Hard Knox with Amanda Knox

Best Of: The Fungus Effect Part 1: Down the Rabbit Hole (Michael Pollan)

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The psychedelic renaissance is here, but will it last? In this 7-part series, Amanda and Chris deep dive into the history, neuroscience, politics, and...

Who's Right? - Is Blood Thicker than Water?

02 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Amanda and Chris wade into the murky waters of family loyalty. From sibling drama to parental duty, they unpack messy dynamics, moral instincts, and w...

#119 - Print the Legend (John Ramsey)

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The murder of JonBenét Ramsey shocked the world—but in the rush to find answers, the truth was buried beneath media spectacle and police missteps. ...

Best Of: The Summit Can't Be the Goal (Alison Levine)

24 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is it possible to succeed when you fail? Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton did just that, and so has modern adventurer and mountaineer Alison Levin...

Who's Right? - Let It Go

19 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” I have often been accused o...

#118 - The Media Machine (Mandy Matney)

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist Mandy Matney exposed the Murdaugh family's corruption before the world knew their name. But as her reporting gained national attention, she...

Best Of: Acknowledging the No (Chris Ballew)

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Ballew never expected or even particularly wanted mainstream success. But when his band, the Presidents of the United States of America, hit it ...

Who's Right? - Lying

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” When, if ever, is it ok to l...

#117 - Undercover in a Pear-Shaped Box (Keith Bulfin)

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Keith Bulfin was a banker living an ordinary life—until a chance encounter with a fugitive cartel financier upended everything. Framed, imprisoned, ...

Best Of: No Escape, Even in Death (Yasmine Mohammed)

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when freedom of religion and feminism clash? Amanda and Chris traverse the cultural minefield of radical Islam with Yasmine Mohammed, who...

Who's Right? - Dreams

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” Do dreams having meaning? Or...

#116 - Picking Cotton (Jennifer Thompson)

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jennifer Thompson’s life changed forever in 1984 when she was raped at knifepoint—and then again when she mistakenly identified an innocent man as...

Best Of: Three Jewels in the Crown (LeVar Burton)

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Now presenting one of our favorite episodes from the archives. Amanda and Chris step through a crack in the space-time continuum with LeVar Burton, wh...

Who's Right? - Get a Dog

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” On today's episode, Chris an...

#115 - Facilitated Communication (Kevin Plantan)

29 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kevin Plantan’s world was upended when he was accused of an unthinkable crime. The evidence? A statement attributed to his nonverbal daughter, produ...

Best Of: The Half-life of Prejudice (Malcolm Gladwell)

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Now presenting one of our favorite episodes from the archives. Amanda knows what it's like to be judged by decade-old distortions of her behavior. But...

#114 - Slander Verdict

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today Italy’s highest court upheld Amanda’s wrongful conviction for slander. With raw emotion, she reflects on the implications of the ruling, her...

#113 - Don't Ask, Don't Tell (Josh Seefried)

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Josh Seefried risked everything to help repeal 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,' finally allowing LGBTQ service members to serve openly in the military. Bu...

Best Of: A Humorous Journalist Out of His Depth (Jon Ronson)

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Now presenting one of our favorite episodes from the archives. People in power have secrets, and sometimes, nefarious schemes. But how should we calib...

Who's Right? - New Year's

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” Chris and Amanda choose thei...

#112 - Nurturing, Healing, and Love (Scarlett Lewis)

01 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After losing her son Jesse in the Sandy Hook massacre, Scarlett Lewis could have easily lived the rest of her life in a labyrinth of grief and anguish...

Best Of: It's OK to Not Be Fine (Dave Navarro)

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Now presenting one of our favorite episodes from the archives. Guitar legend Dave Navarro lost his mother to a murder when he was 15 years old. The tr...

Who's Right? - Christmas

25 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” How far is too far for an ug...

#111 - False Confessions Part 6: Scars and Solutions

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Guilt, shame, an inability to trust--these are just some of the scars for those who have been coerced into making false confessions. But, luckily, the...

#110 - False Confessions Part 5: What If I Did It?

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Most false confessors sign their statements to simply escape the pressure of the interrogation room, trusting that the evidence will prove them innoce...

#109 - False Confessions Part 4: Whatever You Say

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

No one thinks it can happen to them, until it does. There are many factors, such as age, that may put you at risk for falsely confessing, but perhaps ...

#108 - False Confessions Part 3: The Reid Technique

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It isn’t just a few bad cops using psychological coercion. It’s a part of the manual. Used globally and by officers in all fifty states, the Reid ...

#107 - False Confessions Part 2: How To Break the Mind

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It doesn't take a beating with a rubber hose to push an innocent person past their breaking point. Now, police employ psychological methods and forms ...

#106 - False Confessions Part 1: The Third Degree

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Most of us believe we would never confess to a crime we didn’t commit. But by our best estimates, there are are upwards of 5,000 innocent people loc...

Best Of: One Bite of the Elephant at a Time

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Now presenting, one of our favorite episodes from the archives. Two parents struggle to support their 20 year old son after he's accused of something ...

Who's Right? - Household Robots

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” Although slightly creepy, ca...

#105 - Out and Awake (Sarah Edmondson)

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Edmondson's harrowing journey with the NXIVM cult eventually led her to a court room where she helped convict it's leader, Keith Raniere. Escapi...

Best Of: What's Our Problem? (Tim Urban)

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In honor of election night in less than a week, we present one of our favorite episodes from the archives. Author, blogger, and cartoonist Tim Urban o...

Who's Right? - Halloween

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” Is Halloween in America real...

#104 - Business Casual (Stephanie Land)

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The first sentence of Stephanie Land’s “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive” reads “my daughter learned to walk in a home...

Best Of: Money Is Winning; Humans Are Losing (Andrew Yang)

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In honor of the upcoming presidential election, we present one of our favorite episodes from the archives. Humanity itself is stuck in a labyrinth. An...

Who's Right? - Gender Roles

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” Are there certain gender rol...

#103 - The Velvet Prison (Tia Levings)

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

 Tia Levings is a former trad wife and self-described “anti-fundamentalist,” who for decades was trapped in a cycle of domestic abuse and further...

Best Of: You Might Go to Prison, Even Though You're Innocent (Justin Brooks)

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In honor of Wrongful Conviction Day, we present one of our favorite episodes from the archives. Justin Brooks is the author of You Might Go To Prison,...

Who's Right? - Grief Rituals

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” Do we give people enough tim...

#102 - Rabbit Heart (Kristine Ervin)

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At Westchester University, Professor of creative writing, Kristine Ervin teaches her students how to process their experiences through words. For her,...

Who's Right? - Free Speech

18 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” How does anonymity affect fr...

#101 - The American Mind

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Greg Lukianoff is one of our nation's foremost defenders of free speech, co-author of "The Canceling of the American Mind," and president of FIRE, the...

Who's Right? - Curveballs

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” What should you do when life...

#100 - On The Lam (Seth Ferranti)

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Seth Ferranti is a former LSD kingpin and fugitive on the US Marshall’s Top 15 Most Wanted list who faced a highly publicized and lengthy prison sen...

Who's Right? - Drug Legalization

21 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” Should all drugs be decrimin...

#99 - Injustice in Florence (Pt. 3)

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On June 5th, 2024, Amanda was reconvicted of criminal slander in Italy. On August 8th, the Italian Court of Appeals in Florence finally released their...

#98 - The Mind at Large (Ethan Russo)

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Ethan Russo is a neurologist and psychopharmacology researcher, who in the medical community, is a self-described “salmon upstream against the c...

Who's Right? - Independence

31 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” How much space is too much i...

#97 - Liquid Horizon (Erden Eruç)

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When Erden Eruc’s close friend and fellow adventurer Goran Krupp died in a climbing accident, Erden dedicated his life to adventure as a tribute to ...

Who's Right? - Eating

17 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” From intermittent fasting to...

#96 - Feeding Addiction (Andrea Wachter)

10 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After battling substance abuse and an eating disorder, author, meditation guide, and therapist, Andrea Wachter, is now dedicated to ensuring her patie...

Who's Right? - Snitching

03 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” Should snitches get stitche...

#95 - Dr. Doppelgänger (Benjamin Gilmer)

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When North Carolina Doctor, Benjamin Gilmer, discovered that his doppelgänger predecessor had committed a gruesome murder, he pursued an investigatio...

Who's Right? - Becoming Your Parents

19 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” Are we bound to become just...

#94 - Small Town Stalker (Janie Avey)

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Washingtonian, Janie Avey tells her story of being viciously targeted by a small town stalker and how she recovered after years of enduring impersonat...

#93.5 - Injustice in Florence (Pt. 2)

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After a night's sleep, Amanda has further reflections on what it's like to still be battling for her innocence 17 years after she was first arrested. ...

#93 - Injustice in Florence (Pt. 1)

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On June 5th, 2024, Amanda arrived at a courtroom in Florence, Italy, to defend herself against a charge of criminal slander stretching back to 2007. I...

Who's Right? -Judging a Book

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” Should you pick your wine b...

#92 - Flashback Girl (Lise Deguire)

29 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Lise Deguire shares her journey of resilience after enduring third-degree burns over 65% of her body. She is the author of Flashback Girl, Lessons...

Who's Right - The Virtue of Silence

22 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” Should trains have quiet ca...

#91 - Doing Not Doing

15 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When you strip away the plans, the memories, the thought-loops that continually fill the labyrinth of your mind, what's left? Amanda reflects on her o...

Who's Right? - Multitasking

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” Is it possible to meticulou...

#90 - A Daughter's Defense (Bethany George)

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bethany Bourgeois George is the daughter of Alfred Bourgeois who was convicted of vicious crimes against his 2-year-old daughter, Ja’karenn. Bethany...

Who's Right? - Cyberstalking

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you “Who’s Right?” Is it ok to Google your empl...

#89 - Sperm Daddy (Aaron Long & Jessica Share)

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Years after giving birth to his child, Jessica tracks down her anonymous sperm donor and they embark on an unexpected journey. In this episode of Lab...

Who's Right? - Monsters

10 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between our usual Labyrinths episodes, we sit down to debate something serious or silly and ask you “Who’s Right?” Imagine if renowned actor To...

#88 - Monsters (Claire Dederer)

03 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We are now routinely faced with a dilemma: News breaks that an artist beloved has done something horrible. How does that change our experience of thei...

Who's Right? - Suicide

27 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Is suicide ever justifiable? Can you go out on a high note? Is it always a result of mental illness? The content warning should be obvious on this one...

#87 - How Do You Want to Die? (Susan Pitiger)

20 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our local death doula, Susan Pitiger, brings light to the process of dying and what you can do to prepare for the inevitable. Are all your affairs in ...

#86 - Zen and the Art of Emergency Medicine (Kat Moore)

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The emergency room and the ICU are not just emotionally draining and traumatic environments for patients, but for healthcare workers as well. ER docto...

#85 - First, Do No Harm (Richard Pallardy)

21 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Despite the best efforts of healthcare professionals, medical errors are responsible for tens of thousands of annual deaths. Today, Richard Pallardy, ...

Who's Right? - Valentine's Day and All Things Love

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Valentine's Day...Is it good or is it whack? Is love at first sight a thing? How does love last, or get lost? And what about that tricksy thing: self ...

#84 - The Modern Trauma Toolkit (Dr. Christy Gibson)

07 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"Trauma" has become a controversial word in the current culture wars. It's a point of pride for some, an excuse for others. But trauma is undoubtedly ...

#83 - A Father, a Son, a Brawl, and a Gun (Nicole Ivie)

24 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A few months into the pandemic, in the early morning on July 5th, Nicole Ivie woke up to the sounds of gunfire. She would soon discover that six men h...

#82 - Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (Dr. Kari Nixon)

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Kari Nixon studies the intersection of death, disease, and community, and how illness impacts identity. It's a topic she pursued without even real...

#81 - Reflections on 2023

03 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Amanda and Chris reflect on what they gave up for 2023, what they'll give up for 2024, what their focus words are for the coming year, and what they'r...

#80 - A Religious Conviction in Aliens (Michael Shermer)

27 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why do people believe what they believe? Are religious convictions any different than believing that aliens have visited earth? Dr. Michael Shermer, f...

#79 - Still on Trial in Italy...

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

17 years after her arrest in 2007, Amanda is still, somehow, on trial in Italy... Her conviction for criminal slander was overturned in October, 2023,...

#78 - Revelations of an Opened Marriage (Minda Lane)

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A year shy of turning 40, Minda Lane realized she wasn't happy in her marriage, and she proposed to her husband Jack that they try out polyamory. She ...

#77 - Live at THING Festival (Chris Ballew)

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In August of 2023, we took Labyrinths LIVE to THING Festival in Port Townsend, WA. In front of a packed house at the Wheeler Theater, we chatted with ...

#76 - Excellent Advice for Living (Kevin Kelly)

17 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There's some wisdom you can only find when you're lost, which has led Kevin Kelly, senior Maverick and co-founder Wired magazine, to get lost intentio...

#75 - Bean Dad Redemption Arc (John Roderick)

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Musician and podcaster John Roderick's most unenviable accomplishment was becoming Twitter’s main character from January 3rd through January 5th of ...

#74 - What's Our Problem? (Tim Urban)

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Author, blogger, and cartoonist Tim Urban of WaitButWhy.com helps us dissect what's causing the political, social, and tribal dysfunction in our socie...

#73 - Joyride (Kristen & Ville Jokinen)

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kristen and Ville Jokinen bought some bicycles and decided to go for a ride. They weren't experienced cyclists at all, so they thought, why not start ...

#72 - Debunking Innocence (Andrew Hammel)

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After very publicly advocating for the innocence of a man named Jens Soering, who spent over 30 years in prison for a double murder he says he didn’...

#71 - Not Rainn Wilson (Joel McHale)

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Todays guest is an actor from our home town of Seattle. You may know him from Community, The Soup, The White House Correspondent's dinner, or his newe...

#70 - Lost in Faith (Megan Phelps-Roper)

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Megan Phelps-Roper is the author of the book, Unfollow: a journey from hatred to hope, about her upbringing in and departure from the Westboro Baptist...

#69 - You Might Go to Prison, Even Though You're Innocent (Justin Brooks)

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Justin Brooks is the author of You Might Go To Prison, Even Though You're Innocent. He is also the director of the California Innocence Project, which...

#68 - Blood Money - Part 5: True Crime With A Conscience

07 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In part 5, the final installment of Blood money, we're looking to the future to ask: how can true crime be more ethical? What does true crime with a c...

#67 - Blood Money - Part 4: Murdertopia

06 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

True crime has spawned a fandom like no other, with controversial merch, conventions, and online sleuths. Sarah Turney, Jen Tisdale, Paul Holes, and K...

#66 - Blood Money - Part 3: The Content Machine

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In part 3 of Blood Money, we're stepping inside the content machine. Filmmaker Brian McGinn and author Nicki Egan take us through the incentives and p...

#65 - Blood Money - Part 2: The Fishbowl

04 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In part 2 of Blood Money, we're stepping into the ground zero where all true crime stories originate: with the victims. Kris Pedretti, Christine Marie...

#64 - Blood Money - Part 1: One Bloody Thing After Another

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

True crime has become a massive industry that takes real life suffering as grist for the content mill. Is it possible to tell such stories in an ethic...

BONUS - Ask Us Anything

14 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We've got some updates for you, a preview of BLOOD MONEY, our upcoming miniseries about the history and ethics of true crime, and we answer your quest...

#63 - Documenting Innocence (Joe Berlinger)

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When Joe Berlinger packed up his things to go to West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993, he thought he was going to make a documentary about a satanic ritual ...

#62 - Protect Your Heart (Jason Baldwin)

01 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

By the time he was sixteen, Jason Baldwin had already felt the sting of prejudice from his community in West Memphis, Arkansas. Kids at the trailer pa...

#61 - Love and Justice (Anna Vasquez)

18 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Anna Vasquez was just nineteen when she and three of her friends were accused of a horrific crime that they were completely innocent of. Their case wa...

#60 - The Why of the Why (Dylan Marron)

04 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Most people are pretty bad at having difficult conversations. We don't get much practice--the internet makes sure that we mostly see content from peop...

#59 - It Only Takes One Person to Change (Jennifer Lovely)

21 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jennifer felt trapped--her two sons were addicted to drugs, in and out of jail and rehab, and living on the streets. What had she done wrong as a moth...