For six years, Joe Rogan has called himself the number one podcaster in the world without needing a trophy to prove it. Next year, he will have the chance to prove it anyway, whether he wants to or not.
According to sources, the Golden Globes announced that “The Joe Rogan Experience” is now on the eligibility list for the Best Podcast category at the 84th Golden Globes, the first time the show has qualified since the award was introduced. The category is expanding from 25 shows to 30 for its second year, with the list compiled by the Golden Globes’ data partner, Luminate, using criteria such as audience reach and engagement, revenue and chart rankings.
Alongside Rogan’s show, the 2027 field includes “Call Her Daddy,” “The Daily,” “SmartLess,” “The Mel Robbins Podcast,” “The Megyn Kelly Show,” “Pod Save America,” “Pardon My Take” and “This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von.”
Making the list is only step one. The Golden Globes requires every eligible podcast to formally submit by October 30 in order to land on the nominations ballot, a detail that explains why Rogan’s show never got a real shot at competing last year. He was technically among the top contenders by the numbers, but he never put his name in.
Rogan addressed the whole situation directly on his show after the inaugural ceremony, where Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang with Amy Poehler” took home the first Best Podcast trophy.
“A lot of people say, ‘Why wasn’t Joe Rogan nominated for the Golden Globes?’ And like, ‘Why did you know, Amy Poehler win?’ I didn’t submit,” he said. The reason came down to a simple administrative step he decided wasn’t worth bothering with. “They asked me to submit to be nominated for the Golden Globes and you had to pay $500. And the $500 is like for paperwork or whatever. I said, ‘No.'”
For Rogan, the math was less about the entry fee and more about what a nomination would actually mean for a show that has sat at the top of the charts for years. “I don’t care. I already won. Like, you can’t tell me I didn’t win. I’ve been number one for six years in a row. All of a sudden, you’re going to have a contest in front of all these people wearing tuxedos and you’re going to say, ‘Now, I’m not number one.'”
He was careful to separate his skepticism about the ceremony from any shot at Poehler’s show, which he said he respects. “I don’t care that I’m number one, but I am in fact number one. So, if all of a sudden, you have a contest to decide who’s really number one amongst us, like that’s amongst you. You’re allowed to have your opinion. You like Amy Poehler better than me, that’s great.”
He added, “First of all, Amy Poehler’s podcast is pretty good. There’s some great podcasts out there. I don’t know if amongst her group, if I listened to all of them, I would decide that hers is number one. But, I just know that I didn’t submit. I don’t want to be a part of that.”
Rogan said the response from his audience already told him everything he needed to know about how his work was landing, trophy or not. “I think I already won. I did something I’m proud of and people are responding to it.”
