Best Political Podcasts Hosted By Women 2022
Curated and written by Amanda Henderson, host and executive producer of the Complexified podcast.
Just in time for the midterms, let’s focus on political podcasts! In September, the Brookings Institution released a new dashboard that analyzes political podcasts. Consisting of 79 shows and more than 40,000 episodes, the dashboard reveals that on any one week, there are three to four times as many conservative-hosted podcasts as liberal ones.
That got us wondering: anecdotally, it’s obvious that there are more male-hosted political podcasts than there are women and non-binary-hosted shows. With that in mind, here are political podcasts hosted by women — podcasts that provide a different, fresh perspective on politics.
Click on the images to listen:
1. The Antidote
From the second you hear hosts Amy Aniobi and Grace Edwards introduce their show with the phrase, “The world is a dumpster fire, and we want to f*in help,” it makes you laugh. The two TV writers/producers are inspired to offer an antidote – joy – to the bleak chaos of today’s world.
They talk politics, such as flaming the former governor of Mississippi for helping Brett Favre allegedly steal $4 million from the state’s welfare system to build a volleyball stadium, in their October 12, 2022 episode. But they also share “the culture that lights them up and activities that bring them joy, plus strategies they use to cope with these wild times.” Guests are heavy on comedians, actors, and writers, but also include political leaders.
Episode: I Love a Lifetime Movie with Naomi Ekperigin
2. The Argument
A New York Times Opinion podcast hosted by journalist Jane Coaston. Coaston is one of the few people in these spaces who talks about religion — and actually seems to get the ways in which religion influences politics!
Recent episodes ponder whether Gen Z is a kinder generation, and if so, will they vote; whether America is headed for another civil war; and what feminist sex is post-Roe.
Episode: Maybe Gen Z is Just Kinder: How America’s Youngest Voters Are Shaping Politics
3. The Sum of Us
Higher Ground, the Obamas’ production company, produced this limited series based on the bestseller, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. Author Heather McGhee traveled across America, holding intimate conversations with people in Maine, Mississippi and California, “tallying what we lose when we buy into the zero-sum paradigm—the idea that progress for some of us must come at the expense of others,” as Deadline put it.
As honest and frank as this highly produced podcast is, it will give you hope. We can only hope that the expressive Heather McGhee hosts another show — soon.
Episode: Memphis, TN: The Sweetest Water in the World
4. For the Wild
Hosted not by one single voice, but by “a female-led collective composed of a small group of dedicated creators, alchemists, and forever-learners who are committed to land-based restoration, social reconciliation, storytelling, responsibility, and education."
This podcast is more broadly radical, about changing our political paradigm. The nonprofit media organization, also called For the Wild, calls its podcast “an anthology of the anthropocene.”
Episode: Dori Midnight on Spinning Webs of Support
5. Pantsuit Politics
Co-hosts Beth Silvers and Sarah Stewart Holland have been bringing fresh perspectives and a sense of belonging to their devoted listeners — who now number in the millions — for seven years. From the start, Pantsuit Politics was a different kind of political analysis show, one that explores not simply what happens, but the ways in which politics shape how we live and how we feel about it.
These two former lawyers have encyclopedic knowledge about news and politics, but also share their intelligent and nuanced analysis of cultural phenomena, like burnout and #MeToo.
Episode: Let’s Get Real on Candidate Quality
6. Here's Where It Gets Interesting
Host Sharon McMahon and her team find stories of America you probably haven’t heard – and that never made it into the textbooks. McMahon is joined by thought leaders who share insights about history, culture, and politics. McMahon, a longtime teacher, first went viral with fact-based videos combating misinformation and conspiracy theories.
Her Instagram following grew to more than half a million listeners, prompting Trevor Noah to invite her on his show in tongue-in-cheek wonderment, and true admiration, that “facts” could be popular.
Episode: Find Relief in the Regular Stuff with Nora McInerny
7. Complexified
For too long, writes host and executive producer Amanda Henderson, “We have avoided talking about religion and politics. But the truth is, religion and politics are about daily life.” Complexified dives into “the places where religion and politics collide with real life,” affecting everything from who we can love to who can vote, how we build our families, and who can participate fully in democracy.
Amanda Henderson, who is a progressive Christian pastor and professor, explores the ways religion has shaped our systems for good and ill, so we can imagine new paths forward.
Episode: Lex & Amanda Talk Abortion, Cults & Religious Trauma
Thank you to Amanda Henderson for curating this list for us at EarBuds Podcast Collective.
Amanda is the executive director of the Institute of Religon, Politics, and Culture at Iliff School of Theology in Denver and the author of “Holy Chaos: Creating Connections in Divisive Times.”
She is the former Executive Director of The Interfaith Alliance of Colorado.
