Infamous
Episodes
Inside Meghan Markle + Kate Middleton I Part 3
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While Natalie and Vanessa were researching Meghan Markle, another royal scandal took over the internet. Kate Middleton disappeared from public view, u...
Inside Meghan Markle's Media Chess Game | Part 2
21 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The only family that might be messier than Megan Markle’s? Her husband’s. This week, we’re diving into the royals, and how the firm’s staid, s...
Inside Meghan Markle's Media Chess Game | Part 1
14 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With Kate Middleton's "disappearance" in the headlines, we investigate another Princess who absconded: Meghan Markle. But the real question is, who is...
Is the Lohanissance Real?
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How did Lindsay Lohan go from starring alongside Meryl Streep and Jamie Lee Curtis to doing court-ordered community service at the LA county morgue? ...
The OTHER Harvey Weinstein Scandal
29 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Before Harvey Weinstein’s serious crimes were exposed to the public, he was simply known for being a successful — and notoriously volatile — fil...
Viral Stories: The Instagram Star and the Science Founder
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In an age where we’re all defined by our digital presence, social media savvy can be a kind of superpower. This week, Vanessa interviews Caroline Ca...
Justin Bieber’s Breathwork Santa
15 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the last decade, the “Iceman” Wim Hof has become a household name. Orlando Bloom to Oprah Winfrey have practiced his method, which includes dai...
Anna Wintour and Fashion’s Discontent
08 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Whether it’s being eroded by fast fashion, climate change or TikTok microtrends, the empire Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour presides over is dwin...
Kendall Jenner, AI and Sex Before OnlyFans
01 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How is technology shifting how we think about sex? Can our virtual lives shape sex IRL? To explore these questions, Vanessa travels back to the 90s, r...
"Fifty Shades" of Fiasco
25 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
E. L. James, author of the Fifty Shades of Grey novels, steps into the shoes of her domineering protagonist when she is given an unprecedented level o...
Mean Girls: The Real Regina George Speaks For the First Time
18 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You probably know Tina Fey’s iconic camp masterpiece, Mean Girls—but do you know the real-life story behind the screenplay? In this episode, Vanes...
Robbing Paris Hilton: The Bling Ring
11 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After breaking into celebrity homes and stealing millions of dollars in cash and luxury goods, a group of teenagers becomes famous themselves as the B...
Taylor Swift Before She Was Famous | Part 4
04 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For the final episode on Taylor Swift, Vanessa and Natalie get caught up on what's going on in Taylor's life today. We'll hear about the epic battle b...
Taylor Swift Before She Was Famous | Part 3
28 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Taylor reemerges after the Kanye incident with her hard-hitting album Reputation. The reception is mixed, but Taylor’s made a big statement: she’...
Taylor Swift Before She Was Famous | Part 2
21 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After Vanessa finished writing about Taylor in 2009, Natalie would start following Taylor’s career while working at Forbes, and would discover not o...
Taylor Swift Before She Was Famous | Part 1
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Believe it or not, there was a time when Taylor Swift wasn’t the most famous person on the planet. She was just an up-and-coming country prodigy thr...
Gwyneth Paltrow's Ski Trial | Part 3
09 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Renowned Gwynethologist and Fleishman is in Trouble creator Taffy Brodesser-Akner joins Vanessa to talk about how Gwyneth became a one-of-a-kind cultu...
Gwyneth Paltrow's Ski Trial | Part 2
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Gwyneth Paltrow takes the stand in her ski crash trial against a retired optometrist. But as new facts emerge, is it possible that Gwyneth could be on...
Gwyneth Paltrow's Ski Trial | Part 1
07 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Gwyneth Paltrow is as famous for her luxury lifestyle as she is for her movies. But when she collides with a man on a ski slope in Park City, Utah, sh...
Revealing Victoria’s Secret
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After a multi-year hiatus, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show has returned, but it’s nothing like it used to be. Natalie attended the show in 2015...
Vince McMahon, The Rock, and the WWE's Reality Show for Men
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Vince McMahon — the mastermind behind the WWE, who put stars like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Hulk Hogan on the map — has been traveling a r...
The Pickup Artist Uncovered | Part 3
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Vanessa invites psychoanalyst Robin Kirman to talk about Jared’s story and to answer some of the burning questions it raises. Like, how do all those...
The Pickup Artist Uncovered | Part 2
12 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel goes to meet the most hated man in Asheville to hear his side of the story. Jared is ready to make amends with the women he’s wronged, but th...
The Pickup Artist Uncovered | Part 1
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Waking Life Espresso is one of the most beloved, locally-owned coffee shops in Asheville, North Carolina. That is, until an anonymous online sleuth di...
What Is an 'Emotional Truth'?
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Good looking, charismatic, and experienced, comedian and political commentator Hasan Minhaj is reportedly a frontrunner for Trevor Noah's hosting slot...
Why Are Mindy Kaling and Kim Kardashian So Thin?
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In a matter of months, the diabetes drug Ozempic has become a household name, and the Danish pharmaceutical company that produces it has achieved a m...
Politics Collection: The Brothers Cuomo | Part 2
14 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode will be released for free starting September 14th. With so few leaders to turn to in this time of crisis, the public is willing to overlo...
Politics Collection: The Brothers Cuomo | Part 1
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode will be released for free starting September 7th. In the confusing, scary early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, one question captured the ...
Barbie’s Dream House and NYC’s Private School Nightmare
03 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today, there are two stories on Infamous. First, Vanessa talks to Decoder Ring's Willa Paskin about the event of the summer — the Barbie movie — a...
Bernie Madoff, Line One
27 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After notorious Wall Street scammer Bernie Madoff was sentenced to prison, he refused to speak with the media. But journalist Steve Fishman took that ...
Sergey Brin and the 23andMe Story | Part 3
15 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Philosophy queen Virginia Heffernan looks back on her experience wearing Google Glass and on the product’s ultimate failure, then considers what the...
Sergey Brin and the 23andMe Story | Part 2
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Newly aware of his increased risk for Parkinson’s Disease, Sergey is in a hurry to make a mark on the world with a new, cutting-edge technology: Goo...
Sergey Brin and the 23andMe Story | Part 1
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With the meteoric rise of Google in the early aughts, Anne Wojcicki and Sergey Brin became one of the wealthiest power couples in Silicon Valley. But ...
Politics Collection, Bill Clinton's Body Man I Part 2
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Doug Band got between Bill Clinton and his daughter Chelsea, his rising star fell like a rock. Soon he found himself on the outside of an empire ...
Politics Collection: Bill Clinton's Body Man I Part 1
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After the presidency, Bill Clinton's reputation wasn't faring well, and neither were his finances. But his long-time assistant, Doug Band, figured out...
Politics Collection, Fool Me Twice | Part 3 + Maria Butina Speaks
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Paul is arrested and must defend his schemes over the years. Victims speak out about being played by Erickson for years, but apologies and contrition ...
Politics Collection, Fool Me Twice: A 'Russian Spy' and a South Dakotan Operative Fall in Love I Part 2
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Feds come down on Paul’s girlfriend Maria Butina, and the truth of her connections in Russia spill into the open. But Paul’s past isn’t sque...
Politics Collection, Fool Me Twice: A 'Russian Spy' and a South Dakotan Operative Fall in Love I Part 1
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Paul Erickson made headlines in 2017 when it was revealed that his Russian girlfriend, Maria Butina, could’ve been a spy who was using him to gain a...
The Juggalette
02 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Few musical acts have played the heel as well as the Insane Clown Posse. In 2011, the FBI even classified Juggalos, the group’s rabid fans, as a cri...
Politics Collection: “Little Miss Run Amok” I Part 3
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Judith Miller is publicly taken to task by her own editors. But when she’s entangled in a scandal, being fired from the Times ends up being the leas...
Politics Collection: “Little Miss Run Amok” I Part 2
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Judith Miller doubles down on finding evidence for WMD and heads to Iraq with the military to find them herself. But while she’s away in Iraq, the N...
Politics Collection: “Little Miss Run Amok” I Part 1
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The New York Times undergoes changes after 9/11, and Judith Miller is on the cutting edge of war on terror reporting. When the Bush administration beg...
NXIVM’s Inner Circle I Part 6
02 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We deep dive into the heiress who bankrolled NXIVM, Clare Bronfman, talking about what psychological factors were at play when she became entrenched i...
NXIVM’s Inner Circle | Part 5
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
India Oxenberg talks about what was happening behind the scenes in NXIVM when they granted Vanessa access, India’s difficult but rewarding healing j...
NXIVM’s Inner Circle | Part 4
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At a NXIVM summit, Vanessa begins to suspect that her exclusive access is a sham. No one, it seems, is being honest. When the federal indictments are ...
NXIVM’s Inner Circle | Part 3
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It turns out that NXIVM has bigger problems on their hands than just some bad press. Vanessa flies to Guadalajara, to meet their leader, supposed geni...
NXIVM’s Inner Circle | Part 2
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Vanessa meets more higher-ups in NXIVM, like Nancy Salzman, and learns about JNess, NXIVM’s all-female empowerment subgroup. Disturbing details crop...
NXIVM’s Inner Circle | Part 1
29 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
News leaks that someone in the self-help group NXIVM has branded female members with their leader’s initials. Now, the nation believes they are a cu...
Politics Collection: From Death Threats to Dinner | Part 2
22 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Gabriel Sherman has a front-row seat to Bannon’s turbulent final days in the White House. As he chronicles Bannon’s attempt at gaining supremacy a...
Politics Collection: From Death Threats to Dinner | Part 1
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Gabriel Sherman tells Vanessa the story of his relationship with Steven Bannon, executive chairman of Breitbart News and briefly chief White House str...
Boy Gone Wild | Part 6
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Vanessa sits down with author and former porn model Lux Alptraum to discuss how pornography has changed over the decades, whether what happens in cult...
Boy Gone Wild | Part 5
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As the internet shifts the porn landscape, the Girls Gone Wild empire begins to falter, and Joe’s legal and financial troubles worsen. Joe moves to ...
Boy Gone Wild: The 'Girls Gone Wild' Empire's Fall | Part 4
24 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After months of hearing from Riley Perez, Joe Francis finally gets a tip from an unlikely source that could lead him to the perpetrator. But as the ju...
Boy Gone Wild | Part 3
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Since his Girls Gone Wild franchise has taken off, Joe Francis has been swimming in cash and partying with the biggest celebs of the early aughts. But...
Boy Gone Wild | Part 2
10 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Francis says his Girls Gone Wild videos are documentaries and therefore protected by the First Amendment. Panama City Beach Mayor Lee Sullivan say...
Boy Gone Wild | Part 1
10 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Girls Gone Wild VHS tapes were a staple of early-2000s late-night TV. But who was being featured on the risqué videos? And who was the man behind the...