10 Funny Podcasts That’ll Have You Laughing Out Loud
We could all use a good laugh these days, and increasingly, Canadians are turning to podcasts for their daily dose of humour.
Funny Podcasts Worth Adding to Your Playlist
I Hate It But I Love It
Ever seen a disaster of a movie that left you enthralled with its baffling creative choices? I Hate It But I Love It explores that particularly agonizing feeling, as Canadian hosts Kat Angus and Jocelyn Geddie tear into the movies they love to hate (and vice versa). Their podcast delivers a satisfying diagnosis of the many flawed rom-coms, thrillers, musicals and action movies we feel passionately about, from trash fire classics like Battlefield Earth to guilty pleasures like Mamma Mia. Angus and Geddie are sharp reviewers who deliver hilarious observations, and the duo’s spirited camaraderie always makes for an enjoyable listen.
Off Menu with Ed Gamble & James Ancaster
If you’re looking for funny podcasts that tickle your funny bone and make your stomach grumble, Off Menu is a perfect pick.
British comedians Ed Gamble and James Ancaster invite celebrity guests to their imaginary restaurant, where they’re encouraged to “order” their dream meal. The guests, who range from famous chefs like Jamie Oliver and Paul Hollywood to stars like Dan Ackroyd and Ed Sheeran, go on to share funny anecdotes and their unique opinions about food, while Gamble and Ancaster serve up appetizing jokes. More than anything, Off Menu is a pleasure just for the opportunity to hear people wax poetic about the food they love.
While you’re waiting for Off Menu to download, whet your appetite with these funny food tweets.
You’re Dead To Me
You’re Dead To Me is “The history podcast for people who don’t like history and those who do.”
In each episode of this BBC podcast, public historian Greg Jenner (Horrible Histories) invites fellow historians to discuss their area of expertise while comedians sit back to learn—and crack jokes. You’re Dead To Me addresses eclectic topics from the ancient Spartans to Harriet Tubman with clarity and an earnest sense of humour, giving each historian and comedian ample space to express themselves.
Funny podcasts like You’re Dead To Me are a refreshing reminder that education and entertainment can go hand-in-hand—and that maybe the class clown was on to something.
Here are more history podcasts that are highly addictive.
The Debaters
In CBC’s The Debaters, standup comics battle against each other with laughs and logic. Each 30-minute episode features two structured debates recorded live in front of an audience and moderated by comic Steve Patterson who has a notorious penchant for ridiculous puns. The competitors debate silly Canadian topics like Smarties vs. M&Ms or whether the Canada goose deserves to be Canada’s national bird, and serious ones like the existence of fate or the morality of lying to one’s children, but always with an eye to laughter.
Don’t miss our side-splitting roundup of the best Canadian jokes of all time.
Dead Eyes
More than 20 years ago, actor and comedian Connor Ratliff was fired from a tiny role in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Tom Hanks. The reason given? Supposedly, it was because Ratliff had “dead eyes.” In this podcast, Ratliff revisits this incident that has long haunted him and looks for answers, speaking with old colleagues and celebrities like Seth Rogen, D’Arcy Carden, and eventually, Tom Hanks himself.
The sarcastic, self-deprecating humour in Dead Eyes is entirely relatable, as are the insights into personal failure, awkward first impressions, and the vulnerability inherent in putting yourself out there.
These funny good morning GIFs will start your day with a smile.
I Shake My Head
I Shake My Head is proof that you don’t need to be a famous comedian to make funny podcasts. Ordinary people—like I Shake My Head hosts Lisa Gibson and Samantha Lee Sperling—can deliver comedy gold, too.
Gibson and Sperling are friends in their 50s living in Saskatchewan, who started recording the podcast after they found themselves having some of their best conversations in the car. Each week, the duo banter about whatever trivial (yet always relatable) things are going on in their lives. Frequent topics of discussion include their opinions of snacks, reminiscing on the ’70s and ’80s, and “the TikTok.”
Don’t miss our countdown of the top 10 snacks you can only find in Canada.
Laugh Out Loud
CBC’s Laugh Out Loud is billed as “Canada’s home for comedy”—and it delivers. Each half-hour episode showcases the best and brightest standup comics delivering their sets live at festivals and clubs all over the country. Introduced by host Ali Hassan, this podcast really takes listeners into the live comedy experience and helps promote the performers’ upcoming gigs. Comics to have recently appeared include Nour Hadidi, Charles Haycock and Cassie Cao.
Discover more great Canadian podcasts.
Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
After nearly three decades of hosting late-night television and interviewing celebrities, the legendary Conan O’Brien looks for lasting connections in Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. Each episode of the podcast sees O’Brien—joined by his assistant Sona Movsesian and producer Matt Gourley—humorously shoot the breeze before interviewing a celebrity guest, who could be anyone from Tina Fey to Barack Obama to Lisa Kudrow. Where late-night interviews can feel shallow and forced, O’Brien expresses honest enthusiasm and sincere curiosity in asking about his guests’ careers, personal lives and predicaments, so listeners walk away feeling like they’ve witnessed an exchange between friends.
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Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me
It’s much more enjoyable to catch up with the news when you can laugh at it, and NPR’s long-running Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me provides just that opportunity. Presented as a news quiz hosted by quick-witted Peter Sagal and recorded live, listeners, panellists and celebrity guests answer questions related to current events on the global stage. Players are challenged to identify the context for quotes, separate the truth from fake news, and face multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions that find the humour in the day’s headlines. Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me is a delight to play along with as you listen, and proof that funny podcasts can be as smart as they are silly.
Have a chuckle at these funny headlines that could only happen in Canada.
Stop Podcasting Yourself
Stop Podcasting Yourself is a show about nothing in particular—except side-splitting conversation. Vancouver comedians Graham Clark and Dave Shumka started recording in 2008, and more than 800 episodes later, their podcast still makes for a relaxing and cheerful listen. Join them as they catch up with a guest (usually another comedian), and smile along as the conversation shifts through countless humorous anecdotes and offbeat observations.
After you’ve added these funny podcasts to your playlist, check out the best comedies on Netflix Canada right now.
