The Spectacle Podcast: The Official Podcast of The American Spectator

A couple of weeks have gone by since the U.S. captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, leaving the country’s future potential up to the interests of the U.S. Additionally, the U.S. actions in Venezuela has pressured other corrupt government leaders to follow suit or face conflict with the United States. Canadian conservative and political theorist William Barclay joins  The Spectacle Podcast  ...

Erin Reed, who self-identifies as a transgender journalist, helped transgender Girl Scouts receive over 70,000 cookie donations for various activities and excursions. On this episode of  The Spectator P.M. Podcast , hosts Ellie Gardey Holmes and Lyrah Margo criticize the inclusion of biological males in Girl Scouts. Ellie and Lyrah dive into the transgender Girl Scout list and explain the harms of...

Thousands of pro-lifers from across the country braved the impending snowstorm to attend the national March for Life at Washington, D.C., this past weekend. The event featured prominent guests like Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Even Pope Leo XIV sent a message extending his support. Join  The Spectator P.M. Podcast  hosts Ellie Gardey Holmes and Lyrah Margo as they recap...

The Left is in anguish over a new policy paper from the Heritage Foundation that encourages pro-family values to save America. Jessica Grose, an opinion writer for the New York Times, expressed her disdain for Heritage’s “retrograde” claim that traditional marriage is the cornerstone of civilization. The Spectator P.M. Podcast hosts Ellie Gardey Holmes and Lyrah Margo analyze the claims made by Gr...

In her new fashion book, The Look, Michelle Obama shares her philosophy and insight behind her style choices as the former first lady. Obama received backlash on social media for sharing her preference for wearing pieces from people of color, and her earlier comments in 2025 on her avoidance of wearing the color white. On this episode of The Spectator P.M. Podcast, hosts Ellie Gardey Holmes and Ly...

The University of Kansas caught backlash for offering a course called “Angry White Male Studies” — yet another example of indoctrination disguised as education. Join The Spectacle Podcast hosts Melissa Mackenzie and Scott McKay as they discuss higher education and the growing political bias on campus that is increasingly targeting conservatives. Melissa and Scott talk about the different challenge...

Anti-ICE protesters, including former CNN host Don Lemon, interrupted a church service in Minnesota to stage a takeover. The “activists” infiltrated the religious service due to word that the pastor worked for ICE. Unlicensed Punditry author Michael Smith joins The Spectacle Podcast hosts Melissa Mackenzie and Scott McKay to address illegal immigration and the escalation of violence from the Left...

On this “grab bag” segment of  The Spectacle Podcast , hosts Melissa Mackenzie and Scott McKay debunk and discuss various news and controversies surrounding China, technology, immigration, and more! Melissa opens the conversation by exploring a Chinese mathematician’s claim that China’s population is closer to 300 million rather than the 1.2 billion that the country reports. They discuss the vario...

The Iranian regime is crumbling from within, with varying death tolls going into the thousands, hinting at an eventual collapse. Join  The Spectacle Podcast  hosts Melissa Mackenzie and Scott McKay as they explore the various geopolitical challenges facing the regime and the Iranian people. Scott points out Iran’s severe water shortage and overpopulation as major issues that need to be addressed b...

Judicial Watch is cracking down on election fraud by suing states for having dirty voter rolls. One of the states being sued —Oregon— was found to have over 800,000 inactive voters, which accounts for 20 percent of Oregon’s registered voters. Listen to  The Spectacle Podcast  hosts Melissa Mackenzie and Scott McKay as they discuss Oregon’s new directives to clean up their voter rolls. Melissa and...

Former President Barack Obama’s concrete-slab presidential center, which is estimated to cost over $850 million, faces controversy over its DEI hiring practices as well as its promotion of leftist ideology on public land. On this episode of  The Spectator P.M. Podcast , hosts Ellie Gardey Holmes and Lyrah Margo unpack the controversy surrounding Obama’s center and the $40 million lawsuit between t...

New York City’s newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, partnered with YouTube star “Ms. Rachel” (Rachel Accurso) to sing “The Wheels on The Bus” and “If You’re Happy And You Know It” to a classroom of preschoolers. The duo highlighted the city’s plan to enact “2 Care,” a free, universal childcare program for 2-year-olds. Listen to  The Spectator P.M. Podcast  hosts Ellie Gardey Holmes and Lyrah Marg...

What didn’t work in 2025 and still won’t work in 2026? DEI, transgender ideology, vaccines — just to name a few. Listen to  The Spectacle Podcast  hosts Melissa Mackenzie and Scott McKay discuss lessons for the new year and what to leave behind in 2025. Melissa unleashes her grievances about her number one pet peeve of the phrase “I don’t prefer it” and the usage of pronouns. She also discusses th...

The Democrats continue to sympathize with Nicolás Maduro’s arrest, such as Rep. Delia Ramirez condemning the U.S. intervention in Venezuela and Sen. Mark Kelly encouraging active duty military members to disobey “illegal orders.” The Spectacle Podcast  hosts Melissa Mackenzie and Scott McKay continue their discussion on the reactions and implications of Maduro’s arrest, both domestically and globa...

2026 is off to an explosive start, with President Trump’s arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. The Spectacle Podcast  hosts Melissa Mackenzie and Scott McKay unpack what Maduro’s arrest means for America, Venezuela, and the rest of the world. They explain how the Cuban regime has exploited Venezuela’s natural resources and ripped off the Venezuelan people. Melissa and Scott also debunk De...

A growing number of job recruiters are returning to heavily relying on elite colleges to find top applicants, a Veritas Insight study finds. The Spectator P.M. Podcast hosts Ellie Gardey Holmes and Lyrah Margo discuss the factors that play into the phenomenon — such as the usage of AI and the consequences of DEI. They also discuss the growing problem of the lack of academic rigor in higher institu...

A Chick-fil-A location in Utah prompted controversy for publically posting support of same-sex marriage, contrary to the Biblical principles that Chick-fil-A is founded on. Join The Spectator P.M. Podcast hosts Ellie Gardey Holmes and Lyrah Margo as they speculate why the franchise is bowing to DEI ideology. They scrutinize the company’s response to the incident and call on Chick-fil-A to uphold t...

Joy Reid furthered yet another woke message by reposting a video that criticized the beloved Christmas tune “Jingle Bells” as a song written to make fun of black people. The Spectator P.M. Podcast  hosts Ellie Gardey Holmes and Lyrah Margo point out the absurd claims about the song’s origin. They also criticize the woke Left for their attempts to ruin Christmas. Tune in to hear their discussion!

Climate change, which former president Joe Biden once hailed as the “number one issue facing humanity,” went on the Left’s back burner this year. The Spectator P.M. Podcast  hosts Ellie Gardey Holmes and Lyrah Margo discuss why and how the Left is distancing themselves from climate change. They point to Bill Gates’ recent blog post critiquing ‘doomsday’ climate change claims and how Greta Thunberg...

On this special episode of  The Spectacle Podcast , hosts Melissa Mackenzie and Scott McKay discuss the growing trend of younger generations returning back to church and express joy at witnessing faith and American values making a comeback. Side discussion: Why are conservative talking heads at each other’s throats in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death? Tune in to hear their discussion!

President Trump has been tossing around the idea of extraterrestrial life and called for the release of UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) records. On this conspiracy watch episode of  The Spectacle Podcast,  hosts Melissa Mackenzie and Scott McKay discuss aliens, CERN portals, and underground obelisks claimed to be found underneath the pyramids. While Scott links a fictional example with the...

The Seattle Public School system is forcing students — from kindergarten to fifth grade — to read books that push and teach fluid gender identity. On this episode of  The Spectator P.M. Podcast , hosts Ellie Gardey Holmes and Lyrah Margo analyze the woke curriculum and how there are still cracks of indoctrination in the education system. They discuss the ridiculous lessons taught in different gend...

Three months after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Erika Kirk faces constant criticism for her every move. The Spectator P.M. Podcast  hosts Ellie Gardey Holmes and Lyrah Margo express disappointment with how the public is treating Erika Kirk and the conspiracy theories surrounding Charlie’s death. They also discuss Candace Owens and her baseless accusations about Erika and Turning Point USA. T...

Ilhan Omar’s loyalty is questioned, but her bank account is not. How does someone like Ilhan Omar get so rich in such a short amount of time? Why does her district elect her when she’s out and proud about her loyalty to Somalia and not America? How is she not indicted for being involved in the $6 billion grift machine in Minneapolis? The Spectacle Podcast  hosts Melissa Mackenzie and Scott M...

Jasmine Crockett is the likely candidate to secure the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in Texas, especially as Colin Allred drops his bid in the race. The Spectacle Podcast  hosts Melissa Mackenzie and Scott McKay predict the outcome of the race. Watch to see them prognosticate the Republican primary in the Texas Senate race, too. Will it be Wesley Hunt, Ken Paxton, or John Cornyn? Tune in...