Signal Awards: Oprah, Michelle Obama, Jon Stewart Among Winners of Podcast Honors (Exclusive)

Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Jon Stewart, Kevin Hart, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ed Helms and Snoop Dogg are among the big names to win the second annual Signal Awards, celebrating the world’s best podcasts, The Hollywood Reporter can reveal exclusively.

Obama’s The Light Podcast, Hart’s Gold Minds, Louis-Dreyfus’ Wiser Than Me and Helms’ SNAFU all won multiple awards, with Winfrey winning best guest — individual episode for her appearance on Obama’s podcast. The Light also won in advice and how to — limited series and specials, both the main award and listener’s choice.

Gold Minds won in the interview or talk show — shows category alongside Wiser Than Me, with the Hartbeat offering also winning in the comedy — shows category and Louis-Dreyfus’ Lemonada podcast winning for best hosts — shows.

Winfrey shares her best guest prize with Ashley Johnson from HBO’s The Last of Us, another multiple-award winning podcast, and Tom Holland’s appearance on multi-winner On Purpose With Jay Shetty.

Ed Helms’ SNAFU won for best writing — limited series and specials and history — limited series and specials.

Stewart won for best host (current events) for his The Problem with Jon Stewart podcast, sharing the title with The Green Dream‘s Dana Thomas and Reid Hoffman’s Masters of Scale: Brand While You Build.

Other stars who were among this year’s Signal Awards winners include Conan O’Brien for his Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend offering (best video podcast – branded shows and advertising (listener’s choice), Snoop Dogg W+ M (music — limited series and specials) and Mo Rocca for his Mobituaries podcast (history – shows, listener’s choice).

Audible won a leading 32 awards this year and has been named Signal Company of the Year. Winning podcasts from the company include Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast, The Sesame Street Podcast, Mandela: The Lost Tapes, Origins, American Football, The Goop Pursuit and more.

“2023 was a huge year for podcasts, as worldwide listenership continued to skyrocket and new trends emerged,” Signal Awards managing director Deondric Royster said in a statement. “The winners of the second annual Signal Awards represent the best of the industry: Those who are pushing boundaries, telling important stories, encouraging laughter and reaffirming the overall power of podcasting and its ability to connect to listeners all over the world.”

This year, the Signal Awards received nearly 2000 entries and during the public voting stage more than 130,000 votes were cast for the Signal Listener’s Choice award. Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, HBO’s The Last of Us Podcast, Mobituaries with Mo Rocca, Small Town Dicks, Barely Famous, And That’s Why We Drink and Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls were among the top vote-getters.

The Signal Award Winners, which will be celebrated with an Oct. 23 reception at The Bowery NYC, were selected by the Signal Academy, which included founding jurors Jody Avirgan (host, This Day in Esoteric Behavior); Ray Chao (Vox Media general manager of audio); Rachael King (CEO and co-founder, Pod People); Maya Watson (global marketing head, Clubhouse); Michael Gluckstadt (director of podcasts, HBO and HBO MAX); Anna Hossnieh (executive producer, iHeartRadio Comedy); Jenny Kaplan (co-founder and CEO, Wonder Media Network); Deray McKesson (host, Pod Save the People and co-founder and executive chair, Campaign Zero) and Nikki Silva (co-host, The Kitchen Sisters Present from PRX).

Read on for a selection of this year’s winners. The complete list is available here.

Best Daily Podcast – Shows
The Slowdown – APM Studios
 
Best Commute Podcast – Shows
Netflix is a Daily Joke – Netflix
On Purpose with Jay Shetty – alignPR             
And That’s Why We Drink – Metro Public Relations 
 
Best Experimental Podcast – Shows
Stopping To Notice with Miranda Keeling – Fresh Air Production      
 
Best Host (Current Events) – Shows
The Problem with Jon Stewart: The Official Podcast – Apple TV Podcast
The Green Dream – Dana Thomas – The Green Dream
Masters of Scale: Brand While You Build – Reid Hoffman – WaitWhat
 
Best Indie Podcast – Shows
Undiscarded: Stories of New York – CitizenRacecar & The City Reliquary         
Curious Matter Anthology – Knightsville Workshop 
Humans of Purpose – Humans of Purpose
Fireside with Blair Hodges – Fireside
Like You: Mindfulness for Kids – Perpetual Motion
 
Popular Culture & Variety – Shows  
Jill Scott Presents: J.ill the Podcast – Jill Scott Presents: J.ill the Podcast
 
Best Exclusive Content + Experiences – Shows (Listener’s Choice)
Small Town Dicks – Paperclip Ltd.
 
Interview or Talk Show – Shows
Gold Minds with Kevin Hart – Hartbeat          
Most Interesting Person You’ve Never Heard Of Podcast – Corner Booth Media
Wiser Than Me – Lemonada Media   
Profoundly Pointless – Profoundly Pointless
Gal on the Go Unplugged, Encouraging You to Live Boldly! – Gal on the Go Unplugged
 
Comedy – Shows
Gold Minds with Kevin Hart – Hartbeat
 
Documentary – Shows
Teaching Texas Shows – Wonder Media Network
The Catch – Season 2 – Foreign Policy
Admissible: Shreds of Evidence – VPM Media Corporation  
Operation: Tradebom – Apple TV Podcast     
DDx: Abortion as Healthcare (a Miniseries) – Figure 1
 
History – Shows (Listener’s Choice)
Mobituaries with Mo Rocca – Paramount
 
Best Hosts – Shows
Wiser Than Me – Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Lemonada
Beef with Bridget Todd – Next Chapter Podcasts
Dark History – Bailey Sarain – Audioboom
Mind of a Monster: Jeffrey Dahmer – Michelle Ward – Warner Bros. Discovery
Reality with King – Carlos King – QCODE
Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris – Wondery
 
Best Conversation Starter – Shows
She’s a 10 Times 5 – She’s a 10 Times 5 Podcast
The Sunday 7 Conversation Starter – Draft Doris
Do the Pot – How to Do the Pot
 
True Crime – Shows (Listener’s Choice)
And That’s Why We Drink – Metro Public Relations
 
Kids – Shows (Listener’s Choice)
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls – Rebel Girls 
 
Best Video Podcast – Branded Shows & Advertising (Listener’s Choice)
Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend – Samsung Electronics – SXM Media
 
Television & Film — Individual Episode (Listener’s Choice)
HBO’s The Last of Us Podcast – Episode 3 – “Long, Long Time” – Warner Bros. Discovery
 
Best Guest – Individual Episode
Michelle Obama – The Light Podcast: “Barack is My Home” with Oprah Winfrey (Ep. 8) – AUDIBLE
HBO’s The Last of Us – Ashley Johnson – Warner Bros. Discovery
On Purpose with Jay Shetty – Tom Holland ON: How to Overcome Social Anxiety & Beneficial Life Lessons You Can Learn From Family
Questlove Supreme – The Oriel Co.   
 
Best Writing – Individual Episode
The No Good, Terribly Kind, Wonderful Lives and Tragic Deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman – “Chapter Eight: Thin Lines” – Antica Productions
Ep. 126 The Barn – Ballen Studios
VR Gloves: Where air guitar meets a Nintendo flop, meets the future of remote surgery – Setapp
 
Best Guest – Individual Episode
The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon, “Live from GOT Fan Con with Kit Harington” – Warner Bros. Discovery
 
Arts & Culture – Individual Episode
Hungry for History with Eva Longoria and Maite Gomez-Rejón – iHeartPodcasts
Origins – Tobe Nwigwe – Audible
The World’s Greatest Italian Beef – Kevin Pang – America’s Test Kitchen 
 
Lifestyle – Individual Episode
Biscuits & Jam – Hoda Kotb Is a Southerner – Dotdash Meredith
 
Best Conversation Starter – Individual Episode
Did Mac Dre Really Go to Prison Because of His Lyrics – KQED
Beyond 6 Seconds: Dissociative Identity Disorder with Amber Louise Ainsworth – Beyond 6 Seconds
 
Interview or Talk Show – Individual Episode
Wish I Knew: Peter Beck – Bessemer Venture Partners
Skip Intro – Steven Yeun – Netflix
What the Hack: Jill Schlesinger Hits the Reset Button – Loud Tree Media
Milk Drunk: The Podcast – Meghan Trainor & Emily Oster: Redefining “Best” Parenting – Bobbie
 
Music – Individual Episode
Origins: Doja Cat – AUDIBLE
 
Interview or Talk Show – Individual Episode (Listener’s Choice)
Barely Famous Podcast x Kat Stickler – PodcastOne
 
Most Innovative Audio Experience – Limited Series & Specials
Björk: Sonic Symbolism – Archetype
 
Advice & How To – Limited Series & Specials 
Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast – AUDIBLE
 
Advice & How To – Limited Series & Specials (Listener’s Choice)
Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast – AUDIBLE
 
Best Editing – Limited Series & Specials
Culpable – Tenderfoot TV
Into America: Street Disciples – MSNBC
Long Shadow: Rise of the American Far Right – Long Lead
Heretic in the House – The Shalom Hartman Institute
 
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Limited Series & Specials
The Idiom – SBS
Free From Desire: Asexual in the City of Love – Paradiso Media
Women of Europe – Deutsche Welle
 
History – Limited Series & Specials
SNAFU with Ed Helms – FilmNation Entertainment, Pacific Electric Picture Company, Gilded Audio, iHeartRadio            
 
Best Original Score or Music – Limited Series & Specials
Lake Song – Make Believe Association
 
Best Writing – Limited Series & Specials
Growing Up Powerful – Rebel Girls
CAN YOU DIG IT? – A HIP HOP ORIGIN STORY – PB & J Productions
SNAFU with Ed Helms – FilmNation Entertainment
Into America: Street Disciples – MSNBC Into America Podcast
High Strange – Tenderfoot TV 
 
Music – Limited Series & Specials
Snoop Dogg W+M – AUDIBLE

Oct. 10, 10:39 a.m. This story has been updated to add the other winners in best host – current events.