Ill Conceived

By Josh Boerman & June SternbachSociety & Culture News Politics

Ill Conceived episodes

July 24Natalism and The New York Times: The B-Side (PREVIEW)
THIS IS A PREVIEW OF A BONUS B-SIDE EPISODE. For access to the full length version of this and every other biweekly bonus B-side, go to Patreon.com/illconceived
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Wouldn't you know it, right after we put out our episode about the Times, they published yet another weird soft-focus profile of an anti-feminist woman. We're talking about it, plus we read your letters about:
The tragedy of Andrea Yates
Vanity license plates and car culture as a reflection of natalism
The relationship between right-wing ideology and social conformity
26 min
July 18Natalism and The New York Times
As part of the national push by natalists to roll back the clock on gender policy in the United States, recent articles about birth rates have started popping up in the country's paper of record. One of those articles, published just last week, was written by someone we've covered quite a bit on the show already. This week, Josh and June check it out alongside four other articles about birth rates in The New York Times to get a sense of how the issue is being framed, both in good and bad faith, as a matter of news and public opinion.
***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived!***
***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to [email protected]***
EPISODE ART: The headquarters of The New York Times in midtown Manhattan
AUDIO CLIPS:
26:07 – The "Gen Z boss and a mini" TikTok that made a lot of men extremely angry
SOURCES:
“The Quest to ‘Make America Fertile Again’ Stalls Under Trump” by Caroline Kitchener
(The New York Times, January 13, 2026)
“The Birthrate Is Plunging. Why Some Say That’s a Good Thing.” by Sabrina Tavernise and Jeff Adelson (The New York Times, February 27, 2026)
“Women in Their 20s May Not Be Having Babies, but by 45 Most Probably Will” by Claire Kane Miller (The New York Times, April 9, 2026)
“A Conservative Role Model for Ending the Fertility Crisis” by Anenoma Hartocollis (The New York Times, July 8, 2026)
“The Population Bust Is Coming Sooner Than Anyone Is Prepared For” By Lyman Stone (The New York Times, July 11, 2026)
FOLLOW THE SHOW:
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Bluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.com
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FOLLOW JOSH:
Website: joshboerman.com
Bluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.world
Other podcast: The Worst of All Possible Worlds
Stream: Traditional Scrench
FOLLOW JUNE:
Bluesky: @junlper.beer
Other podcast: Kill The Computer
Writing: June's Substack
ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)
1 hr 35 min
June 27Viktor Orbán: The B-Side (PREVIEW)
THIS IS A PREVIEW OF A BONUS B-SIDE EPISODE. For access to the full length version of this and every other biweekly bonus B-side, go to Patreon.com/illconceived
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This one's mostly about Rod Dreher. We also read your letters about:
Performing sex live on stage (this is a reminder to get your tickets to Thursday's Chicago live show!)
Why grandparents can't retire
The mechanics of Orbán's Home Building Allowance for Families policy and its longer-term impacts on the Hungarian housing market
The overlap between Fidesz and the Heritage Foundation, as well as their connecting link: the Danube Institute
26 min
June 21Viktor Orbán
***TICKETS TO OUR JULY 2 SHOW IN CHICAGO ARE ON SALE! GET YOUR TICKETS NOW BY CLICKING HERE!!!!***
While natalism as a political project has its proponents, few heads of state have been willing to attempt to use the full force of the state to raise birth rates. However, one leader does stand out: Hungary's recently-ousted prime minister, Viktor Orbán. This week, June and Josh take a look at Orban's 16-year term as PM, the effects of his policies, and the ways that right-wing authoritarianism in Europe both mirrors and partners with similar movements in the United States.
***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived!***
***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to [email protected]***
EPISODE ART: Viktor Orbán, the former prime minister of Hungary.
AUDIO CLIPS:
1:08:34 – Marco Rubio speaking in Budapest in February 2026, declaring a "golden era" in relations between Hungary and the United States
1:14:09 – JD Vance calling Donald Trump at an April 2026 Viktor Orban election rally in Budapest
SOURCES:
How Viktor Orban hollowed out Hungary’s democracy
How Viktor Orbán’s Hungary Eroded the Rule of Law and Free Markets
Hungary’s opposition struggles to beat Viktor Orban’s stealth autocracy
Home Building Allowance for Families
Viktor Orban’s pro-natalist policies are not working
In a state of necessity. How has Orban changed Hungary
Hungary passes constitutional amendment to ban LGBTQ+ public events
Hungary Ends Legal Recognition for Transgender and Intersex People
Hungary’s ongoing demographic decline: an increase in birth rates is the only hope
Authoritarian Populism in Disguise: Orbán’s Anti-Worker ‘Pro-Worker’ Regime
Hungary races to build border fence as migrants keep coming
Orbán rejects the European Union’s migration agreement and defends keeping asylum seekers out of EU territory
Conference of U.S. conservatives opens in Orban’s Hungary
Hungary offered €30,000 to couples having 3 kids—but its birth rate has still fallen to a record monthly low
Vance, after rallying in Hungary for Orban, says he wasn’t surprised by the autocrat’s defeat
Hungary: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced a seven-point family protection action plan
Hungary’s New Leader Reveals Viktor Orbán Was Paying CPAC
Here's why American conservatives are heading to Hungary for a big conference
At CPAC, Hungary’s Orban decries LGBTQ+ rights, migration
What one country's experiment says about attempts to boost birth rates
Farewell To Hungary, And To Europe
FOLLOW THE SHOW:
Website: illconceivedpodcast.com
Bluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.com
Tumblr: @illconceivedpod
FOLLOW JOSH:
Website: joshboerman.com
Bluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.world
Other podcast: The Worst of All Possible Worlds
Stream: Traditional Scrench
FOLLOW JUNE:
Bluesky: @junlper.beer
Other podcast: Kill The Computer
Writing: June's Substack
ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)
1 hr 33 min
June 07Simone & Malcolm Collins: The B-Side (PREVIEW)
THIS IS A PREVIEW OF A BONUS B-SIDE EPISODE. For access to the full length version of this and every other biweekly bonus B-side, go to Patreon.com/illconceived
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We weren't able to cover everything we wanted to discuss about the Collins family in the main episode, so this week we dug in for a look at the Based Camp Discord community, the Collins Institute's bespoke homeschool learning management system Parrhesia.io, and Malcom's attempt at crafting a core family theology.
Plus, we read your letters about:
Josh blowing it on knowing anything about Lord of the Rings
The sociopolitical context of the University of St Andrews in Scotland
The creative output of genetic dead-enders like us
41 min
June 02 UPDATE: Chicago Live Show Postponed to July 2
Josh got sick and had to go to the hospital, so we're postponing our Chicago live show to Thursday, July 2. Here's the link to the new event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ill-conceived-podcast-live-in-chicago-one-night-only-70226-tickets-1990032806695?aff=oddtdtcreator
Previous ticket buyers should have already received a refund and a link to rebook their tickets; please let us know if you experience any issues with that. Thank you for your understanding and we'll see you in a month!
2 min
May 30Simone & Malcolm Collins
In mainstream media coverage of natalism, one specific couple keeps popping up. Their eccentric appearance and apparent ironclad commitment to the principles of tech natalism make them catnip to curious reporters, who have profiled them exhaustively. But who are Simone and Malcolm Collins, and what are they actually trying to sell you? This week, Josh and June do their best to find out.
***GET TICKETS TO JOSH'S SHOW IN CINCINNATI HERE AND THE ILL CONCEIVED JUNE 4TH LIVE SHOW IN CHICAGO HERE!!!***
***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived!***
***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to [email protected]***
EPISODE ART: Malcolm and Simone Collins in a press photo by Hannah Yoon
AUDIO CLIPS:
18:35 – Simone Collins in a YouTube video entitled "Are You an Ambivert?" originally uploaded in November 2011
24:15 – Simone performing a cover of the Firefly theme song in a video originally uploaded to YouTube in July 2011
46:59 – Simone introduces Malcolm to the channel in a video originally uploaded to YouTube in November 2014
1:00:08 – Malcolm and Simone discuss "A Pragmatist's Take on the Red Pill" originally uploaded to YouTube in March 2020
1:16:46 – The introduction to the Based Camp episode "One Conspiracy Explains All Modern Culture (This Explains EVERYTHING)" originally uploaded to YouTube in May 2026
1:20:09 – The Bort license plate scene from "Itchy And Scratchy Land" (The Simpsons, S06E04)
SOURCES:
"How I Proposed to My Girlfriend on Reddit" by Malcolm Collins (Huffington Post, August 6, 2013)
ArtCorgi's profile on Crunchbase
"Why Many Entrepreneurs Are Turning to a ‘Search-Fund’ Model" by Glenn Hunter (D Magazine, January 9, 2017)
"Scoop: Dialog, a secretive forum, plans D.C.-area campus" by Mike Allen (Axios, August 7, 2025)
Simone's LinkedIn profile
Malcolm's LinkedIn profile
Simone's Reddit account
Malcolm's Reddit account
"Meet the ‘elite’ couples breeding to save mankind" by Io Dodds (The Telegraph, April 19, 2023)
"About Simone and Malcolm Collins’ Smear Campaign Against Me" by Lyman Stone (Medium post, October 22, 2024)
"America’s premier pronatalists on having ‘tons of kids’ to save the world: ‘There are going to be countries of old people starving to death’" by Jenny Kleeman (The Guardian, May 25, 2024)
Based Camp on YouTube
FOLLOW THE SHOW:
Website: illconceivedpodcast.com
Bluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.com
Tumblr: @illconceivedpod
FOLLOW JOSH:
Website: joshboerman.com
Bluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.world
Other podcast: The Worst of All Possible Worlds
Stream: Traditional Scrench
FOLLOW JUNE:
Bluesky: @junlper.beer
Other podcast: Kill The Computer
Writing: June's Substack
ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)
1 hr 59 min
May 22 ANNOUNCEMENT: Ill Conceived Gives You The Talk
Thursday, June 4 at 7pm / Lincoln Lodge, Chicago
$20 per ticket / 50 tickets only
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ill-conceived-podcast-live-in-chicago-one-night-only-60426-tickets-1990032806695?aff=oddtdtcreator
3 min
May 16JD Vance: The B-Side (PREVIEW)
THIS IS A PREVIEW OF A BONUS B-SIDE EPISODE. For access to the full length version of this and every other biweekly bonus B-side, go to Patreon.com/illconceived
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The natalist arguments of people like JD Vance are increasingly being used to defend new laws rolling back bodily autonomy, and in Wyoming, a newly signed "fetal heartbeat" bill has made this connection explicit. We're talking about it, plus we read your mail about:
The tendencies of fundamentalist Catholicism vs. more mainstream Catholicism and the people they tend to attract
The varying cultural tendences of different ethnic Catholic traditions
JD's connection to Erika Kirk and her whole deal
29 min
May 09JD Vance
The Vice President of the United States and his wife Usha are expecting their fourth baby, setting an apparent example for their fellow natalists. But just how intertwined is JD Vance with the natalist movement overall and what does it have to do with Usha’s new podcast about children’s books? This week, June and Josh dig into JD Vance’s history with conservatism and Catholicism to try to figure it out.
***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived!***
***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to [email protected]***
EPISODE ART: JD Vance in a press photo by Niall Carson for Getty Images. Born in Middletown, Ohio, Vance graduated from Ohio State University and Yale Law School, eventually working under Peter Thiel at Mithril Capital. After being elected to the United States Senate in 2022, Vance was selected by Donald Trump to serve as his running mate for the 2024 presidential election.
AUDIO CLIPS:
18:51 – Donald Trump reading from 2 Corinthians as part of the America Reads the Bible special event
24:51 – JD Vance referring to Democratic opposition as "childless cat ladies"
59:39 – Usha Vance reading The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter for her podcast Storytime with the Second Lady
SOURCES:
J. D. Vance and the Right’s Call to Have More Babies
The troubling history behind JD Vance's natalism
JD Vance And Peter Thiel: What To Know About The Relationship Between Trump’s VP Pick And The Billionaire
What have I done? I forced my kid to listen to Usha Vance’s podcast - now she’s a fan
JD Vance Repeats ‘Anti-Family’ Criticism of Democrats on Sunday Morning News Show Tour
Baby Bonuses and Motherhood Medals: Why We Shouldn’t Trust the Pronatalist Movement
Trump May Soon Offer a Motherhood Medal, an Idea Popularized in Nazi Germany
Republicans Are Right: One Party Is ‘Anti-Family and Anti-Kid’
Usha Vance and JD Vance, Pronatalism’s Poster Couple, Are Having a 4th Kid
JD Vance’s Approval Rating Plunges to New Historic Low
Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul Announce First Four Communities to Receive Free 2-K Seats
Democracy | Of Childless ‘Psychopath’ Women and ‘Replacement’: JD Vance’s Birthrate and Immigration Obsessions Have Shared History
An Analysis of Happy No Snakes Day and the Deeper Implications on the Horizon for Children’s Literature and Christian Nationalist Policies in the Public School System
Beyond the Nuclear Family
The Role of the Nuclear Family in Capitalism
With Defense of ICE, JD Vance Clarifies His Next Target: You
J.D. Vance Used to Be an Atheist. What He Believes Now Is Telling.
Gold Mother's Cross
Wikipedia: Order of Maternal Glory
Who in the USSR was awarded the ‘Mother-Heroine’ title?
National Conservatism: A Statement of Principles
5% of People Detained By ICE Have Violent Convictions, 73% No Convictions
FOLLOW THE SHOW:
Website: illconceivedpodcast.com
Bluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.com
Tumblr: @illconceivedpod
FOLLOW JOSH:
Website: joshboerman.com
Bluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.world
Other podcast: The Worst of All Possible Worlds
Stream: Traditional Scrench
FOLLOW JUNE:
Bluesky: @junlper.beer
Other podcast: Kill The Computer
Writing: June's Substack
ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)
1 hr 40 min

About Ill Conceived

From the publisher's feed

A podcast about natalism. Hosted by Josh Boerman (The Worst of All Possible Worlds, Traditional Scrench) and June Sternbach (Kill The Computer, The Onion).