Podcast
Man of the Year - Champions of Friendship
Hosted by Matt Ritter and Aaron Karo · EN
As seen in The New York Times, on NPR, and the TODAY Show, Man of the Year is the #1 friendship podcast in the country! Comedians and friendship experts Matt Ritter and Aaron Karo will help you make new friends, reconnect with old ones, and build lifelong social fitness. Each November they award a gigantic Man of the Year trophy to one of their childhood friends – a tradition that has kept their crew going strong since the '80s. But the country is facing a friendship recession – 15% of men report having zero close friends – and they’re on a mission to change that with tips, hacks, and decades of hilarious stories. Join the revolution at manoftheyearpodcast.com and instagram.com/manoftheyearpodcast
62episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
#186 - Permaguests
Yesterday00:30:21Summary readyMatt and Karo have talked about the benefits of being a host many times before, but we decided this week to talk about the other side. The guests who seem to never host. Is it ok to be a permaguest, and if so, what are you obligations? Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Summary#185 - Group Chat Etiquette and Sardinemaxxing
1w ago00:30:50Summary readyKaro and Matt the discuss the rules for optimizing the group chat with your friends – but more importantly, fad king Matt spends ten minutes on his effort to eat as many sardines as possible. Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Summary#184 - Invite Yourself
2w ago00:30:07Summary readyMatt and Karo discuss a strategy most people don't talk about when it comes to friendship - what if you stopped waiting for invites and started inviting yourself over? Yes, maybe that sounds aggressive, but the truth is most of the time invites don't come for any particular reason, you could be in the right time or right place, or at top of someone's mind, or you can be forgotten or neglected for no reason. So what if you took a little bit of an assertive approach and invited yourself more. We discuss the pros and cons of the "Invite Yourself" Approach. Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Summary#183 - Buddymoon’s Over
3w ago00:30:00Summary readyKaro and Matt break down the rise of the “buddymoon” – the trend of friends tagging along on (or replacing) the traditional honeymoon – and whether it’s a genius evolution or a relationship red flag. Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Summary#182 - Brutal Honesty
4w ago00:32:23Summary readyMatt and Karo debate where the line is. You want friends who will tell it like it is but at some point does it cross from support to unhealthy friending? Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Summary#181 - Roommates!
Apr 2100:31:27Summary readyThere’s no friendship more intimate than a roommate. You see everything: habits, quirks, and the stuff no one else can ever know. Karo and Matt break down the upsides, the downsides, and why living together can either cement a friendship or quietly destroy it. Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Summary#180 - TCS - Text Call See
Apr 1400:30:11Summary readyMatt and Karo came up with a great rubric because lets face it if we don't have any structure our friendships fall by the wayside. We find TCS - text once a week, call once a month, see IRL once a quarter, to be an ideal baseline. Obviously more is better but this is a healthy way to stay connected. Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Summary#179 - Drinking Buddies
Apr 700:30:32Summary readyAlcohol can act as a powerful social lubricant, lowering inhibitions and making it easier for friendships to form. But it can also mask real issues and create a version of connection that doesn’t always hold up in the sober light of day. This week, Karo and Matt examine where drinking genuinely enhances friendship, where it quietly undermines it, and how to tell the difference. Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Summary#178 - Cuffing Season 2026
Mar 3100:30:11Summary readyMatt and Karo get back to a topic they discussed slash invented a few years back. We all know about "cuffing season" for relationships, but there's also a friendship cuffing season and it is upon us. So we give you the best practices to get out and friend! Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Summary#177 - Our March Madness Bro-cket
Mar 2400:33:09Summary readySteady Eddy vs. Rich but out of touch. Stick to the plan guy vs. Up for anything guy. Hype man vs. Guy who disappears for months at a time. Connector vs. Screwed up his life guy. Karo and Matt put the many types of friends into a bracket to determine who is the worthiest of them all. Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Summary