Well, I Laughed

Stories from the people who listen to "Well, I Laughed"! Grant's coach friend Bri writes in with a story about sibling love and rivalry. Katie uncovers fiction and fact from her family's stories. Lucas learns that few good deeds ever go unpunished. And Mala wins the lottery by making a friend on the internet who is actually who she says she is. All that and more, this week on Well, I Laughed!  00:...

Was Bridgerton's Lady Whisledown based on a real person? This week, Maia talks to us about the original Lady Whistledown, Mrs. Crackenthorpe, and whether her true identity is Thomas Baker, or, more likely, Delarivier Manley. Join us as we dive into the gossip pages that were all the rage during this period of whispers and intrigue. Women get published, reputations get ruined, and we attempt to sep...

This week, Grant asks a big question, "what is a chaos bisexual?". In our quest for an answer we meet Julie "Maupin" d'Aubigny, also known by her stage name "La Maupin." A sword fighting opera singer who is a lover of all. But did she really commit arson in the name of love? We try to find the truth in the drama. Rumor has it, she was the first chaos bisexual.  00:00:00 Catch-Up 00:33:40 Duel Inte...

Listeners share their stories with the Well, I Laughed podcast! Emily manages to escape a truly awful man with more than one side to him. Sam’s brother tests the spirit of Christmas and his sister’s loyalty. Hannah witnesses a porta potty horror story with her very own eyes. Angela reshapes Eastern Europe’s view of Americans. And one final listener talks about being the victim of robbery from an u...

Grant talks love and relationships to ring in the New Year! Grant introduces Maia to Dr. Ruth, the infamous sex therapist with a back story as famous and unpredictable as her advice. How does a Holocaust survivor become America's most famous sex therapist? "Who was Dr. Ruth"? and why do we love her so much! This week, on Well, I Laughed!  00:00:00 Catch-Up 00:31:01 The Dr. Is In Hosted by Simpleca...

It is time for some Christmas traditions around the world! Maia explores some crucial questions like "where did Santa come from?" and "who was St. Nicholas?". Along the way we learn about ancient drama and modern traditions in this very special Christmas podcast episode! We cover everything from the origins of a mid winter celebrations (Sleipnir the horse has how many legs?), to how Christianity a...

A listener episode! This week Holly writes in about surviving a friendship with a con woman. Chris witnesses his dad getting a taste of his own medicine. Noelle survives heartbreak and car accidents in one fateful afternoon. And a listener tells us about the sketchy relatives they’re surprisingly (and unfortunately) related to. All that and more, this week on Well, I Laughed!  00:00:00 Catch-Up 00...

A podcast episode on the Thai Cave Rescue! Many of us might remember the news coverage, few have heard the full story. This week Maia pulls together the events and decisions that led to a rescue that is too almost impossible to believe. A story that is at times moving as it is improbable. Bonus podcast content on the Seattle Underground. Maia covers it all! Buried Below part 2, out now! 00:00:00 C...

"Where is the secret government underground cheese cave?" The question is simple enough, the answer has more holes in it than a slice of Swiss cheese. A podcast episode on cheese! The history of American cheese, why it is called "government cheese". why American cheese looks and taste the way that it does, and what is underground Springfield, Missouri? A journey back in time and down below this we...

A listener episode! This week on Well, I Laughed we hear from someone who has first hand experience with the Word of Faith cult. AJ writes in with a story about accidentally ruining an adult friendship. One listener explores a home purchase that comes with more than they bargained for. And Jaymes dishes about life inside QAnon adjacent workplaces. All that and more this week!  00:00:00 Catch-Up 00...

**Spoiler Alert** This week's episode is about people and their eccentricities. It is about nepotism and vengeance and fame. It is about how truly dramatic theater people can be. This week, a podcast about John Wilkes Booth. Who was the man who killed Lincoln? Why did Booth kill Lincoln? Who was John Wilkes Booth’s family? This week we look at Booth and Lincoln’s final act!  00:00:00 Catch-Up 00:2...

There are some who elevate their craft. Musicians, cooks, artists. In the world of modern beef battles one man reigns supreme. Why does 50 Cent hate P Diddy so much? Who knew about P Diddy's dark secrets and private life? This week, Maia gives us an entire podcast on P Diddy and 50 Cent. We might not be "Hot 97", but we're looking for answers. 00:00:00 Catch-Up 00:19:22 Rapped Up Hosted by Simplec...

Is QAnon a cult or a conspiracy theory? How did so many people get sucked into it? Why don't they leave? How does an online belief system become so prevalent so quickly? In the second part of this two-parter, Maia goes down the rabbit hole to investigate the origin of these beliefs, who Q could be, the effect of social media algorithms, and why it is still a danger in 2024. This week, on Well, I L...

Who joins a cult? Why do people in cults stay? How can people in cults get out? This week, in the first of a two-part episode, Maia dives deep into the world of cults and conspiracy theories. From those centered around political utopias (like Dr. Janja Lalich, a victim of the Democratic Workers Party) to religious salvation (like those involved in the Word of Faith Fellowship run by Jane Whaley),...

A DB Cooper podcast as Grant takes on a true crime story! How does the only successful plane hijacker manage to slip away in the middle of the night with the law following right behind him? Where did he go? And where is the money. This week, on Well, I Laughed we cover the case of the unsolvable sky pirate! 00:00:00 Catch-Up 00:25:10 Sky Pirate Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.ads...

The listener episode! This week Gina talks gin, Alexis gets conned into housing a door-to-door ... vacuum salesman, Mary survives dating an Australian (kind of), and Dawn is shocked to be asked! Two anonymous listeners write in with their own stories. The first plays a game on their ex and the second breaks the heart of a hook up. All this and more, this week on Well, I Laughed! 00:00:00 Catch-Up...

An episode unlike any we've done before! Grant dives into the legacy of the "NSA leaker" Reality Winner. Her story, like that of so many we have covered on our show, is far more complicated and nuanced than meets the eye. In her journey we ask ourselves tough questions about patriotism and service to your country. Find out what makes this women, and this episode, so truly special. Winners and Lose...

Who was the man that tried to sell the Eiffel Tower? This week, Maia takes us on a podcast journey to the Titanic (well, ships like the Titanic) and a man who knew how to sell. No need to own anything with Victor Lustig around! Fake money machines, card games, property auction, or bribery. Victor Lustig was a man would always managed to hit his mark and slip the cops, until he couldn't. This week,...

A special guest! Jacob, friend of the pod, join us with a special story. "Why did it rain blobs in Oakville?" That is a very good question. One we will attempt to answer, or at least speculate on. Either way we can promise you were are having a good time and, well, we laughed. Enjoy! P.S. Maia had too much Elk Creek Water and mixed up Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic - Prokaryotes are the ones without m...

"What happened at the Dyatlov Pass?" Is one of the 20th centuries greatest historical mysteries. Dive into the chilling 1959 Dyatlov Pass saga. Picture nine seasoned hikers, led by Igor Dyatlov, slashing open their own tent in the dead of night, leaving frozen footprints, a still-glowing flashlight, and bodies ranging from textbook hypothermia to bomb-like rib breaks, singed socks, strangulation m...

Want to know more about the badass women of history? Before there was Joan of Arc, there was a Jeanne. Multiple Jeannes. Honestly, maybe too many Jeannes. Enter Jeanne de Clisson, a Breton noble who burned through estates, out-lasted three husbands, and forged a single, razor-sharp goal: annihilating France’s King Philip VI. After watching her third spouse lose his head on a Paris scaffold, Jeanne...

Need a laugh, a cry, and maybe a second helping of your favorite midnight snack? In this third installment of our "A Lover Scorned" listener series, Maia and Grant serve up a chaotic blend of moving-day madness, woodworking therapy, dive bar etiquette, and fall obsessions—before diving into some of the most jaw-dropping listener stories yet. From Hazel's bulldozer-police-station showdown and Betsy...

Who killed Walter Wanderwell? Grant introduces us to a globe-trotting cast with entirely too many aliases, starting with the irreverent Nell Miller, continuing to the self-styled explorer Captain Walter Wanderwell, and detouring through the fabulously odd heiress Harriet White Fisher. Yet the true scene-stealer, in more ways than one, is Idris Hall, the six-foot Canadian teenager who reinvented he...

Think your breakup was messy? Wait till you meet Olga of Kiev. In this explosive (and only technically shorter) episode of Well, I Laughed, Grant and Maia dive into the blood-soaked legend of a woman scorned who didn’t just clap back—she burned entire cities to the ground. After her husband, Prince Igor I, is gruesomely executed by the Drevlians (spoiler: it involves birch trees and a “human hammo...

This week’s listener episode finds Grant and Maia christening their brand-new studio, complete with glitchy Wi-Fi, Denver heat, and a hilariously ill-timed breakup mid-opening credits, before diving into six wild listener stories. Stacy shares two painfully familiar dating disasters; Mimi flashes back to the infamous Lee episode “Falsely Imprisoned”; Jessica narrowly escapes being named “Frock”; a...