Podcrushed

Podcrushed takes the most embarrassing, awkward, and painfully relatable moments from middle school and turns them into something you can actually laugh about. Penn Badgley (yes, the actor from You and Gossip Girl) hosts alongside Nava Kavelin and Sophie Ansari, and the format works like this: listeners submit their own cringe-worthy adolescent stories, and the hosts read them on air, react, and then bring in celebrity guests who share their own teenage horror stories. The genius of the show is that it normalizes all the stuff that felt world-ending at the time. First crushes that went sideways, body hair panic, schoolyard fights, the social hierarchy of the cafeteria. Famous guests sit down and admit they went through the exact same things, which strips away the illusion that successful people had it all figured out as kids. The chemistry between the three hosts is strong, and Badgley in particular brings a thoughtful energy that keeps conversations from becoming just another comedy riff. Distributed by Lemonada Media, the show has 197 episodes and a 4.7 star average from over 1,000 Apple reviews. New episodes drop regularly, and the tone walks a smart line between funny and genuinely vulnerable. For any high school student who still winces at memories from a few years ago, Podcrushed is proof that everyone has those stories.