10 Podcasts Like Smartless (Celebrity Interviews with Heart)

Episode 0008: Jonny Hoffner - Good > Safe

Jonny Hoffner of Paper Antler Photography and Good Lion Golf on 17 years of wedding photography, building two creative businesses, and why good doesn't have to mean safe.

If you want podcasts like Smartless, you are probably chasing a pretty specific mix: celebrity guests, real chemistry between hosts, quick jokes, and just enough sincerity to keep the show from feeling disposable.

That is harder to find than it sounds. Plenty of interview podcasts have famous guests. Plenty of comedy podcasts have banter. Fewer shows combine the two in a way that feels genuinely warm rather than overproduced or smug.

Smartless works because Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett sound like they are having an actual good time. The surprise guest format helps, but the real engine is trust. The hosts can tease each other, pivot into a sincere question, then pull the energy back into something playful without breaking the mood.

Why people look for shows like Smartless

Sometimes you do not want a hard-hitting interview. You want a show that keeps moving, makes you laugh, and still gives you a few moments where someone drops their public posture and says something real.

That combination is valuable because it mirrors how many good conversations actually feel. They are rarely all serious or all silly. They move. They loosen people up. Then something honest slips through.

Rob Bell once put it this way: “Blessed are the ones who are in on the joke.” Different context, same principle. The best conversational shows make you feel included in the rhythm rather than forced to admire it from outside.

Source: Episode 0003: Rob Bell

The difference with Smartless

The core Smartless formula is not just celebrity access. It is multi-host chemistry. That matters because chemistry changes the pressure on the guest. Instead of a one-to-one interview where every answer has to carry the whole scene, the conversation can bounce.

Compared with more confessional shows, Smartless is lighter on discomfort. Compared with heavily produced chat shows, it is looser. Compared with pure comedy podcasts, it is more guest-centered.

So if you are looking for alternatives, decide which part you want most:

• The surprise and unpredictability
• The funny friend energy
• The celebrity access
• The easy pace
• The occasional real emotional opening

The best matches below each overlap with Smartless in a slightly different way.

Signs a show will feel similar

• Hosts have real chemistry instead of forced banter.
• Famous guests still sound relaxed.
• The show moves quickly without feeling rushed.
• Jokes do not crowd out curiosity.
• The tone stays warm even when the teasing gets sharp.
• Episodes leave room for one or two unexpectedly sincere moments.

What to listen to instead

1. Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade

If what you love about Smartless is hearing funny, well-connected hosts riff with famous guests, this is one of the clearest alternatives. It leans more behind-the-scenes comedy history, but the hangout energy is strong.

2. Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend

Conan brings more chaos and improvisational force than the Smartless trio, but the celebrity interview rhythm is similar: playful first, personal later. Great fit if your favorite Smartless moments come from comedians making each other laugh.

3. Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler is exceptionally good at making famous people feel both admired and normal. The tone is smart, warm, and relaxed. If you like Smartless for its friendliness, this one lands well.

4. Armchair Expert

This show is less breezy than Smartless, but it shares one big strength: guests often forget they are doing promo and start talking like people. Choose this if you want more depth without losing accessibility.

5. WTF with Marc Maron

Maron is moodier and more searching than the Smartless hosts, but there is meaningful overlap if you enjoy celebrity interviews that stop sounding scripted. It is the better pick when you want less polish and more edge.

6. Las Culturistas

Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang bring fast, funny host chemistry and a strong sense of shared language with guests. It is more stylized than Smartless, but the social energy is similarly addictive.

7. Dinner’s On Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson

This one is softer and more intimate. The restaurant setting helps guests loosen up, and the conversations often feel more personal than a normal press-stop interview.

8. Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers

Seth and Josh Meyers have easy sibling chemistry that gives the show a relaxed, affectionate tone. If your favorite part of Smartless is host interplay, this is a strong option.

9. We Can Do Hard Things

Not a direct tonal match, but it belongs here for listeners who like the feeling of close rapport and emotional openness inside a familiar host dynamic. Less celebrity-comedy, more heart.

10. So Many Questions…

This is the recommendation for listeners who want the human side of the conversation more than the celebrity roster. So Many Questions… shares the belief that the real material shows up when people feel safe enough to stop performing. Try Rob Bell, Ken Seng, or Cespedes Family BBQ.

Example: the chemistry test

A useful way to judge shows like this is to ask whether the hosts make room for play without losing substance. If the entire episode is bits, it gets thin. If it is too earnest, it loses the bounce that makes Smartless fun.

That balance depends on trust. As Elizabeth Maxson said, “If you are very closed off, how can you expect others to help or advocate for you if they don’t understand it?” Again, different context, same truth. Good conversation needs some openness. The best host teams know how to create that without making the room heavy.

Source: Episode 0005: Elizabeth Maxson

That is why chemistry matters so much here. You are not just listening for questions. You are listening for a social environment where good answers become possible.

Why multi-host interview shows feel different

A single host carries all the energy management alone. In a multi-host show, the load gets distributed. One person can joke, another can follow up, and a third can notice the emotional turn. That often makes the guest relax.

It also gives listeners more entry points. Maybe you are there for Bateman’s dry timing, Hayes’s openness, or Arnett’s mock aggression. The variety keeps the show moving.

That structure is hard to replicate, which is why no recommendation list can produce an exact replacement. But the shows above capture different slices of the same appeal: ensemble energy, famous guests, warmth, and enough genuine curiosity to keep things alive.

Takeaway

The best podcasts like Smartless combine celebrity access with actual chemistry. They feel quick, funny, and welcoming, but still leave room for a guest to become more than a sound bite.

Start with Fly on the Wall, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, and Good Hang with Amy Poehler for the closest tonal overlap. If what you love most is the warmth under the jokes, branch into Armchair Expert or So Many Questions…. The exact format may change, but the goal is the same: funny conversation with enough heart to last beyond the episode.