American Filth
by iHeartPodcasts
From famous founders to capitalist cooks, from sex scandals to the dirtiest blues song, AMERICAN FILTH dives into the filthier side of American history: uncovering people who society has largely excluded from the history books because they were too unconventional, provocative, seedy, dirty, trashy…. Or just plain filthy. And sure, some of these folks made great contributions to history. But that’s not the part of their lives AMERICAN FILTH is interested in. This podcast is here for the drama, the spice, and general tomfoolery. The weekly series of brisk episodes plunges face-first into the dirtiest events and people in the annals of American history.
Episodes
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American Filth Bids You A Filthy Farewell! But Don't Worry...
I come bearing big news that many of you will weep about for years to come: American Filth has come to a close for the foreseeable future. But don't worry... While I'm departing the iHeart Cinematic Universe, I'm heading out to uncharted territory and starting two new podcasts for you, my friends...
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GAY OR NAY: Was J. Edgar Hoover A Cross-Dressing Queen?
We return to an important question: was this historical figure gay...or nay? This time, FBI boss J. Edgar Hoover goes to gay court.
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"The Stripper and the Congressman" (They Boinked)
1974. A car's pulled over. Inside, a congressman. Outside, a stripper, who had run from the vehicle and tried to jump into an estuary. Suspicious!
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Nellie Bly Goes Undercover At "The Madhouse"
Investigative journalist Nellie Bly gets her first big break...by pretending she's crazy.
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WATCH OUT! Thomas Jefferson Wants To Chop Off Your Body Parts
Thoman Jefferson pitched a very odd bill that proposed chopping off peens and noses.
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How To Stop A Senator From Cheating: SHOOT HIM!
Sometimes, when you cheat and cheat and cheat some more, you face the consequences of your actions. No one knows this better than Senator Arthur Brown (RIP), one of the first senators from Utah.
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1921 Newspaper Accidentally Makes Child Murder Hilarious
WELCOME TO SEASON THREE! In 1921, the United Press put out an article about a child murder with a hilariously awful spell-check error.
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American Filth (DEVASTATING) Announcement!
We'll be back, I promise!
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Don't Tread On My Bathroom!!! Americans Resist Toilet Paper
Ya, it took us a while to wipe well.
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Two Presidents Received Gift Of...Cheese
If you have ever flown on Hooters Air, please dm on Instagram @americanfilthpod. It's important!!
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Tanked and Yanked: In 1960s, Scientists Pleasure A Dolphin
Okay... the title EXAGGERATES, but for real...in the 1960s, scientists on St. Thomas try to teach dolphins how to speak English. And one of the dolphins...well, he was too horned up to learn. LSD gets involved, too. Watch the documentary The Girl Who Talked To Dolphins to get the whole scoop.
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How To Be Successful, According To 18th-Century Idiot
Genius or dumb-dumb? That's the question that surrounds the life of Timothy Dexter, an eccentric businessman, who ended up on top despite making terrible decisions. He was also illiterate but somehow wrote a book, published in 1802.
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Why We Square Dance (Spoiler: White Supremacy)
Automobile mogul Henry Ford just wanted people to have some frickin' decorum on the dance floor!!! Why did everyone want to dance to jazz??? That's disgusting!! Square dancing was the only proper dance for the American temperament, according to Ford. So here's what he did about it.
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Unpregnanted! (Rerun! And a huge, filthy announcement)
A 19th-century abortionist comes up against anti-fun postal worker Anthony Comstock. Also! New episodes of American Filth will now be coming out ON FRIDAYS!
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Gelatinous Skies in Kentucky! Meat Shower of 1876
In 1876, a bunch of meat rained down from the sky. From where? From whom? What is it?? One writer had answers: the sky itself was gelatinous. Obviously!
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How to Commit Insurance Fraud. Or, Banana Anna's Banana Bamboozle.
From 1906-1910, a woman allegedly slipped on a banana peel a dozen times and each time got a hernia. Or, maybe she was just committing insurance fraud.
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Robert E. Lee's Cheating (And Incestuous) Half-Brother
Robert E. Lee's much older half-brother cheated on his wife with his wife's sister and stole all her money! What an esteemed family!
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Stop Taking Our Corpses! New York Doctors' Riot
In 1788, bodysnatchers were snatching so many bodies from their graves that New York City citizens rioted. And who were the bodysnatchers?? Silly little medical students.
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Fertility Issues? Have You Asked The Kansas Goat Doctor?
Having fertility issues?? Well, one "doctor" suggests putting some goat gonads by your gonads.
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Author Who Coined "Boobs" Goes On Trial
Happy 69th episode! To celebrate, we learn about author Henry Miller popularized the term "boobs" and also...how he got sued a lot for his disgusting books.
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Death by Sex? A Rockefeller Story
In 1979, Nelson Rockefeller, a member of the esteemed Rockefeller family and also the former Vice President and Governor of New York, died. And it might have happened while he was banging it out. As New York Magazine reported, “Nelson thought he was coming, but he was going.”
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Poison or Tummy Ache? The Death of President Zachary Taylor
Did the 12th president die by poison or from a classic case of tummy ache???
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The Old Clothes Scandal
Mary Todd Lincoln embarks on a scheme to make money: selling her old clothes. And she gets her friend and dressmaker Elizabeth Keckley involved.
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Gay or Nay?? Mary Todd Lincoln and the Modiste
Another installment of the series GAY OR NAY, where we determine if someone is gay...or nay. This time? Mary Todd Lincoln and the woman who made her dresses Elizabeth Keckley.
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Cheatin' Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh was the first person to do a solo trans-Atlantic flight. Men will really do anything to cheat on their wives!
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Dr. Seuss' Book Filled With Naked (And Weird-looking) Women
In 1939, Dr. Seuss published a book featuring seven naked sisters. It flopped.
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New York City! A Sea Of Manure (Rerun!)
Happy New Year, Filth Heads! American Filth host Gabbie Watts (aka the person typing this) is moving to New York City in 2025 and looking forward to all the good smells.
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Puritans Cancel Christmas (Rerun!)
Let's remember the filth behind what makes the yuletide so gay. Back with new episodes next week!
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How To Raise An Immortal Baby
Did you know if you are a vegetarian and never think about death, you could be immortal?? Well, not you, sinner, but an innocent little baby could!
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Self-Help Con Man
Napoleon Hill wrote one of the most influential self-help books of all time. And yes, of course, he's a fraud.
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Gaybraham Lincoln (Rerun!)
A little spicy rerun!
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Baseball Player Battles Ostrich In Spaghetti-Eating Competition
In 1919, a baseball player competes with the "world's greatest eater" in a spaghetti eating competition.
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Paws and Order: 1920s Dog On Trial
A bad dog goes on trial in 1921 San Francisco...for murder.
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The Wild West’s Most Wedded Woman
How many husbands are too many husbands in the Wild West??? Well, in Kitty Leroy's case, five.
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A Violent Week In Kansas History
Hello, I'm from the past (yesterday). How's the post-election world? Does the USA still exist? Well, let's go back in time and look at another election. This time, Kansas 1855 when settlers were deciding if it should be a free state or a slave state. And because of that choice, in one week in…
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Comedian Lenny Bruce's Filthy Mouth
A comedian said offensive stuff this week at a Trump gathering (is that what they're called?), so let's look at a comedian of yore, who fought for the right to say c**ks**ker on stage!
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Disgusting! 1920s Youths Love Petting Parties
In the 1920s, the youths were kissing and touching each other! Disgusting!
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American Filth Live! London Edition
American Filth recorded another live episode! This time with the Cheerful Earful Podcast Festival in London. We got to explain to the Brits how filthy America's Founding Fathers were and also recite Gabbie's Declaration of Dependence, a plea for Britain to take us back.
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The Puritan Guide To Gettin' Some
Were you transported back in time to colonial America?? Well, don't worry. Follow this guide to get some hanky-panky.
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Famed Pirate Executed Because She Stole A Bonnet
Rachel Wall was executed for stealing a bonnet. But was that really her only crime??? Come see American Filth live in London! The podcast will be part of the Cheerful Earful Podcast Festival with a live show on October 15 at 8 p.m. at the Bedford Pub. Tickets can be found here.
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The Accidental President's Very (And I Mean VERY) Young Wife
Tenth president John Tyler annexed Texas and Florida into the United States, and if that's not filthy enough, he also married a woman 30 years younger than him, and even more sinister, he might have fathered a kid or to with an enslaved woman.
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Sending Nudes in the 19th Century
Artist Sarah Goodridge sent a miniature painting of her bosom to a no-good senator. Some people say they were just friends, but then why did she send him a tit pic???
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Bisexual Baddies Alexander Hamilton and John Laurens
Were these young bucks just really good friends??? Or was something else going on???
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American Filth Season 2!
All the filth returns September 11!
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AF GREATEST HITS: Bedfellows Headfellows
One more week until American Filth returns! The show's crowning achievement has been outing historical figures who might have been gay. And it all started with some bigoted Southerners who sent a couple of spicy letters.
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AF GREATEST HITS: The Solitary Vice
New episodes back in two weeks! In the meantime...the solitary vice is not, in fact, listening to American Filth. But instead...well, figure it out by listening to the episode from earlier this year when Kellogg's CEO said that poor people should just eat cereal! What a time!
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AF GREATEST HITS: Vicious White Women
AF summer break continues... so let's go back to Nashville, where young Union soldiers wet their whistle so much that 100 sex workers were forced aboard a boat and stranded in the river for days.
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BTS: AF Theme Remix is THE SONG OF THE SUMMER
Some AF BTS! That stands for American Filth behind-the-scenes. Gabbie talks to Jesse Nighswonger, who composed the theme song. He also made an extra special remix that critics (Gabbie) are calling the song of the summer.
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AF GREATEST HITS: Livin' and Dyin' By the Wiener
The show's on summer break and will be back in September. So let's go back to the beginning...to our esteemed Founding Father Gouverneur Morris who died as he lived: with his wiener.
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The Guy Who Assassinated the Assassin
So... after John Wilkes Booth killed Abraham Lincoln, there was a huge manhunt that ended with Booth getting shot by a guy who had previously cut his own balls off. Whomst was this man? Well, he made hats and loved god.
About this show
From famous founders to capitalist cooks, from sex scandals to the dirtiest blues song, AMERICAN FILTH dives into the filthier side of American history: uncovering people who society has largely excluded from the history books because they were too unconventional, provocative, seedy, dirty, trashy…. Or just plain filthy. And sure, some of these folks made great contributions to history. But that’s not the part of their lives AMERICAN FILTH is interested in. This podcast is here for the drama, the spice, and general tomfoolery. The weekly series of brisk episodes plunges face-first into the dirtiest events and people in the annals of American history.
Hosted by
iHeartPodcasts