--- description: Find out why "Code Switch" is on TIME's list of the 100 best podcasts of all time. title: 'Code Switch' Is on The 100 Best Podcasts of All Time image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdc749984b4238d80/6998c871e2d64b3911c5f877/Best-Podcasts-2025-Code-Switch-018.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Jul 23, 2025 # Code Switch Unpacking race in America by [Jake Kring-Schreifels](/author/jake-kring-schreifels/) ## Jake Kring-Schreifels Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Kring-Schreifels is a contributor for TIME.  **_Society_** In the spring of 2020, in the aftermath of the killings of [George Floyd](https://time.com/5847967/george-floyd-protests-trump/ "undefined"), [Breonna Taylor](https://time.com/6156590/breonna-taylor-no-knock-warrants/ "undefined"), and [Ahmaud Arbery](https://time.com/6121300/ahmaud-arbery-brunswick-georgia/ "undefined"), co-hosts Shereen Marisol Meraji and Gene Demby noticed their podcast _Code Switch_ rocketing up the Apple charts. The tragedies had encouraged [many white Americans](https://time.com/magazine/us/5851840/june-22nd-2020-vol-195-no-23-u-s/ "undefined") in particular to find literature and media that could provide context and interrogate the intersection of race and identity in America—and _Code Switch_ quickly stood out. Though it launched in 2016, the show’s impressive episode archive demonstrates how much its hosts were ahead of the discourse, dissecting the landscape of race-related shootings and grappling with the push to [remove Confederate statues](https://time.com/5869866/replace-confederate-statues/ "undefined") and memorials. The podcast began as an offshoot of NPR’s Code Switch blog, but Meraji and Demby understood early on that their reporting could resonate more powerfully in people’s ears. Once they had the backing, they built something that could hold nuance and urgency at the same time. Soon, the show evolved into a kind of cultural compass—never preachy, always curious—using the news of the moment to trace the roots of inequality and identity without flattening anyone’s experience. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-best-podcasts/7303059/code-switch/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-best-podcasts/7303059/code-switch/"},"headline":"Code Switch","datePublished":"2025-07-23T11:11:02.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:52:03.821Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-best-podcasts/7303059/code-switch/","keywords":["podcasts","list","Podcast","Special Project"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdc749984b4238d80/6998c871e2d64b3911c5f877/Best-Podcasts-2025-Code-Switch-018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jake Kring-Schreifels","jobTitle":"Kring-Schreifels is a contributor for TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/jake-kring-schreifels/"}],"creator":"Jake Kring-Schreifels","articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdc749984b4238d80/6998c871e2d64b3911c5f877/Best-Podcasts-2025-Code-Switch-018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/podcasts/","name":"podcasts"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-best-podcasts/7303059/code-switch/","name":"Code Switch"}}]}] ```