Podcasts for Grownups: 9 Expert Recommendations

Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis Dreyfus

Emmy-winning actress Julia Louis Dreyfus, 62, interviews women over age 70. She’s tapped into the wisdom of Jane Fonda, Carol Burnett and more, discussing friendship, love and how to live a meaningful life.

Mobituaries

Mobituaries with Mo Rocca

CBS News correspondent Mo Rocca, 54, talks about his favorite dead icons, from Audrey Hepburn to Sammy Davis Jr., to diverse things like mid-Atlantic accents and Funny Girl’s Fanny Brice. Rosin calls it a “wonderful show,” and for him, it makes sense that the listeners are 76 percent 50-plus, according to Edison Research data.

Slate Podcasts

Hit Parade

For music lovers, this podcast hosted by Slate pop-chart analyst Chris Molanphy, 52, deep dives into how a song became a hit. “It’s extremely well researched and well done,” says Rosin, who says the podcast has artists ranging from older ones such as Sam Cooke to newer ones such as P!nk.

EPGM LLC

Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel

Listening to this podcast is “almost like putting a cup on the door and listening to a therapy session,” Horne says. Hosted by psychotherapist Esther Perel, 65, each episode lets listeners in on a counseling session featuring real people and their relational problems. “You can learn something from the way she counsels couples,” Horne says.

iHeartMedia Inc.

The Girlfriends

This nine-part series follows a group of women who come together to testify against their ex-boyfriend, who is charged with murdering his wife. Horne says that despite its being a grisly crime story, the narrative element of the podcast makes it a fun listen. Listening to The Girlfriends, hosted by Carole Fisher, 65, is like chatting with your own girlfriends about “going out for brunch and dating,” says Horne. The podcast was developed in collaboration with the NO MORE Foundation, a domestic and sexual violence prevention charity, and Fisher is passionate about advocating against elder abuse, particularly for women.

Smartless

Sean Hayes, 53, Jason Bateman, 54, and Will Arnett, 53, host this comedy interview podcast that ranks No. 3 (the highest for a comedy podcast) for listeners 50 and older, according to Edison Research data for podcasting in the third quarter of 2023. Each week, one of the actors brings along a mystery guest (anyone from President Joe Biden to actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish), so the humor and banter emerges from pure improvisation. “They get along with each other beautifully,” Rosin says.

WBUR

Dear Sugars

Cheryl Strayed, 55, anonymously helped those seeking advice in her New York Times column Dear Sugar. In 2012, she made her columns a collection of essays for her book Tiny Beautiful Things (now a Hulu miniseries), and in 2014, she teamed up with short story writer, essayist and author Steve Almond, 57, to start a podcast where listeners could call in for “radically empathic advice.” The podcast stopped producing new episodes in 2018, but Horne says the “almost shockingly honest, emotional tone” from the hosts can bring comfort to listeners.

Team Coco

Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend

The former Late Night host has interviewed plenty of celebrities throughout his talk show career, but with his podcast, O’Brien, 60, hopes to make a friend by diving deeper in discussion. In the third quarter of 2023, this podcast ranks at No. 15 among listeners 50 and older, just above the WTF podcast with Marc Maron, which has been a mainstay in comedy podcasting since 2009.

CNN

All There Is with Anderson Cooper

Anderson Cooper, 56, explores his journey with grief following the death of his mother, heiress and fashion icon Gloria Vanderbilt, in 2019. In this eight-episode podcast, Cooper goes through Vanderbilt’s left-behind belongings and talks with a range of people including a friend of his mother, comedian and Late Show host Stephen Colbert, a hospice and palliative care physician and others who have firsthand experience with grief. Horne calls it a “fantastic” podcast, “really well made.”