The Alarmist

Who’s to blame for the Zoot Suit Riots? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with return guest Maggie Marion about the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots and the troubling events which preceded them. They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early. Was wartime stress to blame for this powder keg moment in US history? Could rationed wool take the fall? Maybe it was the mob...

Who’s to blame for Adam's 2003 Telegram Travesty? Welcome to our new series, GUEST ALARMIST! In this fun new show, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) sits back and has a special guest discuss a personal tragedy they need to figure out a culprit for. Along with Producer Clayton Early and Fact Checker Chris Smith, they scrutinize and analyze (and ultimately decide) who's to blame. Here's a teaser...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Professor Karen Shalev-Greene about the tragic case of Blanche Monnier. With an expertise in missing persons studies, Professor Shalev-Greene speaks to the psychology behind crimes of this nature and how the societal restrictions of the time might have contributed to such a rare and extreme case of abuse. Then, if you’re a Patreon sub...

Who’s to blame for the tragic life of Blanche Monnier? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with Zoe Friedman about Blanche Monnier and the unspeakable abuse and imprisonment she was forced to endure for over 26 years in her family home. We know some of the culprits involved, but what drove them to such madness? Was fear of losing their place in high society driving these cruel a...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with historian Dr. Francesca Fiorani about the legacy of the Mona Lisa and its tumultuous time in hiding after its theft in 1911. A professor of Art History at the University of Virginia, Francesca speaks to the lack of security at the time and the audacity it took to steal such a high profile work of art with the intention of reselling it...

Who’s to blame for the Theft of the Mona Lisa? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with fellow podcaster Bridget Todd about the notorious theft of one of the world’s most notorious paintings, The Mona Lisa. We may know the man who did it, but do we really know the man who did it? What inspired him? Did Nationalism have something to do with it? Could The Mona Lisa’s bewitching au...

New Mailbag! It’s been a while since our last mailbag, but that doesn’t mean the mail hasn’t been piling up! We have some catching up to do. This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) sits down with Producer Clayton Early and Fact Checker Chris Smith to check in with The Alarmy, get some great new episode suggestions and hear some reactions to our latest episodes. Tune in to hear more about w...

Who’s to blame for the death of Jayne Mansfield? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes comedian Jenny Yang to discuss the notoriously gruesome and untimely death of actress Jayne Mansfield. In such a high profile accident which captured the nation's attention, and with safety rules in place but little to no regulation, it’s hard to determine who’s not to blame. Was it government...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with writer and anti-apartheid historian Dr. Zeb Larson. With an approachable yet thorough overview of South Africa’s long and complicated geographic and political history, Zeb reminds us of the complex migrations, wars and economic hostility that preceded and informed what would become the modern Apartheid system. With new information to...

Who’s to blame for the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes creator Jamila Webb (First Fifteen LA) to get to the bottom of who’s to blame for the decades long imprisonment of political and human rights activist/icon Nelson Mandela. What took so long to free Nelson Mandela?! Was this the work of The National Party? Did The CIA have something to do...

Staying alive in the most ridiculous situations keeps comedian Anthony Atamanuik up at night. If you’re attacked by a swarm of killer bees, do you lay on the ground and play dead? Climb up a tree? Jump into the nearest body of water with a little straw poking out as a breathing apparatus? We could find ourselves caught in a million wild situations, and if you don’t know what to do, you might not m...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with author and science journalist Sarah Scoles about the movie Independence Day, UFO culture, the roots of our modern day obsession with extraterrestrials and the impact those discoveries might hold for humanity. While there’s still so much unknown, Sarah offers some sound advice for anyone contemplating the possible existence of intellig...

Who’s to blame for the alien invasion in Independence Day: The Movie? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes back Alarmist regular Khal Davenport to discuss the epic 1996 summer blockbuster film, Independence Day. In an industry rife with alien invasion doomsday plotlines, why does this one still manage to capture our hearts and our anxieties? Could it be the aliens' uncompromisi...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca revisits the royal affair between Charles & Camilla with Professor Nicoletta Gullace. An Associate Professor of Modern British History at the University of New Hampshire, Nicoletta gives new insight into this longstanding royal relationship and shares some fascinating thoughts about the public's reaction which has The Alarmist crew second gue...

Who’s to blame for The Affair of Charles and Camilla? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes back Alarmy favorite and Royals expert-extraordinaire Kristen Meinzer to discuss THE affair that keeps on affairing, The Affair of Charles and Camilla. They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early. Were they merely the pawns of a puritanical society! Or were they...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath Rebecca speaks with Hollywood historian and tour guide April Clemmer about the life and tragic death of one of Hollywood’s most iconic talents, Judy Garland. April shares some haunting anecdotes about the very rigid standards of the Hollywood studio system at the time and the sense of ownership they had over their stars. She also reflects on some of the p...

Who’s to blame for the death of Judy Garland? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with Comedy Gives Back co-founder and host of the Ignite Change podcast Amber J Lawson about the legendary Judy Garland and her premature death at the age of only 47. There’s not much this storied icon didn’t endure throughout her life. From childhood trauma, addiction, exploitation and the Hollywo...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with author Patricia Hruby Powell about the ongoing legacy of the historic Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia. Author of Loving vs. Virginia: A Documentary Novel of the Landmark Civil Rights Case , Patricia shares more about who the Lovings were and the years of hardship they had to endure all because they wanted to marry the person the...

Who’s to blame for Loving v. Virginia? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with actor Dinora Walcott about the landmark US Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia which resulted in a big win for civil rights advocates by finally overturning state laws which prohibited interracial marriage. Why were these laws on the books in the first place? And what took so long to remove them?&n...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Social Studies teacher and LGBTQ Historian David Duffield about the broader history of queer culture and oppression leading up to the tragic murder of Scott Amedure after his appearance on the Jenny Jones Show. We revisit the Gay Panic defense, discuss the straight washing which was occuring at the time and reflect on the price the LG...

Who’s to blame for the murder of Scott Amedure? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes back friend of the show Tony Rodriguez to discuss the tragic and brutal murder of Scott Amedure after his appearance on The Jenny Jones Show in 1995. What could have possibly led to such an extreme reaction from an innocent on-air confession? Was the reaction Jonathan Schmitz’ alone or was it r...

Iceberg! Straight Ahead??!....Not on The Alarmists watch! Calling all Alarmy members. Don't panic. Do tune in. Your Alarmist needs you! Before we resume this week's regularly scheduled programming, there's some exciting new developments to share with The Alarmy. We have a Patreon! A Patreon? That's right, you heard it here first. Join The OG Alarmist Rebecca Delgado Smith, Fact Checker Chris...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with author and Galveston cultural historian Jami Durham to discuss the catastrophic Galveston Hurricane of 1900. As an employee of the Galveston Historical Foundation since 1998 and with a background in research and museum management, Jami shares a very intimate and detailed account of the events that have forever changed the tight-knit c...

Who’s to blame for the Galveston Hurricane of 1900? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with comedian, filmmaker and Texas resident Meghan Ross about the deadliest storm ever in American history, the Galveston Hurricane of 1900? Whether it was an act of God or the wrath of Mother Nature, there’s a little more to this story which led to the unspeakable loss of life. Fact Checker...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with author Rachael Hanel about the polarizing case of Patty Hearst and her kidnapping by the SLA in 1974. Author of  Not the Camilla We Knew: One Woman’s Path from Small-town America to the Symbionese Liberation Army, Rachael reminds us of the trauma Patty Hearst was initially subjected to, and reflects on the mystery which still loo...