Amy Poehler has made Golden Globes history with her recent win.
The celebrated actress and comedian took home the inaugural Best Podcast award at the 2026 ceremony, for her popular “Good Hang” offering. The podcast, which debuted last March, has featured scores of friends and collaborators of Poehler’s, as well as other luminaries – from actresses Aubrey Plaza and Quinta Brunson to former First Lady Michelle Obama.
“I know I’m new to this game. I have great respect for this form. I have great respect for all the people that I am nominated with,” Poehler said in her acceptance speech, which included both earnest sentiments and light-hearted quips. “I’m big fans of all of you – except for NPR! Just a bunch of celebs phoning it in. Try harder!”
She added, of her brand of humor – and her philosophy around her podcast: “This is an attempt to try to make a very rough and unkind world filled with a little bit more love and laughter – and laughing with people, not at them.”
Putting this sort of positivity and intention behind “Good Hang” surely helped it stand out among the pack of nominees – but so does Poehler herself. And not just because she was nominated for three previous Golden Globes for her work on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation,” or because she has hosted the awards ceremony several times during the course of her career.
She also stands out simply because she is a woman podcast host. According to the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, which published its first-ever study on gender representation in the podcasting realm last November, 64% of the top 100 podcast hosts, and just under 73% of all podcast guests, are men. (The majority of those nominated alongside Poehler were men, too.)
“Podcasts have become an essential platform for information, entertainment and connection,” Stacy L. Smith, the report’s author, said in a release on its publication. “Podcasting’s power lies in its potential as a democratized medium, where anyone with an idea and a microphone can find an audience.”
She continued, “As the format matures, that accessibility can help challenge the old patterns of entertainment and pave the way for a more inclusive audio landscape.”
High-profile recognition for women’s exceptional podcasting work couldn’t hurt in furthering that cause, either.
