The top 10 national podcasts right now
Ten national shows for Play Ode listeners, from love and marriage to money, music, sports and mental health. All of them are putting out new episodes now.
Play Ode · October 20, 2026 · 5 min read
Some of the best conversations in Black culture right now aren't happening on TV. They're happening in your earbuds: on the drive to work, at the gym, while the greens are cooking.
Here are ten national podcasts we think every Play Ode listener should have in rotation. They cover love and marriage, mental health, money, music, sports, race and the news of the day, and every one of them is putting out new episodes right now.
This isn't a chart or a ranking. It's our picks, the shows we keep coming back to. Start wherever your ears take you.
How we picked
Every show here had to clear three bars. It has to be national, made for listeners anywhere in the country. It has to be active, with new episodes in recent weeks. And it has to center Black voices, Black stories or the conversations Black listeners are already having. Every show on this list is also available on Play Ode.
Ellis Ever After
Khadeen and Devale Ellis talk about love, sex, marriage and everything in between. The show started as Dead Ass, their Webby Award-winning podcast, and Ellis Ever After is what came next. Each week the couple gets into what they know now about marriage, parenting and money, with their team Tribble, Josh and Matt adding their two cents. A recent episode was all about building your village.
Good for: Couples, would-be couples and anybody who has ever argued about who was right. It's funny, honest and real about how much work love takes.
The Breakfast Club
Billed as the world's most dangerous morning show, The Breakfast Club brings DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious and Charlamagne Tha God to your morning with headlines, celebrity interviews, rumors and the famous "Donkey of the Day." A recent full show featured Stephen A. Smith.
Good for: Starting the day knowing what everybody's going to be talking about. If a big interview drops, there's a good chance it dropped here.
Therapy for Black Girls
Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, hosts a weekly conversation about mental health, personal development and the small decisions that help us become our best selves. The guests range from therapists to household names. Session 485 featured Kerry Washington.
Good for: Anyone doing the work on themselves, or thinking about starting. It makes mental health feel practical and approachable, without the lecture.
The Read
Kid Fury and Crissle throw shade and spill tea every week, with more than 600 episodes in the feed. The show covers hip-hop and pop culture's most trying stars, and the hosts' own lives in New York, with an attitude that spares almost no one.
Good for: Laughing out loud in public. It's the group chat you wish you were in.
Code Switch
NPR's Code Switch is hosted by journalists of color and tackles race with empathy and humor, from politics and pop culture to history and food. It was named Apple Podcasts' first-ever Show of the Year in 2020. A recent episode looked at how Hollywood took the zombie from Haitian culture.
Good for: Listeners who want the history and context behind the headlines. It's reported, thoughtful and never dry.
The Questlove Show
Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson builds on his award-winning Questlove Supreme podcast with one-on-one conversations with peers, influences and friends. Guests come from music, film, comedy, literature and beyond, and the tangents are half the fun. Recent episodes include a talk with filmmaker John Carpenter and a classic conversation with Deniece Williams.
Good for: Music heads and the endlessly curious. Questlove knows everybody and remembers everything, and it shows.
Earn Your Leisure
Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings describe their show as a college business class mixed with pop culture. They break down business models, market trends and the money behind entertainment and sports, and they talk with entrepreneurs about how they built what they built. A recent guest was Steve Harvey, on how he stopped giving away his money in Hollywood.
Good for: Anyone building wealth, a business or both. It makes financial literacy feel like a conversation, not homework.
The Right Time with Bomani Jones
Bomani Jones weighs in on sports, pop culture and social topics four times a week, with listener comments in the mix. He covers the NFL, college football and whatever else is worth arguing about, and he's one of the sharpest minds in sports media.
Good for: Sports fans who want more than hot takes. Bomani connects the game to the culture around it, and he's funny while he does it.
R&B Money
Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and producer Tank and his business partner, songwriter and executive J. Valentine, host a show for the super-dedicated R&B fan, covering everything from Keith Sweat to Pink Sweat$. Artists and executives come through to reminisce and tell the stories behind the songs. Recent guests include Morris Chestnut and Blxst.
Good for: Grown folks' R&B lovers and anyone who wants to know how the music really gets made. The stories are as good as the slow jams.
Black Tech Green Money
Entrepreneur Will Lucas tells the stories of successful Black entrepreneurs and technologists, with practical advice and wealth-building strategies from a Black perspective. Recent episodes cover creators owning their audiences and the founder who built influencer marketing before Instagram existed.
Good for: Founders, builders and moguls in the making. If you've got an idea and a laptop, this is your show.
Know a show we missed?
This list is a starting point, not the final word. Black podcasting is bigger and better than any one list can hold. Play Ode is the premier home for Black radio, podcasts and news, celebrating and amplifying Black culture, and we're always adding voices. If there's a show you think belongs here, tell us.
Hear us here.
