Trashy Divorces

Since our extensive coverage of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul all the way back in... last month, much has happened! Taylor and her ex-boyfriend/baby daddy Dakota Mortensen have finally been before a judge in their custody dispute. Remember that Dakota was initially awarded custody in April, with Taylor limited to supervised visitation with their 2-year-old child. Well, thin...

After the death of Edwina Mountbatten in 1960, Dickie still had another 19 years of living to do, and while he was single, he was in no way alone. He had romances with plenty of women in his later years, and according to many, he had male lovers - including, it is alleged, boys - as well. A mentor to Prince Charles, his advice to the young man may have contributed to what turned into the tragic ma...

As Edwina took pains to lay low in Malta after the scandals of her affairs, Italy decided to exit the League of Nations and invade Ethiopia. To protect their children, she took them to Budapest and installed them in a hotel with their nanny and governess... and then forgot which hotel they were in. For months. As the summer of 1935 turned to fall, and then winter, they just stayed in their hotel u...

Programming note: This episode is a bit more explicit than most, including strong language and descriptions of sex. If you listen with wee ones, use your judgment. The early '30s were a roaring time for Edwina's various romances, though two in particular would have far-reaching implications for her lovers. The first, with American actor Paul Robeson, caused scandal in the London tabloids because R...

As the Roaring '20s turned into the '30s, Edwina's appetite for other lovers showed no sign of diminishing, and eventually led to a breaking point with her long-suffering husband, Louis. At one point, they decided that divorce was the best option, but quickly reconciled with new rules for their relationship: Edwina would be more discreet in her dalliances, which had previously been headline news,...

It didn't take long for Edwina, young, rich, and alone while her husband Louis was away with the Navy, to begin flirtations and then affairs with various suitors. There were the young men of her social strata, to be sure, but there was also a scandalous rumored fling with the notably female American entertainer Sophie Tucker, "The Last of the Red-Hot Mamas." These affairs took a toll on her marria...

While Louis and Edwina Mountbatten would have a 38-year-long marriage, it isn't quite right to say it was a happy union. That first six months or so though - when they traveled through Europe and the United States, meeting Charlie Chaplin, Cecil B. DeMille, and dining with President Warren G. Harding - was a magical time for the couple. Once they returned to England and settled into married life,...

As many will already know, it was the youngest child of Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine who would become a prominent figure in the lives of the modern world of the Windsors. Young Louis Battenberg, later Louis Mountbatten, was known as Dickie to his confidants, and was stung early when his father, First Sea Lord of the British Navy, was removed from his post...

Prince George of Battenberg, later the 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven, was the third child of Louis Battenber and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, and was by all accounts a pretty good dude. Like his father, he set his sights on a naval career, and excelled at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, entering the Royal Navy in time to participate in World War I. His 1916 marriage to Countess N...

The second child of Prince Louis of Battenberg (later, Louis Mountbatten, Marquess of Milford Haven) and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine was Princess Louise, born July 14, 1889. While most royal were promptly shuttled into marriage, Louise was an independent, progressive young woman whose heart was set on marrying for love. There were suitors, to be sure, but Louise was insistent that she...

After Louis Battenberg's (later Louis Mountbatten) successful campaign to marry Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, the couple set about having babies. The first of these, Princess Alice, was born in 1885, and came into the world congenitally deaf. Given the era, no particular accommodations were made for her, and while her condition caused many to underestimate her, she compensated by learni...

While royal houses are often insular and even incestuous (at least at the cousin-marrying level), new blood does manage to enter those gene pools from time to time. Meet the Mountbattens! The family's story begins in Russia, circa 1850, where the orphaned daughter of a Polish general named Julia von Hauke was serving in the household of Maria Alexandrovna, future wife of future Tsar Alexander II....

In the 90s, Jerry Seinfeld was a king of the TV and of the broader culture. His hit show Seinfeld was four years into its run when Jerry spotted an attractive girl in Central Park. He approached, got her number, and only later learned that he, a 38 year old man, had just chatted up a 17-year-old named Shoshanna Lonstein. Did this stop Jerry Seinfeld from a four year romance with his much younger p...

Once again, we're catching up on the haps within the Trashy Divorces Cinematic Universe, and maybe adding some new names into the mix as well. Brand new wedding news is the talk of the town for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. New York socialite Libbie Mugrabi, who left her divorce from art collector David Mugrabi with a cool $100 million, is having to offload a mansion that was part of that settlem...

In this crossover week celebrating Marilyn Monroe, our investigation today brings us to the final days of Marilyn Monroe’s life, as well as many recollections about the night of her death and her legacy.   Want early, ad-free episodes, regular Dumpster Dives, bonus divorces, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and more? Join us at⁠ patreon.com/trashydivorces⁠! Want a personalized message for someone in...

We are exploring the summer of 1962 for Marilyn Monroe – with multiple plotlines developing. A studio looking to smear her, a doctor and housekeeper with questionable practices, and a few high-level summer romances bring a very complicated summer for Marilyn, whichever biographer you follow. Want early, ad-free episodes, regular Dumpster Dives, bonus divorces, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and mo...

In this episode, our investigation brings Marilyn Monroe into 1962, a much more public year than her last. From buying a home to keeping company with John F. Kennedy, Marilyn’s January to May is filled with future planning, a return to work, and a few legendary parties too – one of which causes the final fallout between Peter Lawford and Frank Sinatra. Want early, ad-free episodes, regular Dumpste...

As we continue our week of Marilyn Monroe, the Swinging 1960s are upon us. Within this episode, we explore the first two years of the decade for Marilyn, which involve some tough times. Included are the bust-up of her marriage with Arthur Miller, a scandalous affair, a reconnection with Joe DiMaggio, and a new President for the United States too. Want early, ad-free episodes, regular Dumpster Dive...

In this second of our week of Marilyn Monroe episodes we follow her life, loves, and career from 1954 to 1959. So much is happening in these years with great freedom, and many challenges too. Also entering the frame today, we have Dominick Dunne and Peter Lawford, and so many characters who will be mighty influential in the coming few years as well. Want early, ad-free episodes, regular Dumpster D...

In honor of her 100th birthday, we begin our journey into the life and death of Marilyn Monroe. This first episode reveals Marilyn from her birth in 1926 to 1954, with stardom just around the corner. Included are her troubled childhood, her first marriage, and her early path to legend status. Want early, ad-free episodes, regular Dumpster Dives, bonus divorces, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and m...

While the last few years of Katie Price's life have not been uneventful, the last weeks of her life have been extraordinary even by Katie Price standards. In January, she married a Guy in Dubai (Lee Andrews) after three days in his company. The Guy in Dubai was immediately the subject of intense media scrutiny, and what was revealed was jarring. So jarring, perhaps, that Lee Andrews opted to step...

This week on Trashy Divorces, we're celebrating one of our favorite TD alums - Britain's astonishing media figure Katie Price. In this encore of our original episode on her from 2022, we go through the outrageous origins of Katie Price, who has been generating headlines across the pond for three decades. Then, this weekend, we'll get into the current drama surrounding Katie - which is quite a lot,...

Content Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of domestic violence. Taylor Frankie Paul's relationship with Dakota was far more violent than we knew, and the violence has continued into 2026. The pair have recently been in court seeking mutual protective orders, and, to her credit, Taylor acknowledged that she was indeed part of the problem. For his part, Dakota acknowledged that Tay...

The ABC network went and recorded a whole season of its hit reality show The Bachelorette - and promptly shelved it. Dakota, once again, was the cause, having sold his cell phone video of Taylor Frankie Paul's domestic violence incident from 2023 to TMZ days before the season's premiere. The fate of the season remains up in the air, and as for Taylor Frankie Paul's legal situation, we'll get into...

Lady Colin Campbell has led quite a life in her day, and one very connected into our upcoming storytelling journey. Today, it is crossover all about her trashy divorce, sticky royal spiderwebs, and so much more as we enter Lady Colin Campbell into our cinematic universe as a future player and source too. Want early, ad-free episodes, regular Dumpster Dives, bonus divorces, limited series, Zoom han...