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Zack Peter has reacted to Harvey Levin's criticism of the Golden Globes. It comes after Joe Rogan wasn't included in the inaugural best podcast category for the awards.
The Joe Rogan Experience has been one of the most renowned podcasts over the years. It started in December 2009 and has had over 2,400 episodes. However, as the Golden Globes announced a Best Podcast category, JRE wasn't included in the nominees.
Amidst this, TMZ founder Harvey Levin slammed the Globes for not including Rogan's podcast in the category. He said:
“These awards are junk. I mean, it makes absolutely no sense when you look at the new category, podcasts. How is it that Joe Rogan and Theo Vaughn haven't been nominated?”
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“It's obvious what the answer is. The answer is that he leans to the RIGHT. And that's the way all of these awards work.”
Podcaster Zack Peter quoted Levin's criticism in a post on X (formerly Twitter), and wrote on December 9:
"Also, these awards are essentially BOUGHT. You have to pay to get nominated. Then pay to have visibility. Then pay more to court the people that vote. It can cost up $75k to campaign for a GG. Rogan & Theo don’t care enough to pay when they know the votes won’t pick them anyway."
Meanwhile, when asked why Joe Rogan's podcast wasn't added to the nominees list, the Golden Globes responded (h/t AOL):
"To be considered for nomination in any category, studios, production companies and distributors are required to submit all content for review for eligibility."
Meanwhile, the Globes will return in January 2026 for its 83rd edition.
Experts open up on Best Podcast category at Golden Globes, as Joe Rogan among big names to not be nominated
The first six nominees for the Best Podcast award are Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Call Her Daddy, Good Hang with Amy Poehler, The Mel Robbins Podcast, SmartLess, and Up First. One noticeable pattern in this is that the panel appears to have avoided controversial or political podcasts like The Megyn Kelly Show and The Tucker Carlson Show, among others.
Ben Bogardus, chair of journalism at Quinnipiac University, said about these choices (h/t News 6):
"They’re trying to bill themselves as an award show that is for the masses and non-controversial, celebrating the best in entertainment. Having this political sideshow, I think they just wanted to avoid that."
Regardless, Karl Hughes, CEO of The Podcast Consultant, which helps launch podcasts, hailed the new category. He said:
“If that’s how you want to pick your ‘best podcast,’ that’s certainly one starting point and one way to do it. I think it leaves a lot of stuff out. It leaves a lot of nuance out.”
“It’s a good thing for the industry to get more recognition and getting recognition in a major award ceremony is awesome. I think that’s cool to see. But the way it’s done, of course, is a very blunt instrument,” he added.
Hughes added that such recognition could help more people and businesses enter the field of podcasting and grow it further.
