Hi Notker23,
Welcome to Apple Support Communities! We appreciate you reaching out for help with this issue you're experiencing when using the Podcasts app. Rest assured, we're committed to helping in any way we can.
To isolate the root cause, we recommend starting your Mac in safe mode to see if the same thing occurs. Here's a guide with the steps to start up and test in safe mode. You'll want to follow the instructions for Macs with Apple Silicon:
How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support
Safe mode clears out cached data, and prevents login items from loading. If the issue isn't occurring in safe mode, but returns on the next restart, you'll want to test your login items by following these instructions:
Remove login items to resolve startup problems on your Mac - Apple Support
Let us know how it goes, or if you've to any questions.
Have a great day!