LARRY WILMORE TO HOST
THE PODCAST ACADEMY’S THIRD ANNUAL
AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN AUDIO

The Ambies® will be Streamed Live from 6-7:30 p.m. PST on
March 7 on Twitch from the International Theater in Las Vegas

LOS ANGELES, CA, JANUARY 23, 2023—The Podcast Academy, the preeminent professional podcast organization, announced today that Emmy Award-winning producer, writer, comedian, actor and podcast host Larry Wilmore will host its third annual Awards for Excellence in Audio (The Ambies®) on March 7. The ceremony will be streamed LIVE on Twitch from the International Theater in Las Vegas from 6-7:30 p.m. PST. Sponsor support for The Podcast Academy includes The Hollywood Reporter, Wondery, Sonoro, Audible, The Podcast Show, Stitcher, PRX, Tenderfoot TV, Castbox, Loeb & Loeb, and Paramount.

“As a podcaster myself, one of the beautiful things about the medium is getting the opportunity to have insightful long-form conversations,” said Wilmore. “That and not always having to wear pants. But for my peers, I plan to wear my fanciest pants as I serve as the host of The Podcast Academy’s Awards for Excellence in Audio on March 7.”

Donald Albright, chairperson of The Podcast Academy and CEO of Tenderfoot TV stated: “Larry’s prolific body of work and unique humor spans the stage, screen, and podcasting. To say that we are lucky to have him host this year’s Ambies® is an understatement. He’s an icon in his own right. We cannot wait to see—and hear—what he will bring to the ceremony.”

The Ambies® celebrate excellence in podcasting and elevate awareness and status of podcasts as a unique and personal medium for entertainment, information, storytelling and expression. The ceremony will highlight 185 nominees across 26 categories with winners to be selected by every voting member of The Podcast Academy — in addition to a Governor’s Award. Eligible new members will be able to vote to determine this year’s winners if applications are submitted by February 1. More information may be found at www.thepodcastacademy.com/join-the-community.

Last year’s winners featured activists, award-winners, bestselling authors, luminaries and renowned journalists. Pineapple Street Studios’ 9/12 was named Podcast of the Year, Sam Sanders received Best Podcast Host, Suspect from Wondery & Campside Media was honored as Best True Crime Podcast, Rosamund Pike won Best Performer in Audio Fiction for her work on QCode and Crooked’s Edith!, plus many more winners. A full list of 2022 Ambies® winners may be found here. 

Emmy Award winner Larry Wilmore has been a television producer, actor, comedian, and writer for more than 25 years. He can currently be heard as host of Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air on The Ringer Podcast Network. The show features Wilmore’s unique mix of humor and wit as he weighs in on the issues of the week and interviews guests in the worlds of politics, entertainment, culture, sports, and beyond. He can also be seen in the Paramount+ film Jerry and Margo Go Large, alongside Bryan Cranston and Annette Benning. He also serves as executive producer alongside Kerry Washington, in the Hulu legal drama Reasonable Doubt for Hulu’s Onyx Collective. From September-December 2020, Wilmore hosted and executive produced a limited weekly special talk series WILMORE for NBC’s streaming service Peacock focusing not only on the 2020 Presidential Election, but on the topics that America is talking about. He also appeared in and executive produced Netflix’s Amend: The Fight for America.

Wilmore is perhaps best known for his role as host of Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, which debuted in January 2015 and ran for nearly two years.

Off-screen, Wilmore served as co-creator and consulting producer on HBO’s Insecure. Wilmore also helped to launch ABC’s black-ish as an executive producer and is a co-creator of the spin-off Grownish.

Previously, Wilmore made memorable appearances as the “Senior Black Correspondent” on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and hosted his own Showtime “town hall”-style comedy specials, Larry Wilmore’s Race, Religion & Sex. He has written for In Living Color, The PJ’s (which he co-created), The Office (on which he has appeared as Mr. Brown, the diversity

consultant), and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He also served as creator, writer, and executive producer of The Bernie Mac Show, which earned him a 2002 Emmy Award for “Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series” and a 2001 Peabody Award.

ABOUT THE PODCAST ACADEMY

Founded in February 2020, The Podcast Academy is a not-for-profit professional membership organization that celebrates excellence in podcasting and elevates awareness of podcasts as an indispensable medium for entertainment, information, and creative expression. It values individual and organizational creators alike, of all backgrounds and means, and defines achievement through the values of quality, creativity, innovation, inclusion, and impact. The Podcast Academy provides community, professional development, and industry connections through inclusive, dynamic programming. For more information about The Podcast Academy, please visit www.thepodcastacademy.com and follow/like/subscribe on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Linkedin. 

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Press Contact:
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Press Assets:
Larry Wilmore headshot: here; photo credit: Peter Yang, Comedy Central
The Ambies logo: here; photo credit: The Podcast Academy