Pablo Torre Finds Out

Socrates called it a sensation of both pleasure and pain. But the tickle is the one legal move that the UFC won't talk about — especially after the tickle went viral. Correspondent David Fleming giggles his way from a rat-titilating neuroscientist in Germany to a cage-side gaggle at a wedding ballroom in Rochester, exploring the science of laughter, the art of war and a truly genius alternative to...

When did Hollywood get so good at cucking? Can hot guys be character actors? Who's your work wife? Would you drink a bucket of Wegovy? And is Shrek real? Plus: Paris Hilton, #MeSlurp, Smooching+ and the Shaquille O'Neal of hiding behind a tree... of braces. Also: Haaaaamburger. Further content: • "I Couldn't Get a Job and I Lost Everything" • "It Had to Be You" • Serena Williams Opens Up About Bei...

Pablo welcomes back America's most feared (and respected) young watchdog for lessons in challenging the Steve Ballmers of the world — and real talk on how "dynamic pricing" is more like surveillance. Speaking of which, a certain New York City mayoral candidate (and long-suffering Arsenal fan) enters the chat to make his case for why FIFA shouldn't bully fans by algorithm, why we can't normalize in...

As the NBA commissioner and the richest owner in sports dig in their heels, Pablo scoops up more Aspiration receipts — from Mark Cuban's tweets to the Clippers' C-suite and the cellphone of Uncle Dennis. Meanwhile, Dan Le Batard breaks character to look after a muckraker running on fumes. • Part III: The Mystery Investor, the No-Show Payday and the "Smoking Gun" • Part II: Team Ballmer vs. Team Sh...

Superstars like Jannik Sinner and Mikaela Shiffrin wear a headset to train their minds and get in the zone. But a six-month investigation by Hunterbrook Media, in collaboration with PTFO, uncovered the technology's secret funding by entities linked to the Chinese government — plus partnerships with robotics companies helping to train super-soldiers of the future. Hunterbrook's Sam Koppelman examin...

A visit from the Def Comedy Jam legend that, as of one month ago, Pablo and Michael did not know. Alonzo “Hamburger” Jones is not afraid to answer the tough questions: how he discovered his catchphrase; why he’s wearing a Daniel Jones jersey; and what it was like to be in a lineup with Chris Tucker and Bernie Mac. Also: Filet-O-Fish.  Previously on PTFO: Share & Hamburger & Tell: http...

Pablo unveils shocking new details (and documents) from inside the fraudulent company that spawned a generational NBA scandal, as Amin Elhassan and David Samson return for rational explanations in the court of podcast opinion — and contemplate Steve Ballmer's endgame. • Part II: Team Ballmer vs. Team Sh*tting Bricks — an Argument with Mark Cuban • Part I: The Richest Owner in Sports, the Silent Su...

He's stripped at the Super Bowl and evaded the authorities at Wimbledon. He danced in a tutu at the Olympics and raced alongside Usain Bolt. But Mark Roberts is more than the world's most notorious streaker. Because his memories of mischief contain multitudes. About how to challenge authority, then laugh with the cops. About how to find yourself, lose yourself... and love what it means to be a fan...

As the NBA announced an investigation in response to Pablo's reporting on Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers, he turned a Twitter war with the longtime Dallas Mavericks owner into an exclusive, impromptu debate. It was congenial and contentious, hypothetical and hyperbolic — and very, very revealing. About the secret world of billionaires and sports ownership. About oversight and due diligence and res...

Pablo digs up a clue — buried in a promise to save the planet — and unearths a scandal: Did the wealthiest sports owner on Earth secretly sweeten the pot for the most private star in professional basketball? And what do Iron Man, Martin Luther King and Bill Clinton have to do with all of this? Former front-office executives Amin Elhassan and David Samson help us comb through more than 3,000 pages...

For 27 years, filmmaker Mickey Duzyj carried a prideful secret history: He'd been the Dracula version of Ben Shelton in late-'90s Detroit, with his very own bleacher crows, a very special coach… and a deal with the devil. (This episode originally aired October 24, 2024.) • Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter for new episodes, exclusive documents and subscriber-only events https://pablo.show/ Hosted on...

America's best documentary filmmaker spent nearly five years making a nine-hour masterpiece for Netflix. Which you'll never see. Edelman sits down with Pablo in search of catharsis — if not closure — in the battle for truth and control over the life story of one of the biggest control freaks ever. (This episode originally aired March 4, 2025.) • Previously on PTFO: When Docs Cry  https://www.youtu...

His callers are a portal to the college-football universe — and the American South today. As Finebaum himself says, "We found this audience before Donald Trump did." We're talking poisoned trees, an on-air heart attack... and one Alabama super-fan with a truly haunting past. (This episode originally aired December 19, 2024.) • Subscribe to Pablo's Substack for exclusive access, documents and invit...

No job in America is more scrutinized, except for (maybe) the presidency. And yet no job is more misunderstood — even by the stars who mastered it. On the eve of a new football season, Pablo joins journalism's foremost QB scholar for a case study in royalty: How do the Mannings keep producing under-center superstars? What connects the Golden Age of Hollywood to John Elway? Is Tom Brady’s newslette...

He was the Bill James of basketball. A cocky forefather of sports analytics who saw numbers as colors. Whose book, "Basketball Heaven," helped usher in the three-point era. And who failed. But Martin Manley also left behind a map, ranging from X-Files to his mother-in-law to the path toward the most efficient life... and death. Reporters Nick Altschuller and Rich Levine adapt their new "30 for 30"...

He is one of the most disturbing and unapologetic filmmakers in Hollywood, from creating "Requiem for a Dream" to choosing conquistador sci-fi over Batman. But director Darren Aronofsky's new movie — "Caught Stealing," starring Austin Butler as a former MLB prospect — is a departure. Toward optimism; nostalgia; and Cheez. (Because, as any real New Yorker knows, you get everything you want when you...

The host of “The Adam Friedland Show” is here to come out of the closet as the secret inspiration for one of PTFO’s most controversial episodes. Also: Pablo and Adam’s (real) LSAT scores; loving Kobe; telling Kobe how your ass tastes; @perfectbooties; if LeBron is the Millennial Michael Jordan; the secrets of good interviewing; calling Tony Kornheiser; photo shoots; campus protests; dunking on Chr...

If you’ve been asking Pablo to discuss Jeffrey Epstein… this episode is for you. The NFLPA’s election of a new executive director, David White, has brought a new level of spin, and denial, about a major scandal — and cover-up — during his tenure atop SAG-AFTRA. So PTFO summons Pro Football Talk ’s Mike Florio back for a fourth (!) installment of their endless NFL investigation. And with the help o...

In another edition of Share & Tell, Pablo, Katie Nolan, and Michael Cruz Kayne dissect an evening they spent together; the secrets of taping comedy specials; vasectomies; peak Britney Spears; and the legend of Alonzo “Hamburger” Jones. Plus: mewing, boofing, rooves, Wendy Wetface, Japanese Student No. 9 and Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp. • Previously: “How Science Ruined Grief,” with Michael Cru...

Not since the Greco-Roman period has sculpture mattered this much in sports. And Jerry Saltz — the Pulitzer Prize-winning senior art critic for New York magazine — has zero idea who Dwyane Wade is. Which is precisely why we asked the erstwhile Jewish Cowboy (we'll explain) to evaluate our athletic Bronze Age, from Michael Jordan to Cristiano Ronaldo. And that's before we get to "I Can't Believe It...

The story of basketball cannot be told without Oscar Schmidt, the greatest scorer to never play in the NBA. Pablo travels to Florida for a sit-down with a legend whose impact on the game — like his laugh — still echoes today. (This episode originally aired March 14, 2024.) • Subscribe to Pablo's Substack for exclusive access, documents and invites https://pablo.show/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...

At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Adolf Hitler gave the legendary runner a gift: four potted oak-tree saplings — one for each gold medal that Owens won, while surrounded by Nazis, in one of the greatest sports performances ever. Correspondent David Fleming examines what Owens did with The Hitler Oaks... and why his decision remains an enduring act of American defiance. (This episode originally aired Ju...

Our semi-regular roundtable on sports business reconvenes for expertise from the boardroom: David Samson takes Pablo behind the scenes of Ichiro's viral joke about him at the Baseball Hall of Fame, then John Skipper translates the math from the ESPN negotiating table to the Unrivaled cap table the looming strike over WNBA salaries — and team valuations at large. Plus: foreskin, poppycock, psychede...

As the NFL returns, Pablo and Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio are back with more secret documents, a federal investigation, new government names, billions of union dollars, an O.J. Simpson parking space, the world’s largest strip club... and one big "clusterf*ck." Does the OneTeam Partners saga connect to a Game of Thrones-style power play by the NFLPA's shadow boss? Or could the feds be on the tr...

We are living in the era of Peak Cremation, and fans have turned to our true American cathedral as a final resting place: the sports arena. PTFO death correspondent David Fleming reports on a cottage industry for die-hards in the afterlife — from team-branded urns and exploding golf balls to franchises that want the on-field ceremonies gone (and forgotten). And then, of course, we help a woman nam...