Trashy Divorces

As Sitcom Moms go, the arrival of Peg Bundy on America's television screens was something of a cultural moment. Katey Sagal's path to the role was not linear, but the early tragedies that defined the start of her career have made her subsequent success sweeter. Read More: Grace Notes: My Recollections , by Katey Sagal (Amazon link) Want early, ad-free episodes, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and m...

Inspired by Alicia's stories about Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy, Stacie takes a look at the difficult road that David Cassidy's sudden Partridge Family stardom propelled him down. Further Reading C'mon, Get Happy...: Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus , by David Cassidy and Chip Deffaa (Amazon link) Want early, ad-free episodes, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and more? Join us at patr...

For a while, it seemed like Shirley Jones had it all: a roaring career, a gorgeous, famous husband, and even an Academy Award. But away from the bright lights, Shirley's husband Jack Cassidy was growing more and more extreme in his behavior, until an unavoidable - and terrifying - breaking point brought their long marriage to an end. Want early, ad-free episodes, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and...

Some people have all the luck, and at least when it comes to breakthroughs in show business, stage and screen legend Shirley Jones was certainly charmed. After somewhat accidentally - and also successfully - auditioning for Rodgers and Hammerstein, her career took off. It led her to an intoxicating love affair with the charming but not exactly faithful actor Jack Cassidy, who would become Shirley'...

It's a mid-season palate cleanser! Stacie brings us the serial monogamy tale of Welsh actor Michael Sheen, from a very public misadventure with actress Kate Beckinsale to a very amicable split from comedian Sarah Silverman. About the only thing Michael hasn't done by now is, well, get married. Join us Thursday, February 16, for That Trashy Show – A Valentine’s Day Decompression Session! Get your t...

As Alicia continues her exploration of Sitcom Moms this season, we get a treat instead of trash this week! Actress Julie Bowen, best known for playing Claire Dunphy on all 11 seasons of ABC's Modern Family, is a delight who, like so many people have, has been through a divorce. Alicia has the all the deets, including a parenting catchphrase for the ages: "Pits, Nuts, and Butts!" Join us Thursday,...

We covered the long and tumultuous relationship (and oh-so-brief marriage) of singer Miley Cyrus and actor Liam Hemsworth, but that was before we learned that Miley's parents, Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus - he of the Achy Breaky Heart - had themselves parted ways. It wasn't the biggest of shocks: by the time of the April 2022 announcement that they'd been separated for at least two years, Tish and Bil...

After introducing the troubled early years of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in Sunday's episode, Alicia brings us right up to the present day in the life of the notable womanizer and vaccine skeptic. With three marriages under his belt, he's experienced disappointment and tragedy in love - but it's never stopped him from continuing to try! Join us Thursday, February 16, for That Trashy Show – A Valentine’...

We've covered the Kennedy family in some detail during the show's run, but like any sprawling dynasty, there's always more to explore! This week, Alicia brings us the back story of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of slain Attorney General and presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy. Let's just say that Bobby experienced a troubled youth, which was certainly not helped by the high profile murders...

Choosing a career in the arts is always risky, but it's not like Hollywood legend Buster Keaton had a choice. His parents, dreaming of Vaudeville success, had him on stage when he was still in diapers, and by the time he was five, young Buster was the family's breadwinner. As an artist, Buster would go on to be a pioneering filmmaker and a world-renowned comedian - as well as the ex-husband of one...

Actress Glenn Close has been a driving force in Hollywood and on Broadway for decades, and while her professional successes are nearly unmatched, her romantic life has had a far more mixed run. Alicia has all the details, from her childhood years in a cult, to her liberated experience of being an accomplished actor in her 70s today. Want early, ad-free episodes, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and...

Vladimir Lenin famously observed, "There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen," and it's such a fitting statement for the long-gone era when rock & roll was young. Traveling musicians had long indulged in their share of excess, but when Jimmy Page's Led Zeppelin exploded onto the scene in 1969, they redefined what debauchery could be. At the same time, th...

Alicia kicks off her exploration of Sitcom Moms with one of the greats of the genre! In the mid-1980s, Phylicia Rashad became America's favorite mom and wife with her portrayal of Clair Huxtable on the smash hit, The Cosby Show. In her real life, however, domesticity was a harder slog, and even included a few years married to one of the Village People! Want early, ad-free episodes, limited series,...

Reality television stars are having a run of bad luck. Real Housewife Erika Jayne is, so far, merely fighting civil lawsuits related to allegations of fraud, while SLC Housewife Jen Shah is staring down a six and a half year sentence for bilking seniors in a telemarketing scam, but the troubles aren't confined to the Bravo universe. Over on the USA Network, Todd and Julie Chrisley have now been co...

Few actors typified cool in the late '80s like Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas. As Detectives Crockett and Tubbs on TV's Miami Vice, they were bona fide sex symbols. But Philip Michael Thomas was something else, too - a man with a messy personal life, a small zip code worth of children, and aspirations that came off as arrogance. Stacie pieces it together. Want early, ad-free episodes, limit...

Beverly Hills 90210 blasted a set of young actors to stardom, but in the fishbowl of her sudden celebrity, Jennie Garth was struggling. Alicia has the full story of her overnight success, her starter marriage, her second divorce - and the marriage that seems to be working. Want early, ad-free episodes, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and more? Join us at patreon.com/trashydivorces ! Further Reading...

Closing out Season 16 (!), Stacie brings us the baffling marital story of songstress Dionne Warwick, who married - and divorced - the same guy twice . We are off next week, and will return to your earbuds with our Season 17 kickoff on January 4. Until then: Have the happiest of holidays! Want early, ad-free episodes, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and more? Join us at patreon.com/trashydivorces !...

We've covered some doozies of divorces on this show, but today Alicia has a breakup that took years - in spite of the couple in question not being married. We're talking about actress Lorraine Bracco, whose messy split from actor Harvey Keitel made her life nearly impossible for most of the 1990s, before a little show called The Sopranos turned everything around for her. Want early, ad-free episod...

Stacie takes us through the three trips down the aisle - and two trips to divorce court - of actress Scarlett Johansson. At just 38, she holds the title of highest-grossing box office star of all time, and while her family life has taken some time to gel, there's a lot of reason to think that - Goldilocks style - the third try was finally just right. Want early, ad-free episodes, limited series, Z...

Actress, television personality, and former model Garcelle Beauvais is a beloved cast member of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills these days, but her path there has not been without struggle. Alicia has the whole story, from a childhood broken home to an international move to some early-career on-the-street encounters that put her in front of fashion photographers before finding success on tele...

With news that two Good Morning America hosts have fallen in love, Stacie recalls the last iteration of this sort of thing, that of MSNBC's Morning Joe hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough. Sitting atop a unique perch at the nexus of America's political and media industries, their public and private lives ended up on a collision course with a certain Twitter-addicted presidential candidate in...

It's funny to think that back in the 1980s, a leak of nude pictures could cause a headline-grabbing scandal, but that's exactly what happened to the first Black woman to ever wear the Miss America crown. Vanessa Williams, then 21, was roundly demonized in the press, and was subjected to intense public outrage for her supposed transgression. She was even forced to resign her crown, an overreaction...

When a divorcing couple owns a business together, figuring out how to handle it can be a huge pain. Today's couple, while never married, were the engine behind the founding and growth of a wildly successful company. As their personal animosity toward each other grew over the years, the in-office acrimony between TransPerfect founders Philip Shawe and Elizabeth Elting became the stuff of legal lege...

Today we're taking a second look at actor Rex Harrison. While we covered his trashy life recently, Alicia has a suite of spiderwebs featuring the man, with special appearances by Audrey Hepburn, Julie Andrews, George Cukor, and many more. Buckle up your fury pants, Trashpandas! Want early, ad-free episodes, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and more? Join us at patreon.com/trashydivorces ! Sponsors A...

The world was captivated by the saga of Princess Diana when she married and divorced Prince Charles, but it turns out that marital trouble is a bit of a family matter for the Spencers. Alicia has the details on Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, whose two divorces and other romantic misadventures stand out even among the notoriously randy aristocracy. Want early, ad-free episodes, limited series, Z...