Hulu is ramping up its investment in the rapidly growing podcast space by adding four new podcasts to its platform. The licensed titles include the comedy podcast Handsome hosted by Tig Notaro, Fortune Feimster, and Mae Martin, the rewatch podcast The Mess Around (hosted by Hannah Simone and Lamorne Morris) for the series New Girl, Prison Breaking based on the show Prison Break, and That Was Us hosted by Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, and Chris Sullivan, stars of This Is Us.

These programs will launch on Hulu starting April 19. New episodes will be made available exclusively on the platform before being opened up to other streaming services, with archive content also being accessible. Handsome, The Mess Around, and That Was Us are part of Hulu's licensing agreement with the podcast network Headgum. As part of this deal, the first podcast, We’re Here to Help (a advice podcast hosted by Jake Johnson and Gareth Reynolds from New Girl), premiered on Hulu in February.

Hulu's General Manager and Vice President of DTC Content Partnerships, Lauren Tempest, stated, "Each of these podcasts has built a passionate fan base, and we are excited to bring them to a wider audience on Hulu." Tempest also emphasized that podcasts play a significant role in Hulu's content strategy, focusing on delivering popular productions that spark cultural conversations with creators at the center as the platform continues to grow.

Kaiti Moos, Vice President of Content at Headgum, said, "Each of these shows has a special relationship with its target audience, and we are thrilled to be able to grow them with a talented collaborator like Hulu. This new era allows us to expand while staying true to our existing fans and preserving the experiences they love."

Before its agreement with Headgum, Hulu already hosted companion podcasts for some of Disney+ and Hulu's most popular series, including Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, Paradise, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Tell Me Lies, FX's Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, and Marvel Television's Daredevil: Born Again. This move demonstrates Hulu's ongoing strategy to expand its digital content ecosystem with podcasts.