This is\u00a0<\/em>Hot Pod,\u00a0<\/em>The Verge\u2019s newsletter about podcasting and the audio industry. Sign up\u00a0<\/em>here<\/em>\u00a0for more.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Hello! I know many of you are in LA for Podcast Movement Evolutions. I am not, so feel free to reach out with gossip.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Today, New York<\/em> Magazine publishes a polarizing profile of podcast star Andrew Huberman, Slate <\/em>takes home the award for Podcast of the Year, and Bill Maher launches a new network.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n New York<\/em> Magazine publishes lengthy feature on Andrew Huberman and his messy personal life<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n I don\u2019t begrudge you if you haven\u2019t had the time to read New York<\/em> Magazine\u2019s 8,000-word cover story on Andrew Huberman. While much of the piece focuses on how he juggled multiple affairs as he was in a long-term relationship (spoiler: all the women become friends!), it also looks at the culture of bro podcasts and how they have become surprisingly central, if not exactly reliable, sources of information.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Huberman, a neurobiology professor at Stanford, rose to prominence several years ago by making science explainer videos and appearing as a guest on shows like The Joe Rogan Experience<\/em> and Lex Fridman Podcast<\/em>. His show, Huberman Lab<\/em>, launched in 2021 and currently ranks in the top 15 podcasts on both Spotify and Apple Podcasts. And, according to Chartable, it has the fifth-highest reach of any podcast in the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The author, NYMag <\/em>features writer Kerry Howley, argues that Huberman\u2019s academic background gives him a sheen of legitimacy, even though his usual pet topics \u2014 fitness, mental wellness, and why you should never ever have even a drop of alcohol \u2014 have nothing to do with his specialty of visual-system wiring.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cHow comfortable one feels with the science propagated on Huberman Lab depends entirely on how much leeway one is willing to give a man who expounds for multiple hours a week on subjects well outside his area of expertise,\u201d Howley writes. I think we have learned that listeners will give their hosts of choice a lot <\/em>of leeway when it comes to science.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Peers and fans of Huberman have come to his defense. Focusing on the elements about Huberman\u2019s personal life, Fridman called the profile<\/a> a \u201chit piece,\u201d and conservative thinkpieces are cropping up claiming he is being unfairly targeted. It goes back to the mindset that independent hosts like Huberman, Fridman, and Rogan are more trustworthy than mainstream media sources. It seems unlikely that Huberman will lose many (if any) fans over the piece, though it may put him more on the defensive than before.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n What did you think of the Huberman profile? Feel free to reach out at ariel.shapiro@theverge.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Bill Maher expands podcast operation with a controversial host<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Ah, a throwback to a simpler time when celebrities launched podcast networks. Bill Maher, who hosts the podcast Club Random<\/em> in addition to Real Time with Bill Maher<\/em> on HBO, announced today<\/a> that his podcast operation is launching a new show hosted by controversial former ESPN host Sage Steele.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n