The Golden Globes’ new category drew backlash after controversial stars Joe Rogan, Candace Owens, Megyn Kelly, and more made the eligibility shortlist.

Amy Poehler beats ex-husband Will Arnett to win Golden Globes’ first-ever Best Podcast award

The Golden Globes' new category drew backlash after controversial stars Joe Rogan, Candace Owens, Megyn Kelly, and more made the eligibility shortlist.

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes *RuPaul's Drag Race* video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

EW's editorial guidelines

on January 11, 2026 9:08 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Amy Poehler wins the Golden Globe for Best Podcast; Will Arnett. Credit:

CBS; Kevin Winter/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty

- The Golden Globes announced the winner of the first-ever Best Podcast award.

- Prior Golden Globes host Amy Poehler's *Good Hang* podcast won the inaugural category competition.

- Poehler triumphed over ex-husband Will Arnett, Alex Cooper, Dax Shepard, and more.

The Golden Globes' first-ever Best Podcast winner has been revealed, with comedian and *Good Hang* host Amy Poehler triumphing with the category's inaugural victory over ex-husband Will Arnett's *SmartLess *podcast.

After a months-long competition that began with a controversial eligibility longlist that included polarizing figures like Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, and more, Poehler's celebrity-studded *Good Hang *show* *earned the Emmy-winning actress her second career Golden Globe statuette — with the statuette being presented by Snoop Dogg.

"This is exactly how I pictured it: Snoop giving me the award!" Poehler said as she accepted the trophy. "I don't know about awards shows, but, when they get it right, it makes sense. Thank you so much for this."

She continued, speaking of her fellow nominees by joking, "I'm fans of all of you — except for NPR. Just a bunch of celebs phoning it in. So, try harder!"

Amy Poehler and Aubrey Plaza on 'Good Hang'.

Good Hang with Amy Poehler/YouTube

Arnett, who was with Poehler from 2003 until their divorce in 2016, cohosts *SmartLess* with *Arrested Development *costar Jason Bateman and *Will & Grace *alum Sean Hayes, who all competed in the category alongside Alex Cooper's *Call Her Daddy*, *Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard*, *The Mel Robbins Podcast, *and* *NPR's *Up First*.

Poehler was widely expected to win Best Podcast at the 2026 Golden Globes thanks to her widespread popularity among the group's voting base of journalists who write for internationally-based publications, and who often vote for big, likable celebrities that are recognizable to their audience.

The *Parks and Recreation* actress hosted several Golden Globes broadcasts with her friend and fellow *Saturday Night Live* star Tina Fey in the past.

2025-2026 awards season calendar: See key dates for Oscars, Grammys, more

Amy Poehler mistakes Gwyneth Paltrow for Nicole Kidman in middle of interview

Together, the pair emceed four Globes telecasts, including three consecutive ceremonies from 2013-2015, and again in 2021.

Poehler won her first Golden Globe for Best Actress — Television Series Musical or Comedy in 2013 for her performance as Leslie Knope in *Parks and Recreation. *She was nominated an additional two times in that category in 2011 and 2012, both for the same performance in the NBC comedy.**

*Good Hang, *which launched last March,* *sees Poehler speaking to a wealth of celebrity talent, ranging from Gwyneth Paltrow and Ariana Grande to her *Parks and Recreation* costar Aubrey Plaza, whom she recently interviewed about her late husband, Jeff Baena, following his death in January 2025.

Amy Poehler and Will Arnett at the 2012 Golden Globes.

Jason Merritt/Getty

The Golden Globes previously unveiled 25 podcasts that were eligible for a nomination in the new category, placements on which were primarily generated by the "Globes data partner, Luminate, the entertainment industry’s leading authority on audio analytics and insights," per a press release. This led to the aforementioned controversial figures (with high listenership) landing a spot on the initial list.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

Comprised of over 400 international journalists, the Golden Globes organization implemented the new category as part of a massive overhaul of the awards body's public image, following a 2021 racial exclusion scandal that led to the absence of a televised ceremony in 2022 and the dissolution of the former Hollywood Foreign Press Association voting body.

The group consists of many of the same members, however, and has since diversified its voting ranks in subsequent years.**

*See the full list of 2026 Golden Globes winners.*

- Awards Shows & Events

- Golden Globes

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Golden”