jamie Morton's insistence on reading his dad's erotic creativity to the world opened the door to a whole different approach to comedy podcasts, proving that nothing was off-limits, not even the pornographic storytelling of your father. Each episode sees a new chapter revealed as Jamie and friends James Cooper and Alice Levine try to make sense of the situation when they are not laughing out loud at the preposterousness of the entire situation. This podcast is one of the best comedy podcasts ever created.

6.

What makes the funniest people on the planet tick? The quest for laughs, obviously, but there is much more to comedy than thinking up funny things and then saying them out loud. In Comedy Gold Minds, Kevin Hart invites the world's funniest people onto the show to see what lies under the hood, a deep dive into the minds of pop culture's best comedians, from stand-up to tv shows and more. It all makes for a fascinating listen, not to mention a hilarious one, although that is the most listeners should expect from such a premise. To listen to some great comedy minds at work, make a beeline for Kevin Hart and friends.

7.

Not content with creating an educational YouTube empire (check out Crash Course, if you haven't already), brothers Hank and John Green also front a long-running podcast that shows just how endearing and hilarious everyday life is. Dear Hank & John sees the two explore life experiences and straightforward enjoyment, bringing personal loves to new episodes and embracing the quirky side of their personalities, with plenty of current events, rants, and hot takes thrown in for good measure. What is happening right now on Mars? Dear Hank & John is the comedy podcast to load up to find out. Education, bestselling titles, and a comedy podcast? These Green boys know what they are doing.

8.

Are you looking for a post-apocalyptic science fiction sitcom featuring an entire cast of fabulous voices and no shortage of violent cannibals? You're in the right place! Sheltered takes place centuries after the obliteration of humankind, although a small number of lucky survivors have managed to maintain something approaching human life in a bunker. Someone has to go out and explore eventually, right? Right. What follows is a hilarious podcast that romps through arrogant pirates, psychotic robots, mega-badgers, and who knows what else, one terrifyingly funny twist after another. The six episodes of this apocalyptically funny sitcom aren't for kids, but they are for people searching for a hilarious podcast. It should make those centuries in the bunker go by quicker, anyway.

9.

An Audible Original, this six-episode of laugh-out-loud comedy podcast feature is what the title suggests. Australia has a proud history of stand-up comedians, from Jim Jeffries to Carl Barron. This funny podcast sees six of the current best take to the microphone, searching for lingering laughs and chuckles for days. Recorded live at the Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne, this collection of stand-up specials will have listeners laughing long after the episodes have ended, introducing a new generation of Antipodean funnies to the world. Whether Judith Lucy, Anne Edmonds, or Dilruk Jayasinha, you might find your new favourite comedian is lurking within.

10.

The last couple of years have made the need for laughs even more pertinent, and who better to provide them than a cavalcade of brilliant, funny women? Women Unlocked brings together a host of beautiful minds for a remote catch-up and presses record, letting the natural charm do the rest of the work. A hilarious podcast follows, filled with life experiences and pop-culture rants that are as laugh-out-loud as possible. Nothing is safe from these crosshairs, be it '60s sexism, homeschooling, the importance of female friends, or even the sweet smell of bin juice. No, that is not a typo. Women Unlocked is precisely the sort of funny podcast that the world needs.

11.

Very much a case of quality over quantity, Comedy Club (Series 1) is five episodes of high-octane stand-up comedy at the very top of the game. Featuring established names and emerging icons the world over, Comedy Club is a great comedy podcast that will remind listeners of the power of a good comedy show. A good laugh is the best medicine (this might not be scientifically true, but laughter has no place for logic), and the laughs come thick and fast with this one. Download all five episodes for a hilarious weekend of bingeing, but good luck with those sides on Monday morning.