Oh Gross!

On Oh Gross, we explore the complicated laws of self-defense. Gun laws, self-defense rights, and use-of-force rules vary wildly by state, and most people have no idea what applies to them.  This week, Kara, Jennie, and Molly sit down with Kara’s dear friend, veteran crime journalist Tom Morris Jr., for a conversation everyone should hear, no matter where you stand on guns. Kara and Tom have worked...

Next Thursday, veteran TV correspondent and “crime fighter” Tom Morris Jr. joins Kara Kurcz for a candid conversation on self-defense. Reuniting as longtime colleagues from America’s Most Wanted and Live PD, the discussion brings firsthand experience from years of covering real cases. Joined by Jennie Lasater and Molly Brandenberger, the group shares behind-the-scenes stories while breaking down h...

You can vote for Oh Gross to win the People's Voice here: ⁠wbby.co/57425N Oh Gross! is nominated a 2nd time in a row for a Webby Award (Science & Education) for our episode “Gas Station Heroin: The Kratom Crisis.” Just click Vote, sign up (free), and confirm. You can vote once per email through April 16. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here is a sneak peek of our conversation with veteran crime journalist and former America's Most Wanted correspondent Tom Morris Jr. He tackles the self-defense conversation people are uncomfortable having, but everyone needs to hear.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your ears have a secret life: bugs, buildup, and the truth about Q-tips with infectious disease expert Dr. Steve Threlkeld. On this episode of Oh Gross!, Dr. Steve Threlkeld joins Kara and Jennie to break down the secret life of your ears! It is all about earwax and why trying to get rid of it might be the worst thing you can do. And whatever you do… put down the Q-tip. Plus, the ER story you won’...

St. Patrick’s Day is here, using the luck of the Irish to get down and dirty with the holiday’s grossest realities. Join Kara, Molly, and Jennie for an unfiltered look at the traditions that leave a trail of questionable decisions and bacteria in their wake. This episode highlights: The "Urination Olympics": Discover why St. Paddy's Day causes more than a “wee” spike in public urination offenses i...

AI “deepfakes,” crypto craziness, and the terrifying reality of today’s rapidly evolving technology—how do you know what’s real and what’s not? This episode cuts through the noise to tell you what you really need to know about technology, your future, and your money. Kara sits down with best-selling author, futurist, and tech tycoon Armando Pantoja (the “Tall Guy Tycoon”) to explain the rapidly ev...

In the final installment of our special kratom series, Kara and Jennie speak with Emmy-nominated producer Joanne Rubino, creator of the documentary Kratom: Side Effects May Include. After a friend lost her 27-year-old son, Wyatt Wheeler, Joanne spent years investigating the growing and largely unregulated kratom industry. Her research uncovered a complicated story—one that includes passionate supp...

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Kara and Jennie sit down with kratom researcher and University of Florida medicinal chemistry professor Dr. Chris McCurdy for a no‑BS look at how a traditional Southeast Asian leaf turned into today’s potent “gas‑station” products. He explains where leaf‑only kratom may actually help with pain and opioid withdrawal, what changes when companies crank out 7‑OH shots and other concentrates, and why u...

Oh Gross! is back with a new season. This is where the questions people avoid actually get answered. Real conversations. Real experts. No topic is off-limits, because the things we’re most uncomfortable asking about are usually the things we need to understand the most. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kratom is sold as a “natural” sleep aid, mood booster, and pain reliever—sometimes right next to energy drinks at gas stations—yet there is no consistent regulation, no standard dosing, and deeply conflicting information online about how safe it really is. In part one of this two-part Oh Gross! special, Kara and Jennie unpack the fast-growing world of kratom and its synthetic offshoots like 7-OH,...

In preparation for our 2026 season premiere, we assembled a recap from the 2025 season episodes.  Also catch up on any of our amazing episodes you missed! Stay tuned for the 2026 premiere with an amazing lineup of expert guests and investigative episodes.  As always we are your news source for weird science, taboo health topics, misinformation & crisis blunders.  We uncover the ‘gross’ truth with...

In the aftermath of the Los Angeles fires, Oh Gross! revisits our conversation with Kerry Sanders in this replay of Behind the Lens: Stories & Tips from Reporter Kerry Sanders. As communities reflect on how quickly a crisis can unfold—and how long the impact can last—this episode explores what happens when preparation, travel, and real-time reporting collide. An Emmy and Peabody Award–winning jour...

On the one-year anniversary of the Los Angeles fires, Oh Gross! host Kara Kurcz and Molly revisits a conversation that feels just as urgent today as it did when it first aired. For Kara, interviewing Kerry Sanders was a full-circle moment. The conversation offered rare insight into how the world’s most experienced crisis journalists prepare long before disaster strikes, and how the public can take...

In this episode of Oh Gross, Jennie plays: a rapid-fire game with Kara that takes listeners through the grossest hygiene habits in human history. From ancient civilizations swimming in sewage, to Romans sharing communal butt sponges,—nothing is off the table. The hosts dig into why bathing was once considered dangerous, how urine became mouthwash, where June weddings really came from, and how huma...

It’s our favorite episode of the year...The Gross Holiday Gifts Your Kids Will Love holiday special! After surviving a cursed live-stream launch (including a demonic mic test), Kara and Jennie reveal the weirdest, grossest, and most internet-obsessed gifts of the season. From National Geographic’s “Weird But True” facts (yes, including a flying inflatable poop sculpture) to TikTok-famous mystery d...

If you thought your biggest lash problem was clumpy mascara… buckle up. Because today, the Oh Gross! crew uncovers the horrifying-but-also-hilarious truth that tiny microscopic spiders basically live rent-free on your face. Yes. Right now. As you read this. Kara, Jennie, and Molly kick things off with the viral eyelash-mite headlines… but things really take a turn when Kara calls her celebrity las...

This week, we’re serving up a throwback that ruined us the first time around—and is even more necessary before Thanksgiving kitchen chaos begins. Kara, Molly, and Jennie sit down with food-safety expert Katie Defour to unpack the deli fried chicken horror story that will haunt you (and maybe save your holiday meal). From “Poppin’ Chicken” gone wrong to raw-poultry splash zones, bacteria that refus...

Kara Kurcz reunites with Tom Morris Jr. for a live Oh Gross! episode packed with behind-the-scenes stories from America’s Most Wanted and Live PD. They break down the myths around self-defense, why the laws vary so widely state to state, and why talking openly about safety matters now more than ever. #livepd #crimetv #ohgrosspodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Was it food poisoning or the stomach flu? Infectious-disease expert Dr. Steve Threlkeld returns to Oh Gross! to unpack the real difference and why the “last thing you ate” isn’t always the culprit. We dig into the invisible fecal veneer, Dr. Steve’s unforgettable “painting the room” visualization, and a new favorite phrase you’ll hear in this convo: deer veneer. Gross? Yep. Useful? Totally. Food p...

This Week on Oh Gross! — Recorded LIVE!Nothing hit the cutting room floor—from Kara’s booger checks with Jennie to Molly’s Cologuard chat over cupcakes! The audience came ready with questions, and infectious disease expert Dr. Steve Threlkeld speaks about sickness, smell, and science. Episode Highlights: Losing your sense of smell: Why it happens, how to retrain your nose, and why nicotine patches...

Missed our first Oh Gross! livestream? Catch the replay of The Viral Truth—where Kara and Jennie put infectious disease expert Dr. Steve Threlkeld on the spot to separate myth from medicine. Ever heard these? Butter soothes burns. Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis. Sleeping with the window open can give you Bell’s palsy. Whiskey kills germs. “Starve a fever, feed a cold.” In this jam-packed...

0:00 — Lice Have Sex On Your Head  8:12 — Meet Cleve Willis: Rock Guitarist & Owner of Still Hot Yoga  13:10 — Head Lice Vs. Pubic Lice 20:04 — Can You Catch Crabs In Yoga? 28:43 — A “Flying Crab” Causes Pubic Lice In The Eye 41:23 — How to Sanitize Things to Not Get Pubic Lice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fleas in Los Angeles. Deadly Vibrio oysters. Valley Fever dust storms. Even armadillos carrying leprosy. Don’t panic—we’ve got infectious disease expert Dr. Steve Threlkeld back to separate fact from frenzy. In this jam-packed conversation, Kara, Jennie, and Molly pepper Dr. Steve with the latest health scare headlines and the questions we’re all secretly Googling: What exactly is flea-borne typhu...