Trashy Divorces

Content warning: Discussion of suicide Late night television's David Letterman has been a fixture in American households since the early 80s. His wry wit, top ten lists, and willingness to take his show into unexpected directions, all for laughs, made him a comedy legend, but the man himself has often been beset by insecurity. One friend describes his "demonically low self-esteem," and perhaps tha...

80's heartthrob Corey Feldman is an integral piece of film history from the decade. In movies like Gremlins, The Goonies, Stand By Me, and - alongside the second half of "The Two Coreys," Corey Haim - The Lost Boys, he was simply everywhere and seemingly in everything. Behind the scenes, however, his story was a much harder road - an abusive family, childhood sexual exploitation, and increasingly...

Alicia enjoyed Stacie's trip down memory lane with Rudy Giuliani so much that she wanted to share her OG Trashy Divorces story as well, that of King Henry VIII of England. He famously had six wives, some of whom he did not kill! Please enjoy this Trashy Divorces Classics episode, and for more like this, check out our new history podcast, Trashy Royals , available on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or w...

Well friends, it finally happened: Stacie's very first Trashy Divorces profile, Rudy Giuliani, has been indicted! Deservedly so, we think, and to make the case, we take a look at the four lawsuits he's currently wrapped up with. While the first three are defamation cases related to his election-stealing efforts, it's the fourth one that's really likely to scrap his reputation for the ages. Sponsor...

When the long-awaited Top Gun sequel Maverick hit theaters last year, many were left to wonder why actress Kelly McGillis wasn't tapped to reprise her role as Charlie. Well, it turns out that she wouldn't have been interested if they had asked. Kelly, you see, has been on quite a journey through trauma and self-discovery - including two divorces and a significant relationship breakup - and has mor...

In what is shaping up to be a wild summer of breakups, one story has really dominated: the apparent affair between pop icon Ariana Grande and her Wicked co-star, Ethan Slater. Both were married at the start of the year, and while the proceedings are pending as of now, both have filed to end those marriages. Tongues are wagging across the globe about this unlikely - and potentially unwise - pairing...

Alicia has the delightfully dapper - if frequently ill-timed - story of English actor Roger Moore and his four marriages. Three of them featured a surprising amount of violence directed at him; two of his wives simply refused to allow him to divorce for years after he had moved on to new relationships. In spite of the tumult, the third James Bond seems to have permanently remained a caring, deeply...

Linda Evangelista may have had one of the world's most famous faces during the 1990s Supermodel heyday, but there was more going on behind the scenes than even she knew. Her sole marriage led, decades later, to serious and disturbing allegations against her ex-husband, including from the time they were together. In more recent years, an unlikely side effect from a medical procedure has sent one of...

In today's crossover episode with Alicia's other podcast, Done & Dunne, she takes us through the surprising life and many marriages of mid-century socialite and fashion icon, Mona von Bismarck. From humble origins on a Kentucky horse farm, Mona found marriage to be a feasible path to the good life, and was the wife of the then-richest man in America for nearly three decades - but that's far fr...

Country star Jason Aldean has a list of things that Americans wouldn't want to try in a small town, but how about trying a high profile affair, a reputation-tarnishing divorce, marrying your mistress, and living the highest of the high life while singing hollow anthems about a lifestyle you never lived? Well that's perfectly fine to try in a small town, apparently. Want early, ad-free episodes, bo...

TV's Leeza Gibbons has been many things: a talk show host, an Emmy Winner, a best-selling author, and a generous philanthropist, so you may be wondering where she's found the time for four marriages and three divorces. While her first marriage sounds like a fairly classic no-hard-feelings starter marriage, hubby #2 certainly trashed the place up in their short marriage. Alicia has high hopes for h...

Not everyone goes into their field dreaming of fame and fortune, but for O.J. Simpson prosecutor Marcia Clark, fame hit her like a ton of bricks. Three days after filing for divorce from her second husband, the accomplished lawyer in the Los Angeles District Attorney's office got a call about a double murder in Brentwood the night before. Her life would never be the same, in part because of the ve...

Movie stars have always had to weigh the facts of their authentic lives against the cost that revelations about those might inflict. This was the bind that screen legend Mary Astor was in back in 1936. Her unfaithful husband had been abusive, but his addiction to her money, and the reputational cost she would face for divorcing him, meant he was going nowhere. Until he found her diary, and realize...

Nighttime talker Jimmy Kimmel's divorce wasn't particularly trashy, but in a career that's now spanned decades, he's had his trashy moments. From an unclear beginning with fellow comedian Sarah Silverman to his baby son's medical crisis (see his moving monologue about it on YouTube here ) to a fairly obscene feud with Sean Hannity and Marjorie Taylor Greene (watch Jimmy file a report with Batman a...

For those of us growing up in the 1980s, and our parents as well, The Facts of Life was simply must-see TV. The coming of age story of four girls at a boarding school, under the care of watchful housemother Mrs. Garrett, warmed our hearts and our television screens. Who can forget preppy, glamorous Blair Warner, brought to life for nine seasons by actress Lisa Whelchel? Lisa, a committed Christian...

Atlanta's Bishop Eddie Long made himself a prominent voice in the fertile world of Prosperity Gospel preachers in the early 2000s. His charismatic preaching style and internationally broadcast sermons grew his New Birth Missionary Baptist Church to more than 25,000 members, and landed Bishop Long behind the wheel of luxury Bentleys and enjoying time aboard private jets. But there was a dark side t...

And we're back! Alicia kicks off Season 19 with the life and times - and trashy divorces and breakups - of fashion icon Calvin Klein. Yes, he pioneered designer jeans and scandalized the world with a racy Brooke Shields ad campaign in the 80s, but his real triumph seems to be forcing everyone in his orbit to see his name on underwear when a man disrobes! Want early, ad-free episodes, bonus divorce...

When news broke that former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had died earlier this month, he went from a name on our list of potential subjects to a subject ripe for exploration. And what a ride it is - from his numerous affairs, to his scandalous (and criminal) "bunga bunga" parties, to his nearly flawless success in avoiding consequences for all manner of criminal conduct - his story is...

We've covered our fair share of Real Housewives on this show, but we're pretty sure you'll agree that even at their trashiest, none can hold a candle to the Real Housewives of Orange County's Kelly Dodd. From rampant allegations of domestic violence to taking her feuds - real and imagined - onto social media, Kelly's outrageous behavior was even too much for Bravo. Want early, ad-free episodes, bo...

In honor of Father's Day, Stacie has the very human story of actor Gavin MacLeod, best known as Captain Stubing on TV's The Love Boat. His story - including two arguably trashy divorces - is about as relatable as it gets, and without giving away the ending, the man only gets halos. Ahoy! Want early, ad-free episodes, bonus divorces, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and more? Join us at patreon.com/t...

It's Pride Month, and to celebrate, we have the story of Bravolebrity and California real estate mega-broker Josh Flagg, whose 2022 divorce from ex-husband Bobby Boyd led to some notably sharp exchanges on Bravo's Million Dollar Listing. Even better, this one has the awesome tale of Josh's grandmother, Edith, who legit fought the Nazis as part of the Dutch Resistance during WWII. Want early, ad-fr...

Alicia brings the Classic Hollywood heat this week with the trashy marital misadventure of Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, the original golden couple of the 1950s. Want early, ad-free episodes, bonus divorces, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and more? Join us at patreon.com/trashydivorces ! Sponsors HelloFresh. Go to HelloFresh.com/trashy16 and use code trashy16 for 16 free meals plus free shipping! T...

Since the mid-80s, Americans have puzzled over the enduring question: Who's The Boss? It turns out that the star of that much loved television show, Tony Danza, is a decidedly untrashy fellow, even with three divorces under his belt. Stacie has all the details, which amount to a heaping helping of wholesome Gen X nostalgia. Want early, ad-free episodes, bonus divorces, limited series, Zoom hangout...

We've covered a lot of eccentric personalities on this show, we've covered a lot of people with anger management problems, and we've covered plenty of out of control egos. Somehow, Empire star Terrence Howard has transmuted all of those traits into a basically off-the-charts life story. Seriously, all our scales for trashiness are having to be recalibrated after this one. Alicia has the deets. Con...

This week, we want to share a little something we've been cooking up here at Hemlock Creatives! Over the course of creating Trashy Divorces, we've come to realize that trashbaggery is a permanent part of the human experience, and few figures in our history has been ostentatiously trashy as any given period's elites. Enter: Trashy Royals , a new podcast dropping every Thursday that explores the end...