

Man of the Year - Champions of Friendship
Matt Ritter and Aaron Karo
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
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 31, 2026 • 30min
#178 - Cuffing Season 2026
Matt 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.

Mar 24, 2026 • 33min
#177 - Our March Madness Bro-cket
Steady 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.

Mar 17, 2026 • 31min
#176 - Grieving Friends
Sometimes things are hard and people need their friends to show up. When someone away, that's what separates the real ones. Matt and Karo discuss the best ways to show up in the hard times.
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.

Mar 10, 2026 • 31min
#175 - Friendship and Stoicism, aka “Broicism” (sorry)
Everyone’s talking about Stoicism these days. But is it a guide for taking control of your life, or a bunch of BS? Karo and Matt discuss applying Stoicism to friendship!
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.

Mar 3, 2026 • 30min
#174 - Admin Friends
There's a growing trend of people gathering with their friends to take care of the mundane tasks: taxes, cancelling subscriptions, clearing inboxes. Matt and Karo get into the pros and cons of all of this.
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.

Feb 24, 2026 • 30min
#173 - The Friend Group Fallacy
Karo and Matt discuss the “friend group fallacy” – the belief that a tight knit crew is preferable to and more common than strong one-on-one bonds. They unpack how sitcoms, social media, and comparison culture distort our expectations, and why a constellation of close individual friendships can be just as meaningful as any group text thread.
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.

Feb 17, 2026 • 30min
#172 - Do Your Friends Need to Change With You?
Matt and Karo discuss what happens when you evolve. Does your crew need to evolve along with you? If you outgrow them, does the friendship need to end?
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.

Feb 10, 2026 • 31min
#171 - Yes Men
When your buddies reach out for plans, are you an immediate Yes (Matt) or a knee-jerk No (Karo)? This week the guys discuss best practices for when to accept an invitation from a friend, and when to politely decline.
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.

Feb 3, 2026 • 30min
#170 - The Superbowl of Friendship - 2026 Edition
It's Superbowl weekend and Matt and Karo share the best tips for making the most of it from a Friendship perspective.
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.

7 snips
Jan 27, 2026 • 30min
#169 - One-on-One Friends vs. Big Group Friends
They unpack why some people shine in big groups but freeze in one-on-one settings. They explore inner-circle versus outer-circle dynamics and when to mix friend groups. They debate etiquette for bringing new people into hangs and share tips for upgrading group acquaintances into closer pals. They also discuss when to accept a friendship as group-only and when to stop trying.


