Laughter can be some of the best medicine out there. And there are plenty of comedy podcasts out there in the world to help you do exactly that. All of which I’m not a part of right now.
You know, there’s a reason why I’m writing about comedy podcasts instead of doing one myself. At least my mom thinks I’m funny? I digress.
Some of the most gut-busting comedy podcasts have what most great podcasts have: hosts that work well together and compelling content. Some of the best ones are literally putting two funny people in front of a mic.
But just like some podcasts are geared towards a more niche audience, so are some comedy podcasts listed below. Here’s a few to check out:
“Dear Hank and John”
I have a brother, and I also can be a bit nerdy sometimes. So I might be a biased with this one, but that doesn’t get in the way of this pod’s appeal.
Brothers John Green and Hank Green co-host the podcast, where basically listeners ask them questions and they give, uh, questionable advice. The two have done successful YouTube vlogs in the past, which is where most of their audience comes from.
For example, what do you do when you’re trying to get over a crush you have on a close friend? Their answer: bowling. Drop all contact with friends and family, and dedicate your life completely to bowling.
You can tell almost immediately they’re brothers from the way they interact with each other, with the constant teasing and joking. And their personalities make for some solid laughs, along with the quirky segments they do.
The podcast always starts with John Green reading a poem. One segment has Hank talking about Mars exploration news while another segment has John talking about AFC Wimbledon, the lower-tier English soccer club they help sponsor.
Just like they’ve done in their vlogs, their personalities make this pod a hit.
Rating: 4 out of 5 earbuds
“Comedy Bang Bang: The Podcast”
This pod can get a bit wild — maybe a bit too wild. And if you’re not familiar with the format of the show, you might get a bit lost.
It started out as a radio show back in 2009, hosted by comedian and writer Scott Aukerman.
There’s a lot of star-power brought on to the show, as Aukerman brings on guests like Zach Galifianakis, Seth Rogan and plenty of others. But here’s the catch: only sometimes are they interviewed as themselves.
Aukerman has had actors do imitations of other real-life people like Ice-T or Senator Bernie Sanders. Sometimes they’re completely made-up characters that Aukerman comes up with.
All of this adds to the chaos of the podcast, which can be incredibly funny or confusing at times. But if you’re not familiar with Aukerman’s show, this one can be a bit hard to listen to at first.
Rating: 3 out of 5 earbuds
“Harmontown”
The ramblings of a writer who wants to create his own utopian lunar colony are pretty interesting.
Dan Harmon is the self-described “mayor” of Harmontown, a show in front of a live audience that talks about, well, anything. Along with Harmon’s friend Jeff Davis (labeled as Harmontown’s comptroller), they discuss things ranging from relationships to new movies and drug binges.
Besides Harmon and Davis going at Shadowrun, a role-playing board game, at the end of each episode, this show is mostly improvised.
But for all the funny moments that come out of this show, the moments that reveal Harmon’s inner thoughts are what makes this podcast one of my favorites.
Harmon recently bought a gun because of the fear he felt from the current political environment in the U.S., and the vulnerability of the conversation that follows is captivating.
Rating: 5 out of 5 earbuds
Liam Niemeyer is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University’s Honors Tutorial College. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Have you given any of these podcasts a listen? Let Liam know by tweeting him @liamniemeyer.
