The fifth Ambie Awards, honoring the best podcasts of the year, had a recurring theme throughout Monday’s ceremony: standing up for truth.
“I just want to put in a word for the facts,” This American Life host and producer Ira Glass said during his speech accepting the Governors Award for his and his show’s influence on the medium. “We’re in a war over facts, and we have to stand up for them.
Presenter Ronan Farrow made a similar case in handing out the award for best news podcast, which went to the kid-focused The Ten News. “If we want to live in a reality-based world … and want truth to survive,” Farrow said, support for the kind of journalism the nominees in the news category do, as well as local media, is essential.
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The Ambies, which took place Monday evening at Chicago’s McCormick Place convention center, weren’t completely serious, however. Comedian Tig Notaro hosted the awards (which streamed on Twitch) and had the audience laughing at a running bit about how, despite having hosted several podcasts in the past and currently hosting Handsome with Fortune Feimster and Mae Martin, wasn’t nominated for any awards.
She also noted that the Ambies trophy handed to winners was being recycled for each category (winners will have their engraved statuettes shipped to them), and ended one long-ish monologue by saying, “You’re all podcasters, so you know what it’s like to ramble on and on into a microphone.”
Jon Cryer also presented and told the audience how much of a “podcast dork” he is. “You fill all my dog walks with joy,” he said to the hosts and producers in attendance.
Hysterical, a Wondery/Pineapple Street Studios podcast hosted by Dan Taberski about a mysterious illness that affected a group of high school girls in upstate New York, won the podcast of the year award and the Ambie for best reporting. Ronald Young Jr. was named best host for Weight for It, and Las Culturistas With Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang won best comedy podcast. The Wonder of Stevie, about the life and career of Stevie Wonder from Audible, Higher Ground and Pineapple Street, was named best entertainment podcast, an award sponsored by The Hollywood Reporter (THR is also a founding sponsor of the Ambies).
Sam Sanders, who currently hosts The Sam Sanders Show for KCRW and co-hosts Vibe Check (a nominee Monday for best politics or opinion podcast), received the Impact Award, which recognizes a show or host that has had a significant positive effect on viewers.
The Ambies are presented by The Podcast Academy, a nonprofit professional organization for the podcast industry. The winners of the 2025 Ambies are below.
Podcast of the Year: Hysterical
Best Business Podcast: How I Built This Podcast With Guy Raz
Best Comedy Podcast: Las Culturistas With Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Best DIY Podcast: Abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast
Best Documentary Podcast: Tested
Best Entertainment Podcast: The Wonder of Stevie
Best Fiction Podcast: Tales of Fists & Fireballs
Best History Podcast: Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD
Best Indie Podcast: What Happened in Skinner
Best Indie Podcast Host or Hosts: Dallas Taylor, Twenty Thousand Hertz
Best Interview Podcast: Thanks Dad With Ego Nwodim
Best Knowledge, Science or Tech Podcast: 99% Invisible
Best News Podcast: The Ten News
Best Original Score and Music Supervision: Dan Leone, Ripple
Best Performance in Audio Fiction: Caitlin Stasey, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, David Yow, Caroline Morahan, Guinevere Turner, Elizabeth Halpern, Travis Harmon, Brad Griffith, James Bacon, Jameson Cush, Jonathan Shockley, Ayla Glass and Chris Goodwin, The Skies Are Watching
Best Personal Growth / Spirituality Podcast: 10% Happier with Dan Harris
Best Podcast for Kids: Wow in the World
Best Podcast Host or Hosts: Ronald Young Jr., Weight For It
Best Politics or Opinion Podcast: The NPR Politics Podcast
Best Production and Sound Design: Michelle Macklem, Girl v. Horse
Best Reporting: Dan Taberski, Hysterical
Best Scriptwriting, Fiction: Anderson Cook and Sidney Butler, Academy
Best Scriptwriting, Nonfiction: Ashley Cleek, Al Letson and Brett Myers, Reveal
Best Society and Culture Podcast: Inheriting
Best Spanish Language Narrative Podcast: HUMO: Murder and Silence in El Salvador
Best Sports Podcast: Broomgate: A Curling Scandal
Best True Crime Podcast: Beyond All Repair
Best Wellness or Relationships Podcast: Therapy for Black Girls
Governors Award: Ira Glass
Impact Award: Sam Sanders
