If I could put together my dream podcast panel, it would feature Priyanka Chopra, Mindy Kaling, Lena Dunham and Mila Kunis, but that’s just me. Celebrity podcasts are great for people who just want a familiar voice in their ears, and it also brings you that much more closer to your favourite TV or movie icon. Wish lists aside, here are arguably the best celebrity podcasts available in the market right now.
Anna Faris is Unqualified
One of the most talented comic actresses in the industry today is even more hilarious as herself on this mother of all celebrity podcasts, Anna Faris is Unqualified. Bringing together the who’s who of Hollywood, Faris (Scary Movie, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, 22 Jump Street) along with best-friend Sim Sarna, host a show that’s a little bit of everything: interviews, rapid-fire rounds, a love advice segment, and just freewheeling, light-hearted conversations. Previous guests have included Chris Evans, Stan Lee, Olivia MunnDax Shepard, Seth Rogen, Chris Hardwick, Isla Fisher and Eva Longoria.
Dear Sugars
When Cheryl Strayed hit world-famous author recognition with her searing autobiography, Wild, in 2012, I was reminded of her little-known but slowly-achieving cult-status advice column, Dear Sugar via the compilation book, Tiny Beautiful Things. And while the column was no more, the book stayed with me: through break-ups, career challenges, family drama and broken friendships. Strayed has a way of cutting through the BS and speaking to you: woman to woman, and in a way so deeply personal, that it’s impossible to feel alone in this world when her words keep you company.
Strayed and Dear Sugar co-writer Steve Almond now address your deepest, darkest and most confusing issues together on their very own Dear Sugars podcast, and it’s a haven like no other for the broken-hearted. In its current avatar, hosted on the New York Times, the podcast is getting even bigger, with guest-speaker Oprah Winfrey giving sage advice on ‘how to say no’.
Jay & Silent Bob Get Old
It’s a rite of passage for any self-respecting college kid to watch Clerks, the indie comedy that introduced the slacker characters Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) to an adoring public way back in 1994. And since a Jay & Silent Bob Reboot movie (a satire on reboot movies, apparently) is on the way all the way now in 2017, there’s no better time to plug into actors Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes’s podcast. Jay & Silent Bob Get Old is a deep dive into Mewes’ struggle with drug addiction and his subsequent recovery. A humorous and painfully self-aware exploration aside, the podcast is also a testimony to the two hosts’ long-lasting friendship. And as a bonus, there’s a lot of nerding out to go around as well.
The Ricky Gervais Podcast
The British comedy genius behind The Office, Ricky Gervais, teams up with Extras co-star Stephen Merchant to riff on their producer Karl Pilkington in the now-defunct The Ricky Gervais Podcast. One of the first shows after Comedy Bang! Bang! to achieve a steady listenership when podcasts were limited to hipsters and bored college kids, The Ricky Gervais Podcast is still a work of beauty. The show goes like this: Gervais and Merchant introduce a topic, let Pilkington react to said topic in his own wry manner, and then the two hosts take his observations apart. It’s the kind of funny that will have you clutching your sides in pain as you roll around the floor laughing. Reserve this podcast for a free weekend, because you’re going to want to binge.
