The Alarmist

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with award-winning reporter Ellen Huet about the boom and bust of the WeWork empire. Having covered the topic for Bloomberg News on season one of their podcast Foundering, Ellen shares fascinating new insight into the company's founder and the unique financial environment the early 2010’s presented for WeWork’s inevitable evolution. Afterw...

Who’s to blame for the Downfall of WeWork? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes tech journalist and podcast host Molly Wood to discuss the troublesome history of the WeWork empire. And lucky Alarmy(!), having reported extensively about WeWork on Marketplace, Molly is THE guest (and basically expert) for the job! Did WeWork have a vibes problem? Perhaps too many Vibes? Could Fou...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with film scholar Professor Patricia Gill about the deeper meanings of the horror classic Halloween. As Pat articulates, taking into account parenting trends and the social influences of the decades leading up to the making of this film, we see the murderous Michael Myers in an entirely new light. Afterward, Patreon subscribers and listen...

Who’s to blame for the Murders in Halloween: The Movie? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes podcast royalty Amanda Lund and Matt Gourley to discuss the horror film classic Halloween and find out once and for all who’s to blame for the evil that descends upon the town of Haddonfield, IL. Michael Myers, of course! Or is there more to the story? What was going on all those years...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with author and criminologist Will Savive about the haunting murders of the Defeo family. Or as it’s more commonly known, The Amityville Murders. Given the shocking details of this event, it’s no wonder the impact still lives on in the American psyche. Afterward, Patreon subscribers can decompress with Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer...

Who’s to blame for the Amityville Murders? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes fellow podcast host Desi Jedeikin of Hollywood Crime Scene to discuss the gruesome and shocking Amityville Murders. The book, movies and folklore they inspired are scary enough. But, the actual murders continue to haunt and fascinate American society to this day. Tune in and learn about the violence...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with biographer Lyndsy Spence about the wild yet complicated life of the Duchess of Argyll. Author of The Grit in the Pearl: The Scandalous Life of Margaret, Duchess of Argyll , Lyndsy reminds us of the harsh realities within the Aristocracy and its double standards while profiling the bravery The Duchess possessed navigating those waters....

Who’s to blame for the Duchess of Argyll Scandal? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes podcast co-hosts Matt Marr and Jake Anthony of Reality Gays to discuss the infamous divorce proceedings of Maragret Whigham, the Duchess of Argyll. With rumors and vicious slander abounding, could the British Tabloids have something to do with it? Did this scandal birth the concept of Revenge...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Professor Matthew Solomon about the life, death and enduring legacy of history's most celebrated escape artist, Harry Houdini. Author of Disappearing Tricks: Silent Film, Houdini, and the New Magic of the Twentieth Century , Professor Solomon conjures the image of Houdini as a living myth of his time. A man defying all odds and doing...

Who’s to blame for the Death of Harry Houdini? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes back comedian and magician Matt Donnelly (aka The Mind Noodler) to discuss the storied death of arguably the most legendary escape artist of all time, Harry Houdini. They’re joined by Producer Clayton Early. How did he die? Could the infamous punch to the gut have something to do with it? Was a...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca follows up on all things Berlin Wall related with international affairs historian Dr. Susan Colbourn. Dr. Colbourn offers important insight on the state of the Soviet Union in a post war world and the infighting among the united allies well before the war came to an end. She also reminds us that history is littered with accidents. And the fall of...

Who’s to blame for The Berlin Wall? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes back Jacquelyn Landgraf to discuss the complex and multilayered circumstances around the rise and fall of The Berlin Wall. They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early. Humanity sure loves a wall. History is littered with them and this wall is no exception. What did this wall repre...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Dr. Tracy Tamborra about the Lorena Bobbitt case and the evolution of laws and resources for victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence in recent history. A Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of New Haven, Tracy reminds us of the tragic historical violence against women and just how recent some of these laws have come...

Who’s to blame for the Lorena Bobbitt Case? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with actress and comedian Jaime Moyer about the many misconceptions and atrocities of the Lorena Bobbitt Case. Most people remember what happened to John Bobbitt. But, do we remember what happened to Lorena?! If not, perhaps the media had something to do with it? Maybe the vulnerability of undocument...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Dr. Joel Burcham about the Rock n’ Roll scene of the late 1950’s and the tragedy that would eventually be known as The Day The Music Died. An Associate Professor of Voice at the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Burcham walks through the unique ways artists of this caliber climbed the ladder of success and broke into the music industry, at...

Who’s to blame for The Day the Music Died? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with prolific musical comedian Caitlin Cook about the tragic plane crash which took the lives of music icons Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. An event later coined “The Day the Music Died,” could the music industry have something to do with it? Perhaps tour manager Pat Mason’s poor plan...

New Guest Expert! This week, Rebecca revisits another early episode that never got its day in the Aftermath think tank. This time around, she sits down with Professor Douglas Linder to discuss the devastating 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in NYC. With new details to consider, Rebecca has some new decisions to make about the verdict. If you haven’t already, sign up for our Patreon and liste...

Who’s to blame for the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire?  Well, we already know the answer to that question. But did we get it right?! This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) is revisiting Episode 2 while we take a little break to plan ahead for future episodes. But that’s not all. This time around get to follow up with a Guest Expert! That’s right! Tune in, refresh your memory and se...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca sits down with returning Guest Expert Sal Mercogliano to revisit The Alarmist's maiden episode about the maiden voyage of the tragically doomed Titanic. Initially recorded in the early days of The Alarmist pre-Aftermath, this is the Aftermath and closure we’ve all been waiting for. Hear fascinating new insight about the ship's construction and pa...

This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) takes us back to our very first episode to reflect on the tragedy that started it all: The Sinking of the Titanic. Does the verdict still hold up? Then, stay tuned for Thursday's Aftermath episode when Rebecca will finally get to cross-check with an expert and verify if she's been right since day one! Join our Patreon! We have merch! Join our Discord...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Pulitzer Prize winning biographer Stacy Schiff about the life and death of Cleopatra VII. Author of the NYTimes No. 1 Bestseller Cleopatra: A Life , Stacy helps paint a more robust picture of an incredibly intelligent and capable ruler far beyond her exotic reputation and the speculations around her alleged great beauty. Then, Patreon...

Who’s to blame for the death of Cleopatra? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with author and podcast host Allison Raskin about the legendary life and death of Cleopatra. They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early. Was the Queen of Egypt the victim of the Roman Empires heightened insecurities? Perhaps family drama and an insatiable hunger for power ha...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca follows up on the App based quiz show sensation HQ Trivia with journalist Alyssa Bereznak. Host of the popular podcast Boom/Bust: The Rise and Fall of HQ Trivia , Alyssa sheds even more light on some of the chaotic events happening behind the scenes of this seemingly lighthearted online gameshow. Then, stay tuned or join our Patreon to hear the p...

Who’s to blame for the rise and fall of HQ Trivia? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with dear friend and comedian Jen Curran about the seemingly overnight success of the viral internet gameshow sensation HQ Trivia and its equally rapid downfall. Was HQ Trivia simply ahead of its time? Did too many tech issues scare users away? Or perhaps its demise was the result of unrealist...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Professor Eduardo Pagán about the Zoot Suit Riots in the summer of 1943. A professor of history at Arizona State University, Eduardo paints a very detailed picture of the rapidly changing social, economic and racial identity of wartime Los Angeles leading up to the riots. And he reflects on the importance of what Jazz and the Suit Zoo...