The Gossip Game: The Man Who Blackmailed the Gilded Age episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 14, 2026 · 59 MIN

The Gossip Game: The Man Who Blackmailed the Gilded Age

from The Bowery Boys: New York City History · host Joe Pompeo, Carl Raymond

Before the era of the tabloid, New Yorkers got their gossip fix from a publication known as Town Topics, where the shocking secrets of the Gilded Age were revealed. But its publisher, William D'Alton Mann, was into more than just a bit of sleaze; he used these scandalous revelations to blackmail members of New York’s high society. In this very special presentation of the Gilded Gentleman podcast, Carl Raymond and his special guest, Vanity Fair writer Joe Pompeo, introduce you to this forgotten scheme which threatened to tear apart the morals and polite mannerisms of Gilded Age society.  And for more adventures through Gilded Age New York, check out the Gilded Gentleman podcast, wherever you get your podcasts. This show was produced and edited by Kieran Gannon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 14, 2026

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All the dirt that's (un)fit to print -- the tale of the Gilded Age scandal sheet Town Topics and its duplicitous publisher

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The Gossip Game: The Man Who Blackmailed the Gilded Age

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