You’re a dummy. This is one of the best podcasts. Humanity and humor. Forgiveness and introspection. Thanks Pushkin media!!

As a person prone to regret, this show forces me to examine what sticks in my craw and I really think I’m better off for it. So glad it’s back. Ads are sorta wet-blanketing the episodes now, but I’ll take what I can get.

This podcast is absolutely the best thing I’ve listened to in years! Each episode seems to move me to tears and laughter both!! It’s Great!! Dang I miss new episodes!!!! When guys .. when!!!

Please please make the ads either at the beginning or at the end. It totally kills the show.

In a world of chaos, this is one show I can count on for good news and the inspiration to keep connecting. ✨

Love your show but I do not want to hear anything regarding politics! Especially when you only report one side of the situation.

Jonathan Goldstein just has this amazing way about him that is beyond endearing and smart and kind and humorous. The way he and the producers unfold these tales will hook you. If you like stories about the marrow of real life and want to fall a little in love with guest after guest, this podcast is the one. Too much?

I listen to A LOT of podcasts and this is by far my favorite. I just can’t put into words how great it is. Just listen and be ready to feel feelings. After moving to Pushkin, favorite episodes had an encore with an update and having listened to them all once, the Buzz episode three times, I planned just to listen to the first 10 minutes and then listen to the update. I ended up listening to them all again because they’re just so good. JG is an amazingly insightful hilarious guide to what makes us human. Listen. Now.

Welp. Short lived. I’m done. Maybe 2027 I’ll swing back around. I myself could produce 8 shows by fall 2026. Maybe u lost funding?

Absolutely love the heavyweight podcast. Please understand that I am losing sleep and you must continue.

I do not know how or when I found this podcast. The care that Mr Goldstein puts into each episode shines through with his quirky storytelling. It seems like each episode makes me laugh a little, cry a little, and just smile. Thanks to the cast he has working with him everyone is awesome!!

Nothing can compete with this masterpiece.

Thank you for giving a voice to one family terrorized by ICE. Our immigrant communities are living in fear throughout our entire country. We have to do everything we can to stop the violence and terrorism from this regime.

This is one of the best podcasts I have been listening to. It’s poignant, thought provoking and delves into the human struggle and resolution of enticing stories. While reminiscent of Normal Gossip and This American Life, Heavyweight really ties up the episode leaving the stories’ participants more comfortable and settled. Jonathan Goldstein is a digging detective, a true proponent of helping people. The stories are serious but yet humorous at the same time. I love his banter with Jackie, his best childhood friend who always hangs up on poor Jonathan. Highly recommended- I listen to show after show, never growing tired of it!

People have been recommending this show to me forever. I wish I had taken their advice earlier. This show is funny, human and gives me hope. Thank you for making it.

Best podcast, bar none. It makes me laugh, cry, tugs at raw emotions. Stories so well told, there’s a little in each of us of all the characters. Jonathon is a master at this

Please tell me you’re NOT going political!!!!! I love your work….it was great storytelling and made me laugh. I listen to podcasts to “ get away “ from the deluge of news. What a disappointment. We have immigration laws here. If the bleeding heart liberals stayed out of the way, perhaps we could rid this country of MS-13 gang members who are poisoning us. Where’s the sympathy for all rapes and murders of America citizens? Hypocrite!! I’m done with you after years of listening. What a sellout.

Basic grammar. Please fix the summary.

You’ve done such a good job through the years of staying relevant, from gimlet to this you’ve somehow stayed afloat. But now you’ve made a political and I can no longer listen. If you think I’m dumb enough to think that your wife got out of a car and was so shocked and scared that she had the thought to start recording her voice, you guys are clinically insane. Do you know why ice is out there?? to catch illegal… immigrants. If you believe the illegal immigration is not a crime, then open your front door open your back door. Tell everyone what amazing food is inside and how warm it is and then let everyone move in, but don’t vet any of them just let them come into your home where your wife and your children are.

This podcast has gone from delightful and endearing to smothering!

In the past you’ve taken on individual lower-case seriousness in a way that has made me a long time listener: funny isn’t so funny without the bite. With the Minneapolis episode, you and your wife are showing up like the rest of us: dazed disgusted and serious about it. Thanks from Portland Or

Renee Good and Alex Pretti are helpers? Is Tim Walz also a helper? Your city is an embarrassment to the country.

I have been so glad to hear Heavyweight is back! This week’s show about Minnesota was a welcome departure from usual shows. Just a slice of the heavyweight so many of us -immigrants, citizens, and decent people - are carrying around now. Thank you to Emily and (especially) Yamelis for sharing their families’ experiences. Shame, indeed, on ICE, the immoral and illegal adminstation’s reign, and those who support and enable them

Way to ruin what was a decent show with your Minneapolis episode.

This podcast used to be so great. Why do we need it to change to push political agendas? Why why why?

This episode was hard to listen to, but a necessary, one. Thank you for telling your personal experience with ice.

If your wife was so scared after Renee Goode got “murdered” why did she get out of her at the next scene to be pepper sprayed and flash banged? I respect taking a stance but wanting so badly to be a part of it, obstructing federal agents, and then crying about what the consequences are is wild to me. All the while recording. I’m starting to feel like some people get involved to say they did and to post it instead of actually wanting to make a change.

After so many yrs of podcast listening, I’m convinced Heavyweight is one of the very best. Reminds me (somewhat) of This American Life, but with its own perfect humor! And, love the kindness and persistence of helping others! Surprised that I found it so late, after it went to Pushkin (what a dumb decision by Spotify). I smile, I laugh (not as wonderfully as Jackie), get choked up, occasionally cry, and cling to every word. Thank you so much Heavyweight Team!

One episode in- this is wholly up my alley. If you like This American Life I bet you’ll like this. After years of having this in my saved podcasts, I found the right time to check it out. Right on time

I love storytelling. By listening to this podcast, I get a peek into so many interesting lives, but also get to know the creator and glimpse into his life, where he came from, and why he is driven to investigate these stories and help people find resolution where it is possible. All this done in a comical and poignant, way. Really enjoying it the way I love other story based podcasts like this American life, Snap judgment, Radiolab, etc. so glad I found it!

This is storytelling at its best, with characters you care about and writers who dunk you head first into these people’s lives. My only complaint is there aren’t enough episodes. Highly recommend.

Please listen, produce, create and share more. Very grateful.

Wow, I am a long time listener of this podcast, and this episode #64 Kevin blew my mind. I am never disappointed by any of the episodes, as even the slower ones are sweet or funny. But this one was a must-listen. Sending love to Kevin, Tony, Jason, and Gerald… you are all so important, needed, and loved in this world.

No one else could do a podcast like this but Jonathan and team. It’s truly special. I recommend it to everyone. Thank you.

I'm in total love with this podcast, Jonathan, and Jackie. The humor is spot on, the stories are fascinating, and I have shed numerous tears. Thank you, Jonathan!

so well produced. a gem among podcasts

One of the few podcasts I’ve fallen in love with instantly. Perfectly done. What a gem.

2025 is winding down, and it’s hard to believe I’ve only recently discovered Heavyweight. Thank you, Jonathan and team, for producing such a thoughtful and deeply moving podcast, even if the start at ep1 binging has me often listening when I should be sleeping! Very pleased to see that the show will continue through Pushkin. Thank you!

When my daughter graduated college she moved back home and couldn’t find a job in her field. Desperate, she got a random job at a dispensary. She didn’t have a car so I drove her to work. Every morning we would listen to the first half of the podcast and would pause it until it was time to pick her up and we would listen to the rest. Those stories created a very special mother daughter bond. That was our time together and we thank you for that, we loved all the stories. She’ll be happy to hear your podcast found a new home and we can listen to you again.

I have been a fan of Heavyweight since this summer. It has become the podcast I rush to listen to when a new episode drops. What a way to end the year with such a beautiful episode. I had flashbacks to the movie Titanic, with Deborah playing Rose at the end, after losing the love of her life. What a beautiful love story that never ended. What a beautiful way that she and Jerry were reunited one last time. Such a heartwarming story.

Nostalgia. Happiness. Calmness. Beautiful joyful and happiness. These are the feelings invoked with every heavyweight podcast. Live for this podcast

You had me crying at the end of Deborah this season. I thought it was finally time I leave my 5-star review for this show. It’s worth every star.

This is and has always been a phenomenal podcast, but wow this episode “Deborah” has left me incredibly moved. A powerful story presented with so much empathy, respect, love, and humor too. The Metallica references had me laughing— funnily enough the quote that is mentioned “my lifestyle determines my death style” is something I’ve quoted from that documentary often bc it’s so cheesy in that context — but here another layer of meaning was added thanks to Jonathan. I found myself saying the Kaddish for Jerry with Deborah and sobbing at her pleas for the end to war. A beautiful episode documented masterfully — in the hierarchy of documentaries you should now be at least a top level floor with a view.

I’ve been a fan of Heavyweight for a while, but Deborah’s story prompted me to provide a review. This was an incredible episode with a roller coaster ride of emotions from their kiss goodbye in Washington Heights to your hilarious description of the ride in the van. Thank you for the great stories.

My new favorite podcast! Binging all episodes. Soooo good!

From his amazing humor to his sensitivity to his investigative skills, Heavyweight is hosted by one of the best. Great stories. I love you man. Addition: please don’t ever go on hiatus again. I’m always stunned by how gently moving your podcasts are and how wonderful your humor is. And the theme music is the best—the only that I don’t just skip. Yes, I am a superfan of Heavyweight. Another edit. I can’t love this podcast more but Deborah was the best thing I’ve ever heard even though I cried a bucket. Hate to have reached season’s end. Please, please, please….come back soon!

Somehow just stumbling onto this podcast after hearing Goldstein on This American Life. I’ve listened to this whole season in the past 2 weeks. The story telling excellent and this has quickly become one of my favorites!!!

Thank you, Jonathon. Heavyweight is my favorite podcast. Each episode is like a gift to my ears.

This podcast has made me laugh, cry, and smile—absolutely fantastic storytelling, incredible editing, and staying true to their mission of throughout the years. Thank you for recording these genuine and heartfelt human stories!

I'm so glad Heavyweight is back. There is no other show like it. I look forward to every new episode, and I've listened to some of my favorites a few times.