Apologies Accepted

Courtney Stodden, singer/model/author/actress, called out Chrissy Teigen, model/author/lifestyle guru, for being a hypocrite.  "Hypochrissy Teigen" she said, can dish it out but can't take it.  Chrissy, the Queen of Clapback on Twitter, has millions of followers thanks to her quick come-backs and sheer genius replies (when twitter feuding with a comedian she replied "much like your career, I have no comeback.  You win!").  But in March of 2021, the negativity and endless trolling in Twitter got to Chrissy and she decided to quit forever and live in a gentler, troll-free, world.  That's when Courtney spoke up...back in 2011, Chrissy Teigen cyber-bullied then 16 year old Courtney Stodden with name calling and encouraging suicide. Much of the harassment was public, but some of it was direct messaging.  Chrissy Teigen, a 26 year old successful model, publicly tweeted a troubled 16 year old with slut shaming and suggestions to "go. to sleep. forever."  The direct messages were worse, and though unverified, if true, say things like "I can't wait for you to die" and straight out suggest for Courtney to kill themself (Courtney has recently come out as non-binary).

Chrissy's own trolling is catching up with her, but she's escaped such issues in the past.  Is this time different?  Is Chrissy being canceled or suffering the consequences of her actions?  It wasn't just Chrissy who attacked a helpless teenager, Anderson Cooper, Joy Behar, and even Courtney Love (remember her?) but Chrissy seems to have been the only one to wish death upon a teenager.

Note to our non-binary listeners: we tried and tripped countless times when using pronouns to speak about Courtney's story.  We misgendered them a number of times, and while we acknowledge our errors during recording, we still failed to live up to our own standards of respect.  Our heartfelt acknowledgement of this issue with apologies, and a promise to try better.

TEIGEN UPDATE: Macy's has stopped carrying Chrissy's cookware line as of May 18, 2021.  You may hear that Target also stopped carrying Chrissy's "Cravings" line, but that was a deal that ended in December 2020, long before this story became public.

He hid for over 40 years, living his life and raising his kids.  From 1973 to 1986 he committed over 100 robberies, 50 sexual assaults, and 13 murders.  He is one of the most notorious serial killers alive today, and in August 2020, at the age of 74, he was sentenced to 13 consecutive life sentences.  He said little in court, but did offer an apology to the judge for the people that he had hurt.

Can an apology ever be sincere coming from a serial killer?  Are his words honestly how he feels, or is there something more going on behind the words?  And is justice served by sending someone to prison?  Big questions, big answers, and big ideas fill this week's episode.  From robot police dogs to privatized prisons, the future of the justice system is shifting daily and one serial killer is about to experience first hand the system that as a former police officer he helped build.

In 1904 little Robert Eugene Otto was given a doll as a toy.  The doll became a playmate and confidant…and something more.  From childhood to the end of his life, the doll remained a presence in Eugene Otto’s life.  Locals claimed to see the doll move, to hear the doll speak, to see him looking out of the windows of the Otto House.  After Eugene died, the house and the doll were sold to a woman who cared for the doll for 20 years, until she decided to donate the doll to a local museum, warning the staff that the doll was haunted.  Robert the Doll now lives in a museum in Key West, Fl.  He’s the star attraction, a glimpse into turn of the century childhood.

Visitors to the museum who mock Robert, or take his picture without permission, find themselves cursed with bad luck.  Over the years, Robert has received over a thousand letters of apology from people who have made the mistake of disrespecting Robert.  Their letters beg for forgiveness and plead with Robert to lift his curse.  Robert the Doll makes one thing clear – messing with the paranormal is not child’s play (sorry).

CURSE UPDATE: Listeners will note Juliette’s audio issues this week, and there are times when she can’t be heard at all, although Theo can be heard responding to her.  Immediately after recording both Theo and Juliette had the same message flash on their screens: “poor internet connection.”  They are not saying that this was due to Robert the Doll, but they are also carefully NOT saying that it isn’t due to Robert.  They have the utmost respect for Robert and deeply appreciate being allowed to discuss his story and straighten out some of the myths surrounding him.

The word apology has come to mean “a way to repair damage for one’s own words or actions” but it started off as a legal term (we were legally required to explain that before making jokes).  From ancient Greece to Cardinal Wolsey to Shakespeare, the word has changed over time, but one thing has remained constant: judgment.  What makes a good apology?  What makes a bad one? If someone says “sorry” are you obligated to accept their words and offer forgiveness?

Not Theo is traveling and Not Juliette is puppy training, so this week we reached into our vault of early unreleased episodes – here is a peek into the distant past of November 2020, where we discuss the genesis of the show and all things apology.

In the early 2000s, Mario Lavandeira Jr., better known as Perez Hilton, was the self-proclaimed "Queen of all Media."  His celebrity gossip blog pulled in $50,000 a week in 2007, and Hollywood's A-listers dreaded being featured on his site.  He was friends with Lady GaGa and Paris Hilton (the inspiration behind his pseudonym), had offers for his own TV shows on VH1, and guest appearances on countless celebrity news shows.  He shot to fame at just the right time, blogs were new and celebrities were badly behaved. His mean-girl name calling and 3rd-grade photo editing skills were as much a feature of his blog as the celebrities he covered.  But the culture started to shift and Perez Hilton, Queen of dirty laundry, found himself having to clean-up his act or be canceled.

The same is true for Elaine Lui, founder of Lainey Gossip, another famous website from the early 2000s that was known for its cruel humor.  Elaine has apologized for her past remarks and has made an effort to "do better."  Has she?  What does she share in common with Perez Hilton and where do they differ?

The Apologists bring you all the latest breaking news on celebrity bloggers who have found out the hard way that being mean might pay but Karma is indeed a b*tch.

Alexi McCammond had landed a dream job as Chief Editor of Teen Vogue at the age of 27.  Her promising career as a political journalist had earned her a fair amount of respect from across the political spectrum, and Teen Vogue wanted to capitalize on her political connections and experience.  Instead they found their magazine, editorial board, HR department, staff, and advertisers dealing with a controversy over anti-Asian tweets that teen Alexi tweeted out 10 years ago.  Sure, she had deleted the tweets and apologized publicly a few years ago, and she had been very transparent with Vogue that such tweets "were out there," but some members of staff at Teen Vogue weren't impressed with her apology or her transparency.  Then a national tragedy happened and Alexi was faced with the decision of a lifetime - resign and move on or try to stay and fight.

The Apologists tackle the question of the digital age: have we lost the ability to forgive?

One day in May of 2020, a reporter for the Kansas City Star was sent to cover a Black Lives Matter protest.  What she witnessed did not stack up against what the Star had been reporting: she saw peaceful protestors forcefully arrested, not the riotous mobs that the Star had said were roaming the streets.  She reviewed the Star's previous coverage and was shocked and saddened by what she uncovered, 140 years of painting people of color as thieves and ignoring them completely otherwise.  She suggested to her editor that the Star review its previous coverage, resulting in a public apology from the paper.

The Kansas City Star takes itself to task and the Apologists are here to examine the apology and review the history of the paper along with some of the history makers who wrote (or delivered papers) for the Star.

Jane Fonda is a long-time activist working on the right side of history: women's causes, workers' rights, LGBTQMNOPIA, and anti-war movements.  But while she's always fought the good fight, some people hate her with a white hot rage that has been burning for nearly 50 years.  What did she do that was so bad that half-a-century later protestors still picket her appearances?  Wasn't she just protesting the Vietnam War like thousands of other flower-power hippies?  From Paris to Montana to Hollywood, Jane Fonda makes no apologies for living her best life...but she does have one regret that she will never stop apologizing for.

The Apologists review the life and political activities of Jane Fonda, Hollywood Royalty and exceptional standout from Hollywood's worst club, "The Children Of."

Spring Break is a rite of passage.  Blowing off steam and getting drunk with your friends at the beach is an American tradition that dates back to the 1930s.  Nothing is going to stop American college students from partying like it’s 1999, even if it is 2020 and the early stages of a global pandemic.  Who cares?!  There’s beer, and freedom, and beer, and national news crews tolling the streets looking for drunken college kids to interview.  One member of Gen Z found out the hard way that lots of people still watch the national news.  His apology came 5 days later (on Insta because he’s Gen Z) after becoming the poster-boy for selfish kids who don’t care about their grandparents.  The national scorn he received sent him to the depths of his family’s basement for some soul searching, followed by an outburst of artistic creativity, which he released to the world to teach others lessons he himself learned the hard way.

The Apologists consider how accountable 20-somethings are for their own actions versus how culpable the is media for interviewing drunk college students.

Remember that time in the bible when Jesus was getting divorced, and his ex-wife didn’t want the kids to sleep over at his house with any paramours about?  Former Governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford, does!  Or rather, he tried to imagine what Jesus would do if HE had been caught having an adulterous affair with a hot Argentinian mistress and not hiking the Appalachian Trail.  Apparently it’s exactly the same thing that Governor Sanford did so everything turned out peachy.

Mr. Sanford was quick to impeach Bill Clinton for having an affair and even quicker to forgive himself for the same transgression.  But it was a forgiveness that came after several very public apologies and some help from his political-religious group, The Family.  The good news is that The Family (aka The Fellowship) has a lot of experience helping politicians deal with infidelities, they really understand politics, and religion, and exactly how Heaven wants things ordered on Earth. 

From C Street to your street, the Apologists tackle Apocalyptic Christianity’s influence in 21st Century politics.