What struck me most in our conversation is that this story didn’t begin as an investigation at all. Christine and her husband, videographer Tolga Katas, moved to Short Creek simply to support a community still recovering from the aftermath of Warren Jeffs. What unfolded instead was something far more dangerous: the rise of a new self-proclaimed prophet, Samuel Bateman, and a years-long undercover effort to expose him.

Some highlights:

• Christine’s work is deeply personal. Before becoming an expert, she herself was drawn into a relationship with a false prophet, an experience that shaped her understanding of coercion, belief, and the devastating power of manipulation. That perspective is what makes her such a compelling voice in this space. She doesn’t approach survivors with judgment, only empathy.

• One of the most powerful themes we discussed is groupthink. Christine describes it as “superglue”, a force that binds people together in ways that make leaving not just difficult, but psychologically disorienting. It’s easy from the outside to ask, “Why didn’t they just leave?” But inside that system, belief is constantly reinforced by family, community, and fear.

• Then there is the risk she took. Gaining Bateman’s trust meant entering his inner circle, while quietly documenting evidence of abuse, sometimes even recording his own confessions. What began as documentation turned into a high-stakes, years-long effort that ultimately contributed to his arrest and conviction.

• This doesn’t mean it was a clean ending. As Christine explained, belief systems like this don’t simply disappear when a leader is imprisoned. Many followers remain loyal. The real work, the long and complicated process of helping people untangle themselves from those beliefs, continues to this day.

  CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW.

  

The results revealed a life-altering truth: the man she had always believed was her father… wasn’t biologically related to her.

In this week’s Saturday series episode, Michele shares the emotional aftermath of that discovery, the shock that stops you in your tracks, the unraveling of identity, and the quiet but persistent questioning of everything you thought you knew about your own story.

What does it mean to realize that a core piece of your identity isn’t what you believed? How do you reconcile love, memory, and biology when they no longer align?

This story has a very happy ending.

Michele’s episode: listen here.

Here are the episodes this week:

Episode 1555: Real Housewives of Beverly Hills + Ladies of London: The New Reign
Culture writer and critic Louis Staples joins me from London to unpack two shows steeped in wealth, power, and social maneuvering. We discuss the current season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and the much-anticipated return of Ladies of London with The New Reign. Louis brings sharp cultural insight to both franchises, and we talk about how class, status, and identity play out differently in American and British reality television.

Episode 1556: Whitner Slagsvol from Southern Charm
Charleston-based attorney, entrepreneur, and new Southern Charm cast member Whitner Slagsvol joins the show. Whitner talks about his long-standing friendships with several members of the cast—relationships that go back years before the show—and offers perspective on what viewers don’t always see. We discuss how the group interacts when cameras aren’t rolling and how real-life friendships intersect with the dynamics of reality television.

Episode 1557: Twisted Yoga

Director Rowan Deacon discusses the three-part Apple TV+ docuseries Twisted Yoga. The series follows young yoga students from around the world seeking peace and purpose who ultimately fall under the influence of reclusive Romanian guru Gregorian Bivolaru, leader of an international network of tantric yoga schools. As some students begin to fear they’ve joined a cult, the series examines Bivolaru’s troubling past and the allegations against him—including human trafficking, kidnapping, and rape—which he denies. Several women are now working with French authorities as the case unfolds.

Episode 1558: Saturday Series — David Sussillo

Neuroscientist, technologist, and author David Sussillo joins me to discuss his memoir Emergence: A Memoir of Boyhood, Computation, and the Mysteries of Mind. David and I first met as classmates at the Milton Hershey School in Pennsylvania. His story is remarkable: born to drug-addicted parents in New Mexico, he navigated a childhood marked by violence and instability before eventually studying at Columbia and Stanford and building a career at the forefront of neuroscience and artificial intelligence. We talk about resilience, the evolution of neural networks, and how David came to ask a deeply personal question—why did he succeed against all odds?

Episode 1559: Love Is Blind — Reunion Breakdown

Reality TV producer and Fixing Famous People podcast co-host Chris DeRosa joins me to break down the reunion episode of Love Is Blind season 10, featuring singles from Ohio. We unpack the biggest moments, unresolved tensions, and what the reunion revealed about the couples now that the experiment is over.

Enjoy!

Kate

With renewed interest sparked by Hulu’s Love Story, which revisits the romance and mythology surrounding John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, I thought it might be helpful to compile a list of the conversations I’ve had over the years about the family and its orbit. If you’ve found yourself wanting more context, more nuance, or simply more stories, this is a place to start.

Episode 744 – Part One: Jackie: Public, Private, Secret

New York Times bestselling J. Randy Taraborelli discusses the life of the legendary former first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Based on hundreds of interviews with friends, family, and lovers over a thirty-year period—as well as previously unreleased material from the JFK Library—Kennedy historian J. Randy Taraborrelli paints an unforgettable new portrait of a woman whose flaws and contradictions only serve to make her even more iconic. “I have three lives,” Jackie told a former lover, “public, private and secret.” In this revealing biography, readers will become intimately familiar with all three.

In part one he discusses her childhood, marriage, relationship with her sister Lee, and the mysterious phone call from Marilyn Monroe.

Episode 745 – Part Two: Jackie: Public, Private, Secret

New York Times bestselling J. Randy Taraborelli discusses the life of the legendary former first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Based on hundreds of interviews with friends, family, and lovers over a thirty-year period—as well as previously unreleased material from the JFK Library—Kennedy historian J. Randy Taraborrelli paints an unforgettable new portrait of a woman whose flaws and contradictions only serve to make her even more iconic. “I have three lives,” Jackie told a former lover, “public, private and secret.” In this revealing biography, readers will become intimately familiar with all three.

In part one he discusses the aftermath of President Kennedy’s assassination, her marriage to Aristotle Onassis, her relationship with her sister Artemis, and her death.

Episode 817 – The Assassination of John F. Kennedy

Kate discusses National Geographic’s Emmy-winning series One Day In America, which re-examines the events surrounding November 22, 1963, from a perspective that many Americans may have never seen or heard before. She also discusses retired Secret Service agent Paul Landis’ new book The Final Witness: A Kennedy Secret Service Agent Breaks His Silence After Sixty Years.

An interview with author James DiEugenio, about the documentary JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass, in which he wrote the screenplay. It is based on his book Destiny Betrayed: JFK, Cuba, and the Garrison Case.

Episode 1065 – The Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy

Elizabeth Beller, author of Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. The life and legacy of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, wife of John F. Kennedy Jr., are reexamined in this captivating and effervescent biography that is perfect for fans of My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy, What Remains, and Fairy Tale Interrupted.

Episode 1089 – JFK JR: AN INTIMATE ORAL BIOGRAPHY

Rosemarie Terenzio and Liz McNeil, authors of JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography, an intimate, comprehensive look at the real man behind the myth. Sharing never-before-told stories and insights, his closest friends, confidantes, lovers, classmates, teachers, and colleagues paint a vivid portrait of one of the most beloved figures of the 20th century, revealing how the boy who saluted became the man America came to know and love who still captures public imagination twenty-five years after his tragic death.

Born into the spotlight, John F. Kennedy Jr. lived a short but remarkable life filled with expectation, ambition, family pressures, love, and tragedy. JFK Jr. dives deep into his complicated psyche and explores the what-ifs, illuminating both the cultural and political moment he inhabited and the way this son of a president, so full of promise and possibility, embodied America’s most cherished hopes.

Episode 1369 – JFK: Public Private Secret

Acclaimed journalist and bestselling author J. Randy Taraborrelli discusses his latest book, JFK: Public, Private, Secret.

Drawing from newly uncovered documents, extensive interviews, and never-before-seen archival materials, JFK: Public, Private, Secret offers a deeply nuanced portrait of Kennedy—exploring the complexities of his personal life, political ambition, and the legacy he left behind. In our conversation, Taraborrelli discusses the motivations behind writing the book, the challenges of separating myth from fact, and the revelations that shed new light on Kennedy’s presidency and private struggles.

Enjoy and pass it on!

Kate

James joins me to provide expert analysis of the Nancy Guthrie investigation, drawing on a career that spans senior leadership roles across military, intelligence, and private-sector security operations. His background includes service with the United States Army Special Operations Command, Joint Special Operations Command, and U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), where he contributed to complex operational planning and networked missions. He also served as a National Capital Region Liaison Officer for U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

Prior to his military career, James worked as a Special Agent with the FBI, applying intelligence and law enforcement expertise to high-risk, time-sensitive investigations.

Across both episodes, James walks through why law enforcement intentionally limits what it shares publicly, what ransom communications can—and cannot—tell investigators, and how media attention and public pressure can complicate an active case rather than help resolve it.

In Episode 1513 and Episode 1516, I spoke with Elizabeth Smart and Amanda Knox, respectively. These conversations weren’t about rehashing salacious details. They were about reclaiming narrative, surviving public trauma, and living in the aftermath of stories the world refuses to forget.

Episode 1513: Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart

Elizabeth Smart was just 14 years old when she was abducted from her bedroom in the middle of the night from her family’s home in Utah. Taken at knifepoint, she was held captive for nine months, forced to live in plain sight while enduring repeated sexual assault, psychological control, and constant threats to her life and her family’s safety.

In the new documentary Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart, her story is told through her own words, alongside never-before-seen material that reframes what survival actually looked like for her—not as a neat arc of heroism, but as something far messier, quieter, and deeply human.

In our conversation, Elizabeth spoke candidly about the fear and confusion of being taken, how coercion and trauma truly work, and the long, difficult road of healing.

Episode 1516: Amanda Knox Returns to Italy

Amanda Knox has lived more than half her life under the shadow of a crime she did not commit.

In Episode 1516, Amanda Knox and her husband, Christopher Robinson, joined me to discuss their new Hulu documentary, Mouth of the Wolf: Amanda Knox Returns to Italy. Directed and filmed by Robinson, the documentary offers unprecedented access to Amanda’s inner world as she returns to Italy for the first time since her exoneration.

The film builds toward an extraordinary moment: a rare, face-to-face meeting with Giuliano Mignini, the prosecutor who sent her to prison more than 15 years ago.

In our conversation, Amanda spoke about fear, identity, marriage, motherhood, and what it means to live when the world thinks it already knows who you are. Christopher shared what it’s like to love someone whose trauma is permanently entangled with public mythology—and why telling this story together mattered.

What emerges is not a true-crime retelling, but a meditation on justice, power, and the cost of being misunderstood on a global scale.

What lingers most about these stories isn’t just what happened, but what did not happen. There were no arrests, no confirmed remains, and no closure.

For each case Jonathan tells me what he believes happened, even naming suspects.

The Sodder Children

For nearly 40 years, a billboard near Fayetteville, West Virginia showed photos of five missing children. On Christmas Eve, 1945, George and Jennie Sodder’s house caught fire. George, Jennie, and four of their children escaped. Five children did not: Maurice (14), Martha (12), Louis (9), Jennie (8), and Betty (5).

George tried to save them but couldn’t reach the second floor. The ladder was missing. His trucks wouldn’t start. The water barrel was frozen. The fire department, only 2½ miles away, arrived eight hours later. Authorities said the children were completely burned, leaving no remains. The parents didn’t believe this. Fires rarely destroy bones entirely, and the house burned for less than an hour.

There were also sightings of the children afterward, including reports of them traveling with adults and a photo mailed years later claiming to be Louis as a grown man. George and Jennie searched for decades. They never found answers.

The question remains:

Did the children die in the fire — or were they taken?

The Beaumont Children

In 1966, Jim and Nancy Beaumont allowed their three children to go to Glenelg Beach in Adelaide, Australia. Jane (9), Arnna (7), and Grant (4) left home on Australia Day and were expected back that afternoon.

Multiple people saw them at the beach. Witnesses also noticed a man playing with the children openly. Nothing about his behavior seemed alarming. Later, the children were seen at a bakery. Jane paid with more money than she had been given. That was the last confirmed sighting.

They disappeared in broad daylight, in a crowded area, without signs of force. Despite massive searches and decades of investigation, the children were never found. Their disappearance deeply changed Australia’s sense of safety — especially for children.

Joe Pichler

Joe Pichler was a former child actor from Washington State. He appeared in movies like Varsity Blues and Beethoven. As a teenager, his acting work slowed, and he returned home to finish high school. He graduated in 2005 and talked about acting again in the future.

On January 5, 2006, Joe went out with friends. He never came home. Days later, his car was found abandoned near woods. Inside was a note to his family asking that belongings be given to his brother, but it didn’t explain where he went. Joe was never seen again. Police suggested suicide, but his family disagrees. No body or clear evidence was ever found.

He remains missing.

Here are the episodes I featured in today’s reflective episode:

EPISODE 922 – STEPHEN TRAVERS

Stephen Travers, bassist for the Miami Showband, recounts surviving the 1975 Ulster Volunteer Force attack that killed three of his bandmates.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1481 – KIM HUYNH

Kim Huynh shares her father’s powerful journey of discovering his biological father decades after the Vietnam War, uncovering a hidden American lineage.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1475 – KELSEY MAY VANDERMYDE

Kelsey May Vandy opens up about growing up off the grid alongside the family of serial killer Israel Keyes.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1469 – JOHNNY RODRIGUEZ

Diagnosed with ALS at 35, championship lacrosse coach Johnny Rodriguez shares how discipline, faith, and fatherhood fuel his determination to live fully and with purpose despite a devastating prognosis.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1451 – KELLI O’KEEFE SPEARS

Kelli O’Keefe Spears discusses her journey through miscarriage, grief, and ultimately surrogacy.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1445 – KAREN “DUFF” DUFFY

Former MTV VJ and bestselling author Duff Duffy reflects on fame, chronic pain, creativity, and resilience, delivering hard-earned wisdom with humor, honesty, and heart.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1439 – DANI MORIN

After losing her toddler son in a tragic daycare accident, Dani Morin transformed unimaginable grief into advocacy.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1427 – AMBER ROSE JOHNSON

Amber Rose Johnson reflects on a childhood shaped by fitness, comedy, and unconventional parenting.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1409 – SANDY KLEIN

Sandy Klein discusses the emotional complexities of her daughter’s adoption, including the discovery of a twin sister separated at birth, and the painful truths surrounding international adoption in Korea.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1385 – BRIAN HOWIE

Dating expert and podcast pioneer Brian Howie shares insights from a global career exploring love, alongside his deeply personal experience facing a rare cancer diagnosis.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1361 – JOHNATHAN WALTON

TV producer Johnathan Walton recounts how he became the victim of an elaborate con, and then helped bring the scammer to justice. His experience inspired the hit podcast Queen of the Con.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1295 – STEVE CARTER

Steve Carter tells the astonishing story of discovering his true identity decades after being reported missing as an infant, all after recognizing himself in a missing persons age-progression photo.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1283 – JIM JORDAN

Legendary photographer Jim Jordan shares stories from decades behind the camera, working with the world’s most iconic models and actors while shaping fashion and pop culture.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1271 – SASHA WILLIAMS

Sasha Williams reflects on losing her best friend in the TWA Flight 800 disaster, honoring her legacy and the enduring impact of sudden loss.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1247 – ALLI TALLEY

Alli Talley recounts the shocking discovery that someone had been mirroring her personal and professional life on social media for years.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1240 – TRACY WALDER

Former CIA officer and FBI Special Agent Tracy Walder shares firsthand experiences from the front lines of counterterrorism, intelligence, and national security during the post-9/11 era.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1205 – LAURA GELLER

Beauty entrepreneur Laura Geller reflects on building an iconic brand from the ground up, her early days at QVC, and redefining beauty through confidence and authenticity.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1199 – FATHER JAMES MARTIN

Jesuit priest and bestselling author Father James Martin discusses faith, inclusion, and his latest book exploring one of Jesus’s most profound miracles, with insight from Pope Francis himself.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1193 – KATHRYN TURMAN

Kathryn Turman, former head of the FBI’s Victim Services Division, reflects on guiding victims through the nation’s most devastating crimes and reshaping how justice-centered compassion is delivered.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1187 – MAURA BRAGG

Attorney and advocate Maura Bragg shares the surprising discoveries she made about her biological family through DNA testing, and how it reshaped her understanding of identity.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1091 – JESS WOHL

Jess Wohl recounts the life-altering moment a DNA test revealed a different biological father, and half-siblings living closer than she ever imagined.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1079 – KIM TURNER

Kim Turner honors her son Patrick’s life and legacy following his death by suicide, sharing how his letters inspired the creation of the Patrick’s Purpose Foundation.

Listen here.

EPISODE 1000 – ED BEGLEY JR.

Actor and activist Ed Begley Jr. reflects on his storied career, environmental advocacy, and unforgettable Hollywood moments, alongside stories from his memoir.

Listen here.

EPISODE 994 – CHELSEA DEVANTEZ

Writer and comedian Chelsea Devantez discusses her book I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This.

Listen here.

EPISODE 976 – MELODY WILSON

Melody Wilson shares how a DNA test uncovered unexpected truths about her birth story, forcing her to reexamine long-held beliefs about family.

Listen here.

EPISODE 958 – AUSTIN HATCH

Two-time plane crash survivor Austin Hatch shares his journey through unimaginable loss, resilience, and finding meaning after tragedy.

Listen here.

EPISODE 880 – KAREN TEMPLETON

Karen Templeton recounts discovering her biological origins through DNA testing, uncovering donor conception, religious identity, and family secrets late in life.

Listen here.

What makes this list different is the conversation around it. For each documentary, I’m also including the podcast episode where I went deeper with the people who know these stories best: filmmakers, victims, family members, investigators, and journalists who lived inside these cases long before we watched their documentary.

1. The Fox Hollow Murders: Playground of a Serial Killer (Hulu)

   This series revisits the chilling case of Herb Baumeister, a man who lived a polished suburban life while allegedly murdering gay men in the shadows of 1990s Indianapolis. What makes this documentary essential is not just the scale of the crimes, but how they went unnoticed for so long — and how the case has refused to stay buried. With renewed DNA technology, a coroner decades later reopens the investigation, finally giving families long-delayed answers while raising new questions about missed warning signs, possible accomplices, and a survivor whose story adds an unsettling new layer to what we thought we knew.

2. Unknown Number: The High School Catfish (Netflix)

   At first glance, this looks like a familiar cyberbullying story — until the truth detonates everything. Set in a tight-knit Michigan town, the series follows a teenage romance that becomes the target of relentless, anonymous harassment so cruel it pushes toward catastrophe. What makes this documentary unforgettable is the reveal: the torment wasn’t coming from a jealous peer or an online stranger, but from inside the home itself. A mother orchestrated the abuse of her own daughter, exploiting technology, authority blind spots, and parental trust in a case that reframes how we understand control, obsession, and psychological violence.

3. Amy Bradley Is Missing (Netflix)

   Few cases linger like Amy Bradley’s — a young woman who vanished from a crowded cruise ship in 1998 and was never seen again. This documentary doesn’t promise answers; instead, it carefully lays out the haunting possibilities. Was Amy a tragic accident victim, or was she taken? The series examines investigative failures, questionable decisions made in the crucial early hours, and decades of alleged sightings that have kept hope alive for her family. It’s a quiet, unsettling reminder of how easily someone can disappear — and how living without certainty can be its own kind of prison.

4. Con Mum (Netflix)

   Con Mum is less about fraud and more about emotional vulnerability. When pastry chef Graham Hornigold finally connects with the mother he never knew, the reunion feels miraculous — until it slowly reveals itself as a calculated deception. The documentary exposes how longing, grief, and identity can be weaponized, especially when wrapped in love and urgency. What makes this story devastating is that the con isn’t just financial — it’s psychological. The series forces viewers to confront how deeply we want to believe the stories that complete us, even when the cost is everything.

5. A Deadly American Marriage (Netflix)

   This documentary examines the killing of Jason Corbett through a lens that refuses easy answers. On one side: a devoted father allegedly murdered while sleeping. On the other: a wife and father-in-law claiming self-defense in the face of domestic terror. The film methodically unpacks contradictions between testimony and forensic evidence, while showing how perception, power, and credibility shape justice. It’s not just about what happened in that bedroom — it’s about how narratives harden, families fracture, and truth becomes blurred when loyalty and fear collide.

6. American Manhunt: O.J. Simpson (Netflix)

   Nearly three decades later, the O.J. Simpson case still reverberates — and this series explains why. By revisiting the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, the documentary reframes the trial not as a spectacle, but as a cultural rupture. Race, celebrity, policing, media, and domestic violence all collide, exposing systemic failures that remain painfully relevant. With voices from investigators, journalists, and victims’ families, the series reminds us that the verdict didn’t end the story — it permanently changed how America understands justice.

7. American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden (Netflix)

   This series chronicles the longest and most consequential manhunt in modern history — from the rise of Osama bin Laden to the painstaking intelligence work that finally led to Abbottabad. What sets this documentary apart is its focus on patience over heroics: years of false leads, missed chances, and quiet analytical breakthroughs. By spotlighting the people behind the intelligence rather than just the raid itself, the series shows how history is shaped not only by decisive moments, but by relentless, unseen work carried out under unimaginable pressure.

8. The Secrets We Bury (Max)

   At its core, this is a story about silence — and what happens when it finally breaks. After decades of unanswered questions, a family uncovers the truth about a father who vanished in 1961 and was quietly buried beneath their own home. The documentary follows the emotional excavation alongside the physical one, revealing how abuse, fear, and social norms allowed a homicide to hide in plain sight for generations. It’s a haunting exploration of how families — and communities — choose what to see and what to bury.

9. Sean Combs: The Reckoning (Netflix)

   This series dismantles the mythology surrounding Sean “Diddy” Combs, tracing his rise from Harlem to cultural dominance — and the allegations that ultimately brought him down. Through accounts from women, former employees, and industry insiders, the documentary exposes how power protects itself through silence, loyalty, and fear. What makes this story chilling isn’t just the accusations — it’s how long the system around him functioned exactly as designed. It’s less a biography than a case study in unchecked influence.

10. Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke (Hulu)

    What began as wholesome family vlogging unraveled into one of the most disturbing child abuse cases in recent memory. This documentary traces Ruby Franke’s transformation from momfluencer to convicted abuser, examining how control masqueraded as discipline and how ideology justified cruelty. More importantly, it centers the children — their suffering, survival, and eventual escape. The series forces a reckoning with how public performance can hide private harm, and how easily abuse can flourish behind curated smiles and moral certainty.

The new HBO Max documentary The Secrets We Bury tells the story of George Carroll, a man whose life and death left behind decades of unanswered questions. Dorothy Carroll told her four small children that their father had left for cigarettes, and never returned. The children only had half-remembered conversations, inconsistencies, and a lingering sense that something important had been deliberately left unsaid. That is until 2018 when their father’s skeletal remains were found buried in concrete beneath the basement floor.

This is a story about how secrecy becomes inherited, how trauma settles into family systems, and how the past can quietly shape generations who never knew the full truth. Directed by Patricia Gillespie, The Secrets We Bury explores what happens when a family finally decides to confront the story they have been circling for decades.

I had the opportunity this week to interview Patricia Gillespie, along with George Carroll’s son and his two grandsons.

Listen to the interview here.

🎵 “Do they know it’s Christmas time at all…”

🎵 “Last Christmas, I gave you my heart…”

The craziest part is both of these unavoidable Christmas staples were recorded in December 1984, within days of each other.

Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” was born from urgency and outrage. Bob Geldof reacted viscerally to footage of famine in Ethiopia, pushing the music industry into action and drawing dozens of artists into a chaotic, guilt-fueled recording session that no one expected to change history. It raised millions, saved lives in the short term, and created an entirely new model for celebrity-driven humanitarian action, leading directly to Live Aid and reshaping how pop culture intersects with global crises.

Wham’s mega-hit “Last Christmas,” by contrast, came from emotional restraint. George Michael wrote, produced, and performed it almost entirely alone, not as a novelty holiday song, but as a quiet breakup story set against the irony of Christmas joy.

Last Christmas debuted at number two behind Band Aid, a quiet disappointment George carried but never voiced. In time, the song became a global standard, its video a time capsule of youth, friendship, and heartache. Both songs became inseparable from how we experience Christmas itself. And there’s a heartbreaking irony in the fact that George Michael passed away on Christmas Day.

In this episode I explore the back story of both songs.

After hundreds of episodes, it felt right to explain my origin story. In these episodes, you’ll hear about reuniting with my father, who may have been working as a foreign agent, and how I built this show nine years ago. This collection also marks the genesis of the Saturday Series, where I began highlighting the personal stories of the people in my life, and eventually, of strangers. It was the moment the lens turned inward, and storytelling became not just what I do, but who I am.

The episodes are included below.

Episode 631

Kate shares her experience as a student at Milton Hershey School, a private K–12 boarding school in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Founded by Milton S. Hershey and his wife Catherine to educate orphaned children, the school has grown into a state-of-the-art, multi-campus community serving over 2,000 income-eligible students nationwide. Support for the school continues through the broader Hershey destination, helping sustain Mr. Hershey’s vision and empower students to reach their full potential.

Episode 636

Kate reflects on her time as a college student in Washington, D.C. at Trinity College, including her experience as a White House intern during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, a wedding she regrets not stopping, and a crucial tip she shared with the FBI.

Episode 641

Kate tells the story about moving to Los Angeles, and then receiving a call from her sister that their father had been found.

Episode 646

Kate asks her mom some difficult questions about her marriage to her father, about his obsession with Ireland, and whether she believes he was doing something strange in the 80s.

Episode 661

Kate discusses the results of her Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the FBI, her conversation with Jonathan Mark about her grandmother, and the most perplexing event that happened to her mother when Kate was 4 years old.

Episode 676

Part one of Chris DeRosa’s interview with Kate about her childhood and years at Milton Hershey School.

Episode 688

Part two of Chris DeRosa’s interview with Kate.

And then… she vanished.

This week, Susan Powter joins me to talk about the new documentary Stop The Insanity: Finding Susan Powter, now available on iTunes and Amazon. (The documentary is currently trending as #1 on both.) The film traces her meteoric rise and the devastating series of lawsuits that ultimately drove her out of the spotlight and into a life of near-total isolation in Las Vegas. For two decades, she has lived below the poverty line—far from the world that once couldn’t get enough of her.

In our conversation, Susan reflects on the whirlwind of fame, the collapse that followed, and what it means to tell her story now. Is her message still as urgent and empowering today as it was in the early 90s? And what would it take for her to return to audiences who, frankly, might need her voice more than ever?

This is Susan Powter as you’ve never heard her, candid, unfiltered, and ready to revisit the insanity she once begged us all to stop.

Listen to the interview here.

You can listen to the full interview here.

Here are some highlights:

The DNA of Vanderpump Rules: Why West Hollywood Creates a Specific Kind of Human

As Alex and I talked about Vanderpump, we circled a core truth:

West Hollywood breeds a very particular personality type.

Most aren’t born there; nearly everyone arrives from somewhere else believing they were “the star back home.” They come to L.A. chasing an artistic life that is often much harsher and more isolating than they anticipate. Because the city is spread out and socially closed off, they form tight friendship circles inside their restaurants and bars, the only community available when everything else feels uncertain.

Alex sees this as the essential ingredient of Vanderpump Rules:

a group of young adults building makeshift families while trying to survive an unforgiving city—and making a thousand messy choices along the way.

He notes that this phase of life is inherently cinematic:

You’re broke, you’re hopeful, you’re figuring everything out badly, and your entire future feels both possible and terrifying.

In rebooting the show with a new cast, Baskin says they were able to return to that raw, original premise:

“A particular period of life and of promise and of hope and of dreams — and then of reality.”

Why the Reboot Was Necessary

Alex was blunt: the old Vanderpump cast had fractured too deeply.

They had simply aged out of the show’s central premise—the messy early 20s and 30s era where you work nightlife jobs, date within a five-block radius, and blow your entire shift’s earnings before the sun comes up.

They had graduated to what Alex jokingly calls “the valley,” a metaphorical life stage—and, now, a literal show.

Rebooting the original series had long been on the table. What changed was timing:

they could no longer “strain reality” by pretending the original group still lived the life the show was built for.

So they introduced the new cast and ended the old era simultaneously—because announcing only one side would have created false headlines. It was a delicate transition, but one he says was necessary to protect the integrity of the show.

New Season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

This season, Baskin added two surprising new voices:

Rachel Zoe:

Not a longtime viewer of the show—something Baskin actually prefers. She enters with fewer preconceptions but plenty of life experience, candor, and “no-fucks-given” energy.

Amanda (the financial influencer):

Connected to the group by buying Kyle Richards’ old home, she represents a very modern form of fame—self-made, online-driven, and directly tied to her audience.

Their arrival comes alongside Garcelle Beauvais’ exit, giving the ensemble a real shakeup.

The Tone of the New Season

According to Alex, expect:

Fun

High-end escapism

Real-life heaviness when needed

Travel: Sedona, the Hamptons, Italy

Relationship fractures and rebuilds

Momentum — the season shifts every few episodes

And, importantly, real friendships, something Rachel Zoe says surprised her. Alex confirms the chemistry is real: the cast spends genuine time together, and shared experience bonds them in adulthood the way school once did.

Join the Facebook group here.

In today’s episode, I break down the new Netflix docuseries Sean Combs: The Reckoning, which explores the rise and fall of Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs. The series, directed by Alexandria Stapleton and executive produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, examines how Combs built enormous influence in music, fashion, nightlife, and entertainment—while also laying out decades of allegations involving manipulation, control, abuse, and exploitation. Through interviews with artists, former employees, witnesses, and even jurors, the documentary pieces together how Combs created a powerful ecosystem where visibility, opportunity, and loyalty were deeply intertwined with fear and obedience.

The docuseries traces Combs’s early life, his ascent through Uptown Records, and the creation of Bad Boy Entertainment, highlighting how he shaped the sound and style of 1990s hip-hop. It also examines his high-profile relationships with women—including Kim Porter, Misa Hylton, Jennifer Lopez, and Cassie Ventura—and how many of these relationships later became central to civil lawsuits and criminal investigations. The series revisits major turning points like the 1999 Club New York shooting, the East Coast/West Coast feud, and his hugely influential but controversial reality show Making the Band. Throughout, the filmmakers argue that Combs’s fame and business empire helped shield him from accountability for years.

Finally, the episode covers the federal raids, the evidence seized, the shocking behind-the-scenes footage of Combs as he tried to evade arrest, and the jury’s ultimate decision to convict him on charges related to transportation for prostitution. While the series is difficult to watch at times—especially for those affected by sexual trauma—it offers an important look at how power can be abused and how long it can take for systems to respond. I encourage listeners to watch the series with a critical eye, especially those with loved ones entering the music industry, as it underscores the need for transparency, protection, and real industry-wide change.

You can listen here.

It was about a kidnapped baby named Paul Joseph Franzak. A one-day-old newborn, asleep in a hospital bassinet in Chicago, handed over to a woman dressed as a nurse—and never seen again.

For years, I couldn’t shake it. Every few years I’d find myself searching online for updates, hoping there had been some breakthrough, some new clue. Anything.

Then in 2021, I interviewed “Paul” on my podcast, whose story had become the subject of the CNN documentary The Lost Sons (which you can still watch on Prime Video and Hulu). That episode remains one of my most asked-about interviews ever. Listeners stop me about it all the time—especially teenagers, who are obsessed with the moment he finds that hidden box of newspaper clippings and realizes his life is not what it seems.

Today, “Paul” goes by his birth name, Jack. And he’s back on my podcast with important updates in this extraordinary case.

Listen to the episode below:

That silence ends now.

In an unprecedented, two-part interview—the first since her release from prison—Nancy Salzman speaks candidly about the world she helped create, the man she followed, the psychological machinery of Nxivm, and the consequences she now lives with. This is her account, in her own words.

I was so grateful she granted me the opportunity to speak with her. Here is the first part of that interview.

After listening, join me in the Facebook Group to discuss further.

I had the absolute thrill of sitting down with Doug Herzog, the former President of Viacom’s Music and Entertainment Group. If you grew up with MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, or Spike, you’ve felt his influence — even if you didn’t realize it at the time. Doug was one of the key architects behind the tone, identity, and cultural footprint of the channels that defined an entire generation.

Doug started his career as MTV’s News Director, helping to shape a groundbreaking news division that treated pop culture as seriously as traditional journalism treated politics. From there, he rose to President of MTV Productions, where he was instrumental in developing some of the most iconic shows of all time, including:

• The Real World

• Unplugged

• Road Rules

• The MTV Video Music Awards

• The MTV Movie Awards

These weren’t just shows — they were cultural touchstones that influenced conversations at school lunch tables and dinner tables alike. Doug helped transform MTV from a music video channel into a cultural institution, one that shaped the attitudes, tastes, and sensibilities of an entire generation.

What made this interview so special was Doug’s willingness to take me behind the curtain — sharing the untold stories and inside perspective of what it was really like to guide these networks during their most influential years.

Among those drawn in was Allison Mack, once known for her role as Chloe Sullivan on Smallville. Her transformation from beloved television actress to one of NXIVM’s most public figures — and later, a convicted felon — became one of the most shocking chapters in the NXIVM story.

Now, in the upcoming season of CBC’s acclaimed Uncovered podcast, “Allison After NXIVM” (premiering November 10), journalist Nathalie Robehmed gains rare and intimate access to Mack herself. The series follows Allison in the aftermath of her release from prison, exploring how she’s reckoning with her past and attempting to rebuild a life shaped by both fame and infamy.

In my interview with Nathalie, we talked about how this story reframes public perception of Allison — not to absolve, but to understand. Nathalie traces the emotional and psychological terrain that led so many, including Mack, to NXIVM’s promises of empowerment. She also explores the delicate themes of accountability and redemption: What does it mean to seek forgiveness when your actions caused real harm? And what can we learn from someone trying to start over when the world refuses to forget?

Allison After NXIVM doesn’t aim to shock — it invites us to sit in discomfort, to question how influence and belief can twist into control. As Nathalie puts it, this isn’t just Allison’s story. It’s a mirror held up to our own fascination with transformation, power, and the messy, human pursuit of meaning.

Listen to the episode below:

Tamara’s book revisits her childhood during an unimaginable time — when she and her siblings were taken from their mother and held by their father in secrecy for years. It’s the kind of story that could easily remain defined by trauma. But what struck me most was Tamara’s extraordinary ability to rise above the darkness and to extend compassion — even toward the man who caused her so much harm.

In our conversation, Tamara shared what it means to forgive without excusing, to heal without forgetting, and to reclaim one’s voice after decades of silence. Her reflections on her father — not as a monster, but as a deeply broken man — reveal a level of empathy that feels almost radical in a world that often demands rage.

Our discussion is not just about forgiveness; it’s about freedom. About what happens when you let go of resentment and choose peace instead of pain.

If you’ve ever wondered how someone can forgive the unforgivable, this episode is one you won’t forget.

🎧 Listen here.