Well, I Laughed

For almost three decades, Susan Collins has represented Maine in the Senate. During her time in Congress she has claimed to be a bipartisan warrior looking out for her state. But a recent Pro Publica investigation challenges who has Susan Collins really been serving, her constituents or herself ... or a Hawaiian company, Navatek? This week, Grant digs into the reporting to unpack how Susan Collins...

This week we jump right back into the wild world of the Murdock family. Maia takes us from their complicated trust to their questionable business decisions as the family continued to build their media empire from the 2000s to present day. Along the way we watch the Murdochs stumble over some pretty basic questions like: is an incompetent man better than a capable woman? Or, should you help spread...

What's more important: family or business? How does that affect a family business. This week Maia investigates how success and wealth impact the bonds within a family that has somehow touched the lives of nearly everyone and everything around you. The Murdochs. This is part one of a two part series covering the inner workings of the family that inspired succession. Let's see how Sir Keith Murdoch'...

Welcome back to the Well, I Laughed listener universe! This week's listener stories include Emme and Lizzie making some highly questionable life decisions on America’s birthday and a taste for a life of crime. Claire writes in to let us know that Dan Hurley is a little bitch. Finally, Chelsea educates us on a couple of Mormon urban legends that also end up in chains. All that and more, this week o...

Some dreams are too grand to let die, even if they might kill you. This week Maia introduces us to “Lawnchair Larry” - otherwise known as Larry Walters - a man who looked at the sky with wonder… and then wondered to himself… could he float up there? Could he literally tie a bunch of balloons to a chair and get UP there? Larry’s story is inspiring and questionable, but it proves that with the suppo...

What would you do for love? What would you do to escape it? This week Grant tells us the bizarre story of the beauty queen who would do anything for the man she loved, and the man who didn’t quite feel the same way in return. What follows is a tale of kidnapping, counter theories, costumes, and one very quotable woman. It is the story of tabloids who turn the incident into spectacle and in the pro...

This week on Well, I Laughed we have a bunch of people that did it themselves... with questionable outcomes. Alice moves to Missouri which is only the start of her trouble. Elena accidentally helps create a sexy, hostile work environment. And Adele flys to Hollywood to find out for herself that Dr. Phil is not a good person. All that and more, this week on Well, I Laughed! 00:00:00 Catch-Up 00:37:...

In the criminal justice system, sometimes you have to do it yourself! This week Grant tells us two stories! The first covers the legal history of Robert Lee Brock. A man who saw opportunity around every corner to try to break the criminal justice system. If there was a “get out of jail free” card, he was going to find it! Even if that meant he became “the man who sued himself”. Next we learn about...

Maia and Grant might not totally agree on ghosts, but there is one thing that we do agree on: the Winchester Mystery House is awesome. After experiencing tremendous personal loss Sarah Winchester was left with few options, thank goodness she had more money than she knew what to do with. After moving to San Jose, Sarah set out to build the house of her dreams. A kind employer and ADHD architect she...

It's listener stories from around the Well, I Laughed universe! "Kate" changes a dolphin's life in a way that would make Hellen Keller proud. Next, Birdie's dog gets a rap sheet right before Birdie has a month of unfortunate events. It's funny, we promise. Or, at least we laughed.     00:00:00 Catch-Up 00:29:54 "Kate" is the Anne Sullivan for a Dolphin 00:53:40 Birdie's dog goe...

One of the most famous pair of outlaws in American history. Mythologized as a pair of tragic lovers. Outlaws. Infamous for their crime spree and their furious driving style. This week, Maia leads Grant through the back story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. From Clyde’s rough childhood to Bonnie’s concerned mother, the back story before their criminal records provide interesting clues and more t...

Long before Rosa Parks famously refused to move from her seat on a public bus, thousands of Black Americans had spent decades protesting segregation with their bodies. Ida B. Wells grew up orphaned, impoverished, and with several young siblings to care for. But Wells never let the circumstances of her life stop her from advocating for what is right. An accomplished author, Wells was exiled from th...

It's stories from the Well, I Laughed listener-verse! This week's stories feature lawlessness, heartbreak, and some pretty wild women. Our first story comes from Lily’s whose wild adventures in her youth lead to love and so much more. Squinn is shocked to find out their favorite game was also deeply educational. An anonymous listener who finds out it is always the quiet ones you have to watch out...

A lot has been said by Helen Keller. Revered by many, misunderstood by some. Helen's life was so extraordinary that some assume her life's accomplishments must be embellished. How did a woman with no sight, no hearing, living decades before the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act manage to do it all? But what often gets lost in the well-deserved praise of her accomplishments is the radi...

Some are born for greatness, others are made. For Judit Polgár and her sisters, their father was not leaving it up to chance. Raised from birth to be chess prodigies, the Polgár sisters overcame communism, misogyny, and her own self doubt to become the youngest chess grandmaster in history and the first woman to ever break into the top ten chess players in the world. Win, lose, or draw, there is n...

It's our listener episode and we have some WILD stories to end our Wild Women theme. Nicole shares that in her family nothing is what it seems... because it could be full of money. Jenny is haunted be a spooky force that won't leave her alone. Emily learns to be careful what you wish for, especially if you are not close to a bathroom. And Axel get's closer to "be gay, do crime!" than alm...

Be a girl, do crime! This week Maia takes us to the streets of London and snitches on a girl gang with sticky fingers. The Forty Elephants gang was notorious for the crimes they pulled off. Using their wits, charm, and a eye for the most valuable merchandise in the store this all-girl group had no problem slipping out whatever they liked most. We also take a closer look at a few of the leading Que...

We love powerful women on this show, and this week's subject is no different! Boudica is known as a powerful leader against Roman control. She is a popular figure in British history. And her likeness is used as a symbol for a host of causes. But what is the actual story behind Boudica's popularity? What is her story? And who can we trust when it comes to document it and share it truthfully. This w...

It's a week of listener stories! Of people finding and losing themselves. Jaime's aunt finds herself and a lifelong friend, a plant, Malana breaks into the wrong bus, Allison runs a tight ship, and Nokhaze craves a ring and to terrify her mother. All that and more, this week on Well, I Laughed!     00:00:00 Pattie Gonia v. Patagonia 00:20:53 Catch-Up 00:29:59 Jaime's aunt finds herself 00:45:25 Ma...

If you could be anyone in the world, who would you be? For one French peasant that question wasn't theoretical. When Martin Guerre left his village, wife, and child behind he was not missed. When he returned he was a changed man and suddenly beloved. But how much can one man change? Turns out, a whole lot. We ask the question that befuddled the village: who are you? This week on Well, I Laughed.  ...

To catch a criminal, sometimes you have to pretend to be a criminal. That was the thought process behind "Operation Sting" the very first organized sting operation in the United States lead by Lt Detective Bob Arscott of the DC Metro Police. The operation was "successful" at capturing criminals, less successful at coming up with their fake names. But in the aftermath of the ope...

These stories are good... lawfully good even (maybe?). And they come from you! Sandi writes in with her own story about the work of Judy Heumann and how it has shaped her own life. Next, Blair and her fellow teenage, rural Canadians brave the big city and become crime fighters. Shannon learns a few lessons by going the wrong way. And Rosie & Natasha shines bright on a night out with friends. A...

Do you know your neighbors? Do you want to? François Clemmons is one of America's iconic examples of neighborly love. Through the combination of the love of his neighbors and his own love of music, we meet history's best neighbor: Mister Fred Rogers. A powerful advocate for educational television, Mister Rogers taught American children it was okay to feel and how to process big emotions. But his l...

Bass Reeves' adult life started with a crime: he ran away from the white man enslaving him. In his quest for freedom he made his way to the state of Oklahoma, learned several languages, and became the toughest man west of the Mississippi. All traits he would need when he became the first Black US Marshal in the west. A life that began with a crime would be defined by it’s lawfulness. Meet your fav...

Most of these stories are righteous, one might be a crime, but they all came from you! Lauren talks resistance movements in daycare. Liv survives and thrives in off-air reality television. Laura is fully prepared for all but one thing on her way to an interview. Hazel bounds over how crappy her brother is. And Michelle "bears" a lesson learned while canoeing. All that and more, this week...