It was the night Hollywood finally admitted that the small screen is getting even smaller. For the first time in its 83-year history, the Golden Globe Awards handed out a trophy for Best Podcast, cementing the medium’s status as a pillar of the entertainment industry. The winner? Comedy legend Amy Poehler, whose show Good Hang beat out heavyweights like Call Her Daddy and Smartless.

The inclusion of the category is a nod to the exploding economics of audio. Podcasting is now a $7.3 billion industry, with top creators wielding more cultural influence—and earning higher paychecks—than many movie stars. The Golden Globes gala saw podcasters walking the red carpet alongside Oscar nominees, blurring the lines between "new" and "old" media.

The "Good Hang" Victory

Amy Poehler’s win was a surprise to some who expected the award to go to Call Her Daddy (Alex Cooper) or Smartless (hosted by Poehler’s ex-husband Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes). Accepting the award from Snoop Dogg, Poehler cracked jokes but underscored the shift. "I know I am new to this game, but I have great respect for this form," she said. Her show, an improv-heavy chat series, represents the "celebrity invasion" of the medium.

• The Nominees: The field was stacked. Call Her Daddy represents the "creator economy" success story—a show started in a bedroom that now commands $60 million deals. Up First by NPR represented serious journalism. The mix showed the Globes struggling to define what a "best" podcast actually is.
• The "Video" Pivot: Bill Simmons, the podcast mogul, noted that the industry is in an "arms race" to make audio look good. With Spotify opening video studios and Netflix live-streaming podcasts, the medium is no longer just for ears. It is TV by another name.
• Validation: For creators, the award is a signal that advertisers and studios now view them as premium content. The "hostage video" era of Zoom podcasts is over; high production value is the new standard.

A New Era

By honoring podcasts, the Golden Globes are trying to stay relevant to a Gen Z audience that spends more time with Alex Cooper than with cable TV. Amy Poehler may have the trophy, but the real winner is the medium itself, which has officially graduated from the garage to the ballroom.