25 Best Black Podcasts With Black Hosts

In the last decade, podcasts have become one of the fastest-growing forms of media. No matter what subjects you love hearing about, there is a podcast or five for you. If you are looking for podcasts with Black hosts, you can find some amazing ones across all podcast genres. Some podcasts address issues primarily affecting black people, while others talk about pop culture or personal anecdotes.

1. Code Switch

In each episode of this podcast, journalists of color discuss how race and society affect each other at every turn. Episodes may focus on specific stories of people around the world, vital components of media, or discussions of broader issues.

This podcast balances analysis, personal experiences, humor, and celebration. Episodes may focus on makeup companies, inequalities in schools, the history of dance, language, parenting, and sports.

Code Switch started in May 2016 and has over 400 episodes.

2. Jemele Hill Is Unbothered

Writer Jemele Hill uses her podcast to talk about current events and allow her celebrity guests to address the things that bother them. As part of this mission, she gives her guests space to dispel rumors or express their true feelings. All of this is to explore what it means to be unbothered.

Previous guests include Kamala Harris, Larry Wilmore, Omar Epps, Roxanne Gay, Michael B. Jordan, and Patti LaBelle. Jemele Hill Is Unbothered is exclusive to Spotify. This podcast started in 2019, and it has almost 200 episodes.

3. Snap Judgement

In the Snap Judgement podcast, each episode focuses on a single topic. Host Glynn Washington uses that theme to tell the story of his guests. A unique feature of this podcast is its soundtrack. The beats that accompany the stories are dramatic and compelling.

Past stories include the impact of AI, adoption in the 1960s, life inside prison, spelling bee revenge, heroes of all shapes and sizes, claustrophobia, and amateur treasure hunters. You never know what exactly is going to happen in Snap Judgement.

This podcast began in 2017, and it has almost 400 episodes.

4. Best Friends with Nicole Byer and Sasheer Zamata

Nicole Byer and Sasheer Zamata share a friendship and this side-splitting podcast. The pair of besties discuss a large range of topics in each episode. Some topics of discussion include relationships, recipes, favorite movies, menstrual cups, spacial awareness, and pop culture.

Choose this podcast if you love hearing friends chat about their daily lives and funny stories from their past. In their “Besting Each Other” episodes Byer, and Zamata interview other well-known pairs of friends, such as Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey.

Best Friends debuted in 2019, and it has over 40 episodes.

5. Still Processing

Still Processing is a New York Times podcast that critically analyzes the arts and pop culture hosted by New York Times culture critics Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham.

Whatever type of pop culture you are interested in, this podcast likely covers it. The hosts cover broad and specific examples of film, TV, art, music, and internet culture. The hosts analyze these cultural components with critical eyes regarding race, gender, and other types of identity.

This podcast began in September 2016 and has over 200 episodes.

6. 2 Black Girls, 1 Rose

In this funny podcast, Natasha and Justine recap and discuss reality shows, such as The Bachelor, Temptation Island, Selling Sunset, and Love Is Blind. Sometimes this podcast has guests, including some of the contestants from those reality shows.

In addition to reality TV content, Natasha and Justine discuss lifestyle topics and their lives. This podcast provides a unique perspective to the Bachelor show recap world since the Bachelor recap podcast space primarily consists of white podcasters.

This show began in 2017, and it has over 400 episodes.

7. Black Girl Songbook

In each episode of Black Girl Songbook, Danyel Smith dives into the stories of Black women in all aspects of the music industry. While Smith does discuss the more front-facing musicians and performers, she also tells the story of producers, executives, and writers who are Black women.

Past episodes focused on women such as Ella Mai, Mariah Carey, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, and Alayiah. In these episodes, Smith tells each woman’s story and discusses their legacy and how each woman fits into a broader musical context.

This podcast started in 2021, and it has over 30 episodes.

8. Scam Goddess

Hosted by Laci Mosley, Scam Goddess is a hilarious podcast that discusses scams, fraudsters, robbers, and con artists. In each episode, Mosley has a comedian guest on the show to talk about recent and historic scams. She also questions the guests about their experience with scams.

Previous topics include Elizabeth Swaney, John Darwin, Anna Sorokin, and the Tindler Swindler. This podcast is ideal for anyone interested in true crime but who does not necessarily want to listen to stories about murder.

Scam Goddess started in September 2019, and it has over 70 episodes.

9. Our Body Politic

The Our Body Politic podcast consists of in-depth discussions about the economy, healthcare, and education, in the context of how those issues affect women of color. Journalist Farai Chideya discusses the impact of those variables on women of color and talks about how women of color are making a difference with those same issues.

Past episodes looked into online disinformation, redefining strength for Black women, building equity, creating a stronger democracy, and electing Black women.

Our Body Politic made its debut in September 2020, and it has almost 200 episodes.

10. I Am Athlete

I Am Athlete is a podcast that strives to show more of athletes than their physical prowess. Former NFL player Brandon Marshall hosts the podcast along with other hosts as they interview other former NFL players and other athletes, and public figures.

Discussions on the podcast include topics ranging from sports current events, mental health, entertainment, social issues, and other elements of culture. Guest interviews dive into the complex humans behind the legendary athletes everyone knows. This podcast also has the partner podcast, I Am Woman.

This podcast has over 200 episodes.

11. Truth Be Told with Tonya Mosley

Each episode has a theme based on a question or topic from a listener. Host Tonya Mosley talks with an expert or a few experts about the topic from a professional and deeply personal perspective.

Usually, these topics involve advice or self-help and often explore how to thrive as a Black person in the United States. Past guests include Tarana Burke, Sabring Strings, Anoa Changa, Danyel Smith, and Anthony Hamilton.

The podcast started in May 2019, and it has over 60 episodes.

12. Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay

On Higher Learning Hosts, Rachel Lindsay and Van Lathan discuss every aspect of Black culture, sports, and politics. The two hosts keep up a fun dynamic with occasional debate. The episodes consist of several segments that focus on different areas of interest.

While some episodes only include the hosts, others include guests such as Sean K. Campbell, Alicia Garza, and Raquel Willis.

Higher Learning began in May 2020 and now has almost 300 episodes. This podcast usually comes out twice a week.

13. Red Table Talk

Red Table Talk is a podcast and Facebook Watch Original hosted by three generations of women. Those women are Jada Pinkett-Smith, her mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, and her daughter Willow Smith. Together they discuss hot-button, controversial topics, including sexuality, race, relationship issues, and family issues.

These hosts are known for addressing high-profile stories, including Kardashian cheating scandals and Will Smith’s Oscar slap. Guests join several episodes for interviews or to provide expert insight.

Red Table Talk made its debut on Facebook in 2018 and as a podcast in June 2020. It has over 100 episodes.

14. Ratchet & Respectable

Ratchet & Respectable is a podcast hosted by Demetria L. Lucas. She discusses everything related to relationships, pop culture, and media including TV and movies. Lucas provides plenty of concrete information, as well as witty insight into her feelings about that information.

Past episodes discuss album releases, Karen culture, reality television, politics, celebrity drama, and Lucas’ relationships.

Ratchet & Respectable started in January 2019, and it has over 300 episodes.

15. Louder Than A Riot

Louder Than A Riot is a podcast that explores the connections between incarceration and hip-hop music. Rodney Carmichael and Sidney Madden host this NPR podcast. These episodes go beyond simple information. Instead, the podcast looks at historical links, power dynamics, and statistics while keeping the information connected to modern-day stories.

Each episode focuses on a different hip-hop artist and their connection to incarceration. In some cases, multiple episodes may focus on a single story. Throughout the series, Louder Than A Riot explores how power plays a role in the music industry, communities of color, and the prison industrial complex.

Louder Than A Riot made its debut in October 2020. It has more than 20 episodes.

16. 85 South

DC Young Fly, Karlous Miller, and Chico Bean host 85 South. In each episode, these three discuss current events, media, personal anecdotes, and whatever else they want to talk about. This podcast is ideal if you like loose and friendly energy in your podcasts and if you want plenty of humor.

Plenty of fun guests make this podcast even more entertaining. When you turn on this podcast you may hear a story from athletes, musicians, or real housewives.

This podcast started in December 2015, and it has almost 500 episodes.

17. Okay, Now Listen

Okay, Now Listen is a Netflix podcast co-hosted by Scottie Beam and Sylvia Obell. These women cover every topic under the sun. When you tune in, you will hear conversations on everything from relationships and sex to police brutality to pop culture. By showing so many angles of themselves, these hosts show the depth and complexity that Black women possess.

Since Netflix produces this podcast, the hosts of it often discuss shows on Netflix or interview the stars of shows on that platform.

The podcast started in April 2020, and there are almost 100 episodes of it.

18. Earn Your Leisure

Earn Your Leisure is a podcast that offers you equal parts finance information and pop culture. Hosts Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings explore these two areas and the substantial overlap between them.

This one is a great podcast if you want to learn more about business and finance. Past episodes cover topics, such as how to start a business, investing mistakes to look out for, and how to invest in the long-term compared to the short-term.

Many of the episodes include conversations with successful business owners. Other episodes focus on how current events may affect the way that you should approach business and invest.

This podcast began in 2019, and it has almost 500 episodes.

19. The Right Time with Bomani Jones

Bomani Jones strikes a unique balance between sports and several seemingly disparate topics in this hilarious podcast. Jones relates stories from his personal life and draws from his vast knowledge of sports, tech, race, and pop culture.

Jones often includes guests in his episodes who talk about topics from sports and beyond. Previous guests include Roy Wood Jr., Spencer Hall, Tim Anderson, and Monica McNutt.

The Right Time made its debut in November 2020, and it has over 250 episodes. This show releases episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Episodes with general discussion are on Mondays, Wednesday is the friend of the show episode, and Fridays feature Dominique Foxworth.

20. 1619

1619 is a limited series podcast by The New York Times. Even though this six-episode podcast originally came out in 2019, it is made to be listened to whenever you like. The podcast tells the story of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans to America.

This podcast is hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones and some guest hosts. It strives to go beyond the story that many think they know about enslaved people. 1619 combines history with personal stories to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the history of the United States and how history affects the country today.

21. The Read

The Read is a perfect podcast if you love listening to a few friends chat about hip-hop and pop culture. Kid Fury and Crissle are two friends who love to banter and talk about life as black and queer people. Episode topics can range anywhere from awards shows to song reviews to relationships.

Over the years, this podcast has drawn many loyal fans to its live shows. This long-running podcast started in 2013, and it has over 500 episodes.

22. Why Won’t You Date Me

Host, Nicole Byer, explores relationships in general and why she is single in particular in this fun podcast. Each episode consists of an interview with a guest about their dating life. During the interview, Byers also strives to understand her own dating life.

The interviewees include Byer’s friends, sex workers, fellow comedians, and Byer’s former romantic interests. Subjects include dating problems, long-distance relationships, prenups, sex tips, performance art, meet-cutes, mind games, and kinks.

This podcast has been airing since November 2017 and has over 250 episodes.

23. Ear Hustle

Ear Hustle is a podcast that tells stories about life during and after incarceration. Each episode highlights the humanity of incarcerated people through their stories. The pod started thanks to Nigel Poor, Earlonne Woods, and Antwan Williams.

It initially began as a podcast for incarcerated people by incarcerated people. Over time, it became available to everyone, but the stories still focus on incarcerated individuals and individuals who are recently out of incarceration.

The podcast has been airing since June 2017 and has over 100 episodes.

24. What a Day

This podcast is perfect for you if you want to keep an ear to the news but are short on time. This 15-minute podcast briefs you on the news each weekday. The podcast focuses on whatever news stories are the most prominent. Tre’vell Anderson, Priyanka Aribindi, Gideon Resnick, and Josie Duffy Rice host this podcast.

The podcast has been airing since October 2019, and it has over 1,000 episodes.

25. 74 Seconds

74 seconds is a podcast from Minnesota Public Radio that does a deep dive into the July 2016 death of Philando Castile at the hands of the police officer, Jeronimo Yanez. The podcast’s title comes from the amount of time that elapsed between a traffic stop and Castile’s death.

The podcast looks at Castile as the person he was and the cultural issues surrounding his death. It also follows the trial of Philando Castile’s killer. This Peabody-winning limited series aired about 20 episodes in 2017.

Top Black Podcasts With Black Hosts, Final Thoughts

If you are looking for a new podcast with Black hosts, simply choose one from this list. These podcasts are unique, and each offers different opportunities to hear perspectives on everything from true crime to reality TV to history to racism.

Some of these podcasts have a more structured set-up, while others offer a more unstructured, conversational tone. Those new to podcasts should try out a few different options to figure out what they like.