This weekend, as the Golden Globes roll out their signature red carpet in Los Angeles, all eyes will be on the glitz, the gowns, and—perhaps most unexpectedly—the airwaves. For the first time in its storied 83-year history, the Golden Globes will honor podcasts alongside film and television, introducing a Best Podcast award on Sunday, January 11, 2026 (with the broadcast airing in Australia the following day). It’s a move that’s both surprising and, in hindsight, feels almost inevitable, given the meteoric rise of podcasting from a niche hobby to a cultural powerhouse.
The nominees for this inaugural podcast prize are a who’s who of celebrity audio. Amy Poehler’s Good Hang, Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert, and the beloved trio of Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett with their hit podcast SmartLess all find themselves in contention. According to coverage by the ABC, while critics have questioned whether the nominees reflect the grassroots origins of podcasting or simply its most famous faces, the significance of this moment reaches far beyond Hollywood’s star wattage. It marks a fundamental shift in how media, culture, and influence are measured and celebrated.
But if you want to see the real future of podcasting, don’t just look to Los Angeles—look to Australia. The numbers are staggering: nearly 70% of Australians aged 24-35 are now regular podcast listeners, as reported in early January 2026. For many in Gen Z and Millennial cohorts, podcasts have supplanted television anchors, newspaper columnists, and even social media influencers as their primary source of entertainment, information, and cultural commentary. In a world awash with algorithm-driven feeds and sponsored content, podcasts offer something increasingly rare: a sense of intimacy and authenticity.
That trust is quantifiable. Around 75% of podcast listeners say they value podcasters’ opinions more than those of social media influencers (who garnered just 15%) or even film and TV celebrities (a mere 10%). As The Sydney Morning Herald notes, this trust gap is transforming everything from advertising models to audience engagement strategies. Brands, creators, and media companies are all taking notice—podcasting is no longer an “emerging” format, but a high-loyalty, high-impact medium with serious commercial clout.
What’s driving this deep connection? The answer lies in the unique way podcasts foster community. Unlike traditional broadcast media, podcasts aren’t just background noise. They’re companions on morning walks, confidants during late-night drives, and, increasingly, the glue binding together passionate fandoms. Success in the podcasting world isn’t just about downloads or reach anymore; it’s about loyalty, emotional resonance, and the sense of belonging that listeners feel. Live podcast shows are selling out in minutes, and meet-ups often resemble reunions more than simple fan events.
This evolution is being powered by a new generation of technology platforms designed to deepen those connections. Dome, for example, is a podcast community and insights platform co-founded by Australians Soph Greiner and Bella Filacuridi. Their mission? To help creators move beyond superficial metrics and truly understand who their listeners are and why they care. Dome enables podcasters to build dedicated listener spaces, gain meaningful engagement insights, and unlock new forms of sponsorship rooted in genuine connection rather than fleeting clicks.
The community-first philosophy behind Dome is about to take center stage in a big way. In March 2026, Dome will launch DomeFest, Australia’s first-ever podcast fan festival, at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion. This one-day event promises live recordings, panels, music, and the kind of electric atmosphere usually reserved for music festivals—think Coachella, but for your favorite podcasts. Thousands of listeners who already feel like they know each other will have the chance to connect in person, signaling just how far podcast fandom has come.
Meanwhile, the very podcasts being celebrated at the Golden Globes are themselves emblematic of the medium’s cultural reach. SmartLess, hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, has become a touchstone for celebrity interviews, spontaneous humor, and unfiltered conversation. Just last week, Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence appeared on the show to discuss her latest film, Die My Love. The episode, released on January 5, 2026, was available to stream a week early on the SiriusXM app, offering listeners a blend of sharp wit, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and the kind of off-the-cuff banter that’s become the podcast’s signature. According to SiriusXM, “This is what it’s like to be one of the guys,” as Lawrence joked about her chaotic energy and even hockey equipment in the boiler room.
The reach of SmartLess extends beyond just entertainment. It recently featured Ricky Gervais, creator of The Office, in a revealing interview. Gervais shared how he originally envisioned the character Gareth as a more athletic figure, based on a school friend. “Gareth was based on a kid I went to school with when I was 14 or 15,” Gervais told the hosts. “He was in the territorial army, and he spoke like [Gareth].” Gervais recounted a particularly memorable (and bizarre) quote from his friend: “When you’re captured by cannibals, and you’re in the pot and they’re cooking you, they show you pornographic pictures so you get an erection and there’s more meat.”
Gervais explained that he initially sought a “sporty guy, who played cricket and football, who was big,” for the role. But when Mackenzie Crook, “about seven stone and looks like a baby bird,” walked in, the contrast made the character even funnier. “Because suddenly he’s talking about: ‘I could kill a man, yeah, if I was in the jungle’ and you’re thinking: ‘No, you definitely couldn’t survive. You’d be eaten by a lizard immediately.’ So there were surprises.”
Gervais also discussed how the American version of The Office adapted Gareth into Dwight Schrute, played by Rainn Wilson, and reflected on the global legacy of the show. The conversation, as with so many on SmartLess, was candid, irreverent, and insightful—a testament to the power of the podcast format to reveal the human side of even the most famous personalities.
As podcasts continue to redefine how we consume media, connect with culture, and even build community, the Golden Globes’ new Best Podcast category feels less like a novelty and more like an overdue recognition. The medium’s future seems destined to be shaped as much by grassroots fandoms and innovative technology as by the celebrities who now grace its microphones. And as DomeFest prepares to welcome thousands of fans in Sydney, it’s clear that podcasting’s next act will be all about deepening those connections—one conversation at a time.
When the awards are handed out and the speeches fade, podcasting’s place in the cultural firmament is secure, not as a passing trend, but as a force reshaping how we listen, share, and belong.
