Well, I Laughed

**Spoiler Alert** This week's episode is about people and their eccentricities. It is about nepotism and vengeance and fame. It is about how truly dramatic theater people can be. This week, a podcast about John Wilkes Booth. Who was the man who killed Lincoln? Why did Booth kill Lincoln? Who was John Wilkes Booth’s family? This week we look at Booth and Lincoln’s final act!  00:00:00 Catch-Up 00:2...

There are some who elevate their craft. Musicians, cooks, artists. In the world of modern beef battles one man reigns supreme. Why does 50 Cent hate P Diddy so much? Who knew about P Diddy's dark secrets and private life? This week, Maia gives us an entire podcast on P Diddy and 50 Cent. We might not be "Hot 97", but we're looking for answers. 00:00:00 Catch-Up 00:19:22 Rapped Up Hosted by Simplec...

Is QAnon a cult or a conspiracy theory? How did so many people get sucked into it? Why don't they leave? How does an online belief system become so prevalent so quickly? In the second part of this two-parter, Maia goes down the rabbit hole to investigate the origin of these beliefs, who Q could be, the effect of social media algorithms, and why it is still a danger in 2024. This week, on Well, I L...

Who joins a cult? Why do people in cults stay? How can people in cults get out? This week, in the first of a two-part episode, Maia dives deep into the world of cults and conspiracy theories. From those centered around political utopias (like Dr. Janja Lalich, a victim of the Democratic Workers Party) to religious salvation (like those involved in the Word of Faith Fellowship run by Jane Whaley),...

A DB Cooper podcast as Grant takes on a true crime story! How does the only successful plane hijacker manage to slip away in the middle of the night with the law following right behind him? Where did he go? And where is the money. This week, on Well, I Laughed we cover the case of the unsolvable sky pirate! 00:00:00 Catch-Up 00:25:10 Sky Pirate Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.ads...

The listener episode! This week Gina talks gin, Alexis gets conned into housing a door-to-door ... vacuum salesman, Mary survives dating an Australian (kind of), and Dawn is shocked to be asked! Two anonymous listeners write in with their own stories. The first plays a game on their ex and the second breaks the heart of a hook up. All this and more, this week on Well, I Laughed! 00:00:00 Catch-Up...

An episode unlike any we've done before! Grant dives into the legacy of the "NSA leaker" Reality Winner. Her story, like that of so many we have covered on our show, is far more complicated and nuanced than meets the eye. In her journey we ask ourselves tough questions about patriotism and service to your country. Find out what makes this women, and this episode, so truly special. Winners and Lose...

Who was the man that tried to sell the Eiffel Tower? This week, Maia takes us on a podcast journey to the Titanic (well, ships like the Titanic) and a man who knew how to sell. No need to own anything with Victor Lustig around! Fake money machines, card games, property auction, or bribery. Victor Lustig was a man would always managed to hit his mark and slip the cops, until he couldn't. This week,...

A special guest! Jacob, friend of the pod, join us with a special story. "Why did it rain blobs in Oakville?" That is a very good question. One we will attempt to answer, or at least speculate on. Either way we can promise you were are having a good time and, well, we laughed. Enjoy! P.S. Maia had too much Elk Creek Water and mixed up Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic - Prokaryotes are the ones without m...

"What happened at the Dyatlov Pass?" Is one of the 20th centuries greatest historical mysteries. Dive into the chilling 1959 Dyatlov Pass saga. Picture nine seasoned hikers, led by Igor Dyatlov, slashing open their own tent in the dead of night, leaving frozen footprints, a still-glowing flashlight, and bodies ranging from textbook hypothermia to bomb-like rib breaks, singed socks, strangulation m...

Want to know more about the badass women of history? Before there was Joan of Arc, there was a Jeanne. Multiple Jeannes. Honestly, maybe too many Jeannes. Enter Jeanne de Clisson, a Breton noble who burned through estates, out-lasted three husbands, and forged a single, razor-sharp goal: annihilating France’s King Philip VI. After watching her third spouse lose his head on a Paris scaffold, Jeanne...

Need a laugh, a cry, and maybe a second helping of your favorite midnight snack? In this third installment of our "A Lover Scorned" listener series, Maia and Grant serve up a chaotic blend of moving-day madness, woodworking therapy, dive bar etiquette, and fall obsessions—before diving into some of the most jaw-dropping listener stories yet. From Hazel's bulldozer-police-station showdown and Betsy...

Who killed Walter Wanderwell? Grant introduces us to a globe-trotting cast with entirely too many aliases, starting with the irreverent Nell Miller, continuing to the self-styled explorer Captain Walter Wanderwell, and detouring through the fabulously odd heiress Harriet White Fisher. Yet the true scene-stealer, in more ways than one, is Idris Hall, the six-foot Canadian teenager who reinvented he...

Think your breakup was messy? Wait till you meet Olga of Kiev. In this explosive (and only technically shorter) episode of Well, I Laughed, Grant and Maia dive into the blood-soaked legend of a woman scorned who didn’t just clap back—she burned entire cities to the ground. After her husband, Prince Igor I, is gruesomely executed by the Drevlians (spoiler: it involves birch trees and a “human hammo...

This week’s listener episode finds Grant and Maia christening their brand-new studio, complete with glitchy Wi-Fi, Denver heat, and a hilariously ill-timed breakup mid-opening credits, before diving into six wild listener stories. Stacy shares two painfully familiar dating disasters; Mimi flashes back to the infamous Lee episode “Falsely Imprisoned”; Jessica narrowly escapes being named “Frock”; a...

A true-crime saga that starts with a dressage horse and ends with a shooting. In this jaw-dropping episode, Maia and Grant unpack the wild and winding tale of a barn drama that spirals from elite-level horse training into Facebook call-outs, police showdowns, and a shocking act of violence. After Maia moves her prized mount to a prestigious facility run by ex-Olympian Michael Barone, tensions buil...

Who was the "Irish Hamilton"? Join us in learning the jaw-dropping saga of Richard Martin, a man of passion who was just as likely to shoot you in a duel as he was to defend an innocent animal. Dubbed “Hair-Trigger Dick” for the 100-plus duels he survived and “Humanity Dick” for dragging a battered donkey into court and writing the world’s first anti-cruelty law, Martin was an 18th-century Irish M...

A listener episode! Listeners of Well, I Laughed share their connections with this week's theme "Down to Business". Polly details an uncomfortably close connection with a man known as Dr. Death. Ashley emailed in about the dangers of donating blood in a story so funny, we almost passed out. Nicole writes in with a friend or foe, deal or no deal story about a high school romance gone wrong. And War...

Grant takes the opportunity to share some "weird stories from Australia." He introduces us to an underground, deadly underwater cave system in the middle of a cow field known as "The Shaft" in Australia. Next, he covers the disappearance of Harold Holt. The Australian Prime Minister (and spear fisher) who was abducted by aliens, eaten by a shark, or something way more normal and boring. Finally, w...

Was Mulan real? Did Mulan exist? And, if so, how accurate is the movie Mulan? This week we get down to business to uncover the history behind our favorite female warrior. Maia spotlights three extraordinary women whose boldness and brilliance helped reshape East Asian and global history: Tamoe Gozen, a Japanese Samurai from the 12th century, whose bravery and romances were featured in Heike monoga...

A listener episode! Listeners of Well, I Laughed share their connections with this week's theme "Friend or Foe". from a chilling backyard skeleton discovery and a spirit finally laid to rest, to a 5th-grade art prize snub that turned into a marriage proposal. You also shared enemies-to-lovers glow-ups, high school heartbreaks, and a museum specimen bag labeled “99.9% sure it’s a bat.” Plus: ketami...

What happened to Laci Peterson, and did the media get it all wrong?  In this deeply researched episode, Maia and Grant unpack one of the most polarizing true-crime cases of the early 2000s: the trial of Scott Peterson. Maia walks us through the mysterious circumstances and tragic death of Laci Peterson. We meet her husband Scott Peterson, learn his alibi, and end up with some serious open question...

What is eco-terrorism and... is it all bad? In the 1990s the US government found out what happened when you anger young environmentalist and the power of positive reinforcement for things like sabotage. Grant covers who was the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and the degree to which their crimes deserved the label "terrorist". Saviors of the planet, terrorist, or both? This week's episode of Well, I...

Laugh, cringe, and question everything you thought was normal—this jam-packed listener episode has it all. Maia and Grant spiral through a whirlwind of chaos, comedy, and oddly relatable life hacks—starting with the brilliance of a “receiving hour” to curb messaging guilt. From there, it’s off to the gym: Maia recounts a cardio mishap that ends in a starfish-shaped crisis, while Grant shrugs his w...

Criminal justice, true crime, and the bonds of family all clash in today's podcast episode! It starts with a story we've heard before. An innocent man is convicted of a crime he did not commit. Facing life in prison few believe in his innocence or his chances to overturn his conviction. Fortunately, for his sister, this is a hill she is willing to die on. Learn who is Kenny Waters, who is Betty An...