New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Last night, the fourth annual iHeartRadio Podcast Awards brought together the most influential names in podcasting to honor the most entertaining and innovative podcasts of 2021, celebrating the incredible talent and wide variety of leaders across the thriving podcasting industry. The virtual awards event was exclusively video streamed on iHeartRadio's YouTube Channel and Facebook Page and broadcast across iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio App.
Renowned actor, comedian and producer Will Ferrell, joined by his sons Mattias and Magnus Ferrell, kicked off the 2022 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards with a hilarious opening. The comical tone continued throughout the night with skits from Brian Baumgartner, host of "The Office Deep Dive." His hilariously awkward appearances included wearing a facial mask and eating cheese puffs while presenting because, "the whole thing about podcasts is not being on camera." Throughout the show, Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers ("Las Culturistas"), and Miles Gray ("The Daily Zeitgeist") also kept viewers laughing with original comedy skits and games such as "Name That Podcast Host." The memorable night additionally featured a variety of appearances by award nominees, celebrity presenters, special guests and surprise appearances by
Dua Lipa and Jamie Lee Curtis. Featured guests included Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, Martha Stewart, Paris Hilton, Shonda Rhimes, Bethenny Frankel, Wilmer Valderrama, Roy Wood Jr., Jenna Fischer and
Angela Kinsey, Baratunde Thurston, Holly Frey and more.
The 2022 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards event highlights include:
Dua Lipa's surprise appearance to present the coveted Podcast of the Year award, a public-voted category, to "You're Wrong About."
Dua Lipa also shared with the audience the launch of her own podcast, "Dua Lipa: At Your Service."
Will Ferrell kicked off the show with the help of his sons Mattias and Magnus Ferrell.
Shonda Rhimes named Laci Mosley, host of "Scam Goddess," as the winner of the Best Crime Podcast award. Mosley gave an emotional and heartfelt speech, stating, "As a
Black woman especially, it is overwhelming to know that people hear me and care about what I have to say because that is something that is not very typical."
Roy Wood Jr. and
Flame Monroe presented the Best Overall-Female Host to
Nicole Byer.
Flame Monroe also shared a good-humored conversation with Roy Wood Jr. by educating him on what a "He-She-We" is.
Fans, special guests and presenters played the game "If you could choose your perfect co-host, who would it be?" Participants included Paris Hilton, who picked the late Marilyn Monroe; Bethenny Frankel, who picked Charles Barkley; Baratunde Thurston, who picked Brian Williams, and a lucky fan who got to tell Martha Stewart just how amazing she is.
Martha Stewart teased fans with a few key details about her very own upcoming podcast.
Jenna Fischer and
Angela Kinsey presented the winner of the Best Comedy Podcast to "SmartLess." The ladies waited in their driveway for the hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett to meet them in person and accept their award, but in a hilariously priceless moment, they never showed up.
Paris Hilton presented the winner of the Best
Music Podcast to "Song Exploder," hosted/created by Hrishikesh Hirway.
Full list of category winners below:
Podcast of the Year
"You're Wrong About" (Sarah Marshall /Michael Hobbes)
Innovator Icon Award
Descript
Social Impact Icon Award
"Force Multiplier" (Salesforce.org)
Audible Audio Pioneer Icon Award
"My Favorite Murder with
Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark" (Exactly Right)
Best Overall Host -- Male
Sam Sanders ("It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders" - NPR)
Best Overall Host - Female
Nicole Byer ("Why Won't You Date Me? with
Nicole Byer" - Team Coco)
Best Comedy Podcast
"SmartLess" (Wondery/Amazon)
Best Crime Podcast
"Scam Goddess" (Earwolf/Team Coco/Laci Mosley)
Best History Podcast
"Throughline" (NPR)
Best
Music Podcast
"Song Exploder" (Hrishikesh Hirway)
Best News Podcast
"The Daily" (The New York Times)
Best Fiction Podcast
"Bridgewater" (iHeartPodcasts/Grim & Mild)
Best Sports Podcast
"The Bill Simmons Podcast" (The Ringer/Bill Simmons)
Best Science Podcast
"Ologies with Alie Ward" (Alie Ward)
Best Political Podcast
"Pod Save America" (Crooked Media)
Best Pop Culture Podcast
"Keep It!" (Crooked Media)
Best Food Podcast
"Doughboys" (Headgum/Doughboys Media)
Best Kids & Family Podcast
"Story Pirates" (Gimlet)
Best Technology Podcast
"There Are No Girls On The Internet" (iHeartPodcasts)
Best Ad Read
"SmartLess" (Wondery/Amazon)
Best Wellness & Fitness Podcast
"Therapy For
Black Girls" (Joy Harden Bradford/iHeartPodcasts)
Best TV & Film Podcast
"How Did This Get Made?" (Earwolf/Paul Scheer/June
Diane Raphael/Jason Mantzoukas)
Best Business & Finance Podcast
"How I Built This with Guy Raz" (NPR)
Best Spanish Language Podcast
"Radio Ambulante" (NPR)
Best Advice/Inspirational Podcast
"We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle" (Glennon Doyle/Cadence13)
Best Beauty & Fashion Podcast
"Forever 35" (Kate Spencer/Doree Shafrir)
Best Travel Podcast
"Women Who Travel" (Condé Nast Traveler)
Best Spirituality & Religion Podcast
"On Being with Krista Tippet" (On Being Studios)
Best Green Podcast
"Living on Earth" (PRX)
Best Branded Podcast
"Inside Trader Joe's" (Trader Joe's)
Best Emerging Podcast
"Films To Be Buried With" (Brett Goldstein)
Best International Podcast
"Morbidology" (Morbidology)
The 2022 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards is part of iHeartMedia's roster of incredibly successful, nationally-recognized events including the iHeartRadio
Music Awards, iHeartRadio
Music Festival, the nationwide iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Concert Tour, iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina, iHeartCountry Festival, iHeartRadio ALTer Ego and iHeartRadio Wango Tango. Executive producers for the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards are John Sykes, Tom Poleman and Conal Byrne for iHeartMedia and Deviants Media Studio founder Ivan Dudynsky and show runner Jayson Belt. Proud sponsors of this year's event include Audible, Long John Silver's and Progressive® Insurance. More information can be found at iHeartPodcastAwards.com.
