Conspiracy Theories

A man identifying himself as Mel Waters called into the nationally syndicated talk show, Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell, claiming a hole on his property was unfathomably deep and had supernatural attributes. To this day, neither the hole nor the real “Mel Waters” have ever been located. Conspiracy Theories is now on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with...

How does the Taylor Swift of the swing era just... disappear? That’s the question Carter tries to answer in this episode alongside Dennis Spragg, one of the foremost experts on Glenn Miller’s life and career. Join them as we uncover the mysteries surrounding the celebrated bandleader. Miller’s involvement in the US war effort during WWII (5:02) His infamous flight over the English Channel (10:08)...

Carter examines alternative explanations for the famous alien sighting, including a government experiment gone wrong, a cold war conspiracy, and time travel. Conspiracy Theories is now on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the-scenes updates from Carter and the team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/ad...

Nicknamed “The British Roswell,” it’s one of the most controversial UFO sightings. Carter presents the accounts of US Air Force Officers from December, 1980 – and then examines allegations that the government concealed the truth. Conspiracy Theories is now on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the-scenes updates from Carter and...

By 2012, undercover DEA agents had cracked holes in an underground criminal conspiracy. It was the “Amazon.com of Drugs” – the Silk Road. But to take down its shadowy founder, they’d have to team up with a surprising number of federal agencies – and go to criminal lengths themselves. The audiobook edition of American Kingpin by Nick Bilton is available for Spotify Premium Subscribers in our Audiob...

Secret societies have long been the subject of conspiracy theories. But this one was very real, just a few keystrokes away – if you knew where to click. Carter explores the Silk Road — a “shadow Amazon.com” — and its founder, who used it for a secret double-life. The audiobook edition of American Kingpin by Nick Bilton is available for Spotify Premium Subscribers in our Audiobook catalog, where yo...

This week on Conspiracy Theories: Book Club, we are joined by tech journalist and author Taylor Lorenz to discuss the creator economy, social media, and what it means to be extremely online. After the interview, we’re joined by Carter for a wrap up conversation, where we discuss social media’s influence on our own lives. (22:41) The audiobook edition of Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame,...

The state of crypto seems to change every day. Millions of people have made, and lost, money in what some consider a scam and others a golden investment opportunity and the future of currency. In this interview, we have a wide-ranging conversation with Jacob Silverman, investigative journalist and co-author of Easy Money, on the various value propositions of crypto and what it might mean for your...

Plenty of conspiracies surround John F. Kennedy’s assassination. In this episode we sit down with Jefferson Morley, investigative journalist, author, and co-founder of JFK Facts to discuss ongoing disclosure efforts, and his mission to separate fact from fiction. In this interview, we explore how clandestine intelligence agencies continue to withhold information, recent revelations regarding the C...

For the next three weeks, we’ll be putting out a special series we’re calling Conspiracy Theories: Book Club. Every week for the past five years you’ve heard Carter tell captivating stories researched and written by our talented team. On Conspiracy Theories: Book Club, you’ll hear our producers interview authors and researchers committed to uncovering the truth behind some of our favorite topics....

After the fallout at the PNC Bank, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong and Bill Rothstein scrambled to cover their tracks. But the FBI was already closing in, working to reveal the mastermind behind the entire plan. Keep up with us on Instagram @theconspiracypod! Have a story to share? Email us at conspiracystories@spotify.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In order to deactivate the bomb, Brian’s co-conspirators set up an elaborate scavenger hunt around Erie, Pennsylvania. But as police started to follow the clues, tragedy struck. Keep up with us on Instagram @theconspiracypod! Have a story to share? Email us at conspiracystories@spotify.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In August 2003, pizza delivery man Brian Wells strapped a collar bomb to his neck and chest and entered a PNC Bank demanding $250,000 in cash. He thought it was the perfect bank robbery, and that the bomb on his chest was fake. He was wrong on both counts. Keep up with us on Instagram @theconspiracypod! Have a story to share? Email us at conspiracystories@spotify.com Learn more about your ad choic...

Officially, the exiled French emperor died of stomach cancer in 1821. But for hundreds of years, controversy courted that narrative, and new possibilities arose. What if Napoleon had actually been murdered — poisoned by an assassin? And what if he never died on that island at all? Conspiracy Theories is now on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with the sh...

Sidney Reilly returns to his unfinished business in Russia, only to be dealt a final deadly hand. Conspiracy Theories is now on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the-scenes updates from Carter and the team.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He's a legend in the world of spycraft, the “Ace of Spies”, and the inspiration behind Ian Fleming’s James Bond. Sidney Reilly traveled the world taking on covert missions and uncovering dangerous plots, all while enjoying a now-legendary lifestyle filled with gambling and womanizing. Conspiracy Theories is now on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with th...

In this special episode, Carter sits down with Justin to discuss his new podcast, The Wedding Scammer (00:46). Then, we get into the story of infamous wine con-artist Rudy Kurniawan, who sold counterfeit wine to some of the world’s most prestigious clients (13:50). Finally, Justin and Carter give their final thoughts on the nature of scams and the people that scam us (47:11). (00:46) - Introductio...

Carter examines a cursed Connecticut neighborhood, its rumored royal origins, and the town’s ghostly connection to The Conjuring movie franchise.  Conspiracy Theories is now on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the-scenes updates from Carter and the team.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The true story behind Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon: Members of Osage Nation are being targeted for their high-priced oil headrights. There’s so many murders that the small local police department can’t investigate thoroughly, so the tribe turns to the newly-formed FBI to get the job done. Keep up with us on Instagram @serialkillerspodcast and @theconspiracypod! Have a story to share? Emai...

The true story behind Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon: In the early twentieth century, Oklahoma’s Osage Reservation was rich in oil and spread the wealth across the tribe. But in the 1920s, it became clear that someone was killing members of the tribe. Was it a serial killer? A ploy to grab rights to the oil money? Or was it both? Keep up with us on Instagram @serialkillerspodcast and @theco...

After dozens of UFO sightings plagued Exeter, New Hampshire in 1965, a skeptical investigative journalist named John G. Fuller came to town. The hours of interviews he conducted changed his mind – and led to the first Congressional hearing that discussed UFOs. Conspiracy Theories is now on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the...

It’s cited in war rooms and boardrooms, but perhaps the most important lessons from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War are about the art of espionage. This 6th century guidebook has inspired organizations around the world, from the CIA to the KGB, making it one of the most important texts in human history. Conspiracy Theories is now on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to kee...

Detective Sébeille begins to uncover the secrets of the Dominici family, but has his single-minded focus led him down the wrong path? What secrets are the victims hiding? And could he have been investigating the wrong family this entire time? Conspiracy Theories is now on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the-scenes updates fr...

A dogged detective travels to rural France in 1952 to investigate the murders of three British tourists. At first no one will talk to the big city cop, but as he dives further into the investigation he can’t seem to get away from a single suspect: the Dominici family. Conspiracy Theories is now on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get be...

A disembodied arm, a man-eating shark, and multiple rumored mob hits. It’s one of Australia’s most famous and bizarre murder mysteries, but the pair of unsolved deaths might not be murders at all... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices