YouTube's Top 100 Podcasts: HBCU Legend Leads Black Podcast Creators In Rankings

YouTube released its first-ever Top 100 Podcasts rankings, and an HBCU legend leads the field of black creators.

YouTube has released its first-ever Top 100 Podcasts rankings, which include several podcasts hosted by Black creators. Most of these podcasts are sports-related, with a few focusing on daily news, but many also have cultural significance within music, entertainment, and urban communities.

The rankings feature strong sports podcasts hosted by former Black athletes such as Shannon Sharpe, Gilbert Arenas, Cam Newton, Jeff Teague, and Carmelo Anthony.

SPORTS PODCASTS

Leading and dominating the space is HBCU legend Shannon Sharpe, who hosts two popular podcasts, with "Club Shay Shay" ranking at No. 7 and boasting 3.99 million subscribers. His other podcast, the rapidly growing "Nightcap Show," holds steady at No. 28 with 1.76 million subscribers. Alongside co-host Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson, Sharpe engages in various discussions covering topics from sports and social life to relationship advice.

Thank you @YouTube Thank you to @SBJ for your recognition & to all the supporters of @NightcapShow_ & @ClubShayShay your continued support does not go unnoticed. It is because of you that we are able to do what we do 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/HMS1GwwRLg

— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) May 17, 2025

At No. 20, Gilbert Arenas hosts his Gil's Arena Podcast, which boasts 1.06 million subscribers. The Underdog Fantasy app produces the show. Jeff Teague's Club 520 Podcast ranks at No. 83 with 641,000 followers, while Carmelo Anthony's 7 PM in Brooklyn is a rising star, currently at 404,000 subscribers.  

The former NFL Superman, Cam Newton, hosts two podcasts on the platform. Only "Funky Friday," which ranks at No. 84, has made it into the Top 100. His other podcast, "4th and 1," is not in the Top 100 list but has garnered over 370,000 loyal subscribers. Notably, it has been growing rapidly despite only having 52 episodes produced by Newton.

NEWS

The NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt ranks at No. 38, boasting 11.2 million subscribers. Holt has announced plans to scale back his daily duties later this year, and it remains to be seen if NBC can maintain its position without him.

At No. 78 on YouTube's charts is Roland Martin with his show "Roland Martin Unfiltered." He has a strong following of 1.8 million subscribers, which makes him one of the most influential and impactful news reporters and creators on the platform.  No one controls Mr. Martin.

Barry Cunningham, who transitioned from sports reporting, Barry Cunningham Podcasts And Live Shows that are currently thriving with 346,000 followers. His coverage of politics and special topics has contributed to the growth of his channel.

ENTERTAINMENT & CULTURAL

• No. 51 is The Joe Budden Podcast (1.51 million) with Joe Budden and his crew
• No. 57 The 85 South Comedy Show (2.63 million) with DC Young Fly, Clayton English, Chico Bean and Karlous Miller
• No. 68 Million Dollaz Worth of Game with Gillie Da King and Wallo (1.73 million)
• No. 71 Drink Champs (449K) with co-hosts N.O.R.E and DJ EFN.

1. The Joe Rogan Experience
2. Kill Tony
3. Rotten Mango
4. 48 Hours
5. The MeidasTouch Podcast
6. H3 Podcast
7. Club Shay Shay
8. This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von
9. Smosh Reads Reddit Stories
10. Dr Insanity
11. Shawn Ryan Show
12. The Pat McAfee Show
13. Timcast IRL
14. The Diary Of A CEO
15. CreepCast
16. Karen Read
17. Murder, Mystery & Makeup
18. The Tucker Carlson Show
19. The Megyn Kelly Show
20. Gil's Arena
21. Reality Check with Ross Coulthart
22. Lex Fridman Podcast
23. It Is What It Is
24. Bad Friends Podcast
25. 60 Minutes
26. PBD Podcast
27. A Closer Look – Late Night with Seth Meyers
28. Nightcap
29. Just Trish
30. The Lets Read Podcast
31. IHIP News
32. Law&Crime Sidebar with Jesse Weber
33. Unsubscribe Podcast
34. The Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller
35. The Philip DeFranco Show
36. The Yak
37. Smosh Mouth
38. NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt
39. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace
40. Breaking Points
41. Timcast News Stories
42. Cancelled with Tana Mongeau & Brooke Schofield
43. True Crime with Kendall Rae
44. Dark History
45. Julian Dorey Podcast
46. Authorized Account
47. StarTalk Podcast
48. Distractible
49. Serialously with Annie Elise
50. TigerBelly
51. The Joe Budden Podcast
52. Democracy Now!
53. Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast
54. Triggernometry
55. On Purpose Podcast
56. rSlash
57. The 85 South Comedy Show
58. You Should Know Podcast
59. Power Hour
60. Royals
61. The Why Files: Operation Podcast
62. Flagrant
63. Crime Fix with Angenette Levy
64. Legal AF Podcast
65. The Benny Show
66. The Broski Report
67. Huberman Lab
68. Million Dollaz Worth of Game
69. Barry Cunningham Podcasts And Live Shows
70. Breaking News
71. Drink Champs
72. ScreenCrush
73. The Bald and the Beautiful with Trixie and Katya
74. Shane Dawson Podcast
75. Stories from the Bible
76. The Mel Robbins Podcast
77. Two Hot Takes
78. #RolandMartinUnfiltered
79. Bulwark Takes
80. Democracy Watch with Marc Elias
81. Pardon My Take
82. 2 Bears, 1 Cave
83. Club 520 Podcast
84. 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony
85. Funky Friday Podcast with Cam Newton
86. Impaulsive Podcast
87. Extra Anormal Podcast
88. Your Mom's House w/ Tom Segura & Christina P
89. 520 in the Morning
90. The Intersection with Popok
91. Crime
92. Critical Role
93. The Matt Walsh Show
94. The Tim Dillon Show
95. Javier Ceriani
96. Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
97. The David Pakman Show
98. La Cotorrisa – Anecdotarios
99. The Yard Podcast
100. Crime Weekly

As mentioned earlier, this is the first ranking for YouTube. Sports dominate the platform, but with a consistent and strong subscriber base, podcasts can grow and become profitable for Black creators.

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HBCU LEGENDS PODCAST