Screen legend Bette Davis made her mark in Hollywood by being willing to take on - and forcefully, perfectly inhabit - any interesting role that came her way. Her persona is iconic: a sharp-tongued wit, cigarette dangling, willing to shape-shift into fascinating portrayals of pathos. She was even the participant in one of Hollywood's greatest feuds, with fellow diva Joan Crawford. Her personal life was as topsy-turvy as her roles; she had three divorces and also became a widow under somewhat mysterious circumstances.

Don't forget to enter our Bette Davis Coffee and Book Giveaway with Breakfast at Dominique's! Email us at [email protected] by Friday, October 11, with the subject line "Bette" and we'll announce our two winners on next Sunday's show!

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Hollywood legend Lena Horne changed what was possible for African-Americans performers in America. After a difficult childhood, she found a key ally in her father, who made clear to studio head Louis B. Mayer that he could hire a maid for his daughter - she would not need to play one on screen. Alternating between Hollywood, which was depressing because of its limitations on Black actors, and a thriving nightclub career, she built a prolific and unique career trajectory that saw her become a prominent voice in the Civil Rights Movement, and a central figure in the Hollywood spiderwebs that Alicia loves so much.

We're on break next week, but will be back with more Trashy Divorces on October 6!

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Every so often, we like to take a beat to catch up with some of our exes in a show format we call Dumpster Dive! We do these weekly on Patreon, but in this super expanded mama-jama main feed edition, we bring you the latest in celebrity scandals from TD alums and beyond. This week, we take a look at Dave Grohl's disappointing baby drama (and some internet hoaxery), Tori Spelling's latest career moves, Britney Spears's liberation - not really - from child support payments, the universally anticipated divorce of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, Jon Bon Jovi's Nashville hero turn, the long - and still somewhat uncertain - road to the Oasis reunion tour, Justin Timberlake's very good post-DUI statement, and we note the apparent swirl of affair rumors surrounding 78-year-old Donald Trump and 31-year-old Trump superfan Laura Loomer.

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We've noticed a lack of royal divorce stories since we kicked off our sibling podcast Trashy Royals more than a year ago now (!). Today, Alicia is bridging that gap by bringing together - and busting apart - two of Queen Victoria's grandchildren. Yes, the long tradition of royal cousins getting hitched. These are Grand Duke Ernest Louis of Hesse and by Rhine (nickname: Ernie) and Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (nickname: Ducky). The two became the subject of intense royal meddling as Victoria, imagining herself a skilled matchmaker, pushed Ernie to propose to Ducky, not realizing Ernie was more of a man's man, if you get our drift. The whole thing, marriage and divorce, turned into a massive scandal that rocked Europe. Enjoy this crossover, and if you like what you hear, go check out Trashy Royals, wherever you're listening right now!

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Melissa Gilbert grew up in front of all of our eyes playing Laura Ingalls Wilder on Little House on the Prairie, and she managed to avoid some of the pitfalls that beset other child stars. Then she met Rob Lowe, and America's Sweetheart started a whole new chapter. It's included two divorces - one trashy, one very much not trashy - and a whole lot of spiderwebs.

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We are excited to share a show we're loving with you! American Prankster: Wavy Gravy's Life Story pairs the legendary entertainer and activist with our friend, podcaster Rainbow Valentine, following the incredible ride of a life that Wavy Gravy has been on through decades of American counterculture. Enjoy this sample, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts!

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Dancer and actress Joan McCracken became one of America's biggest stars in the 1940s after her scene-stealing role in Oklahoma! as Sylvie, "The Girl Who Fell Down." In her real life, she was challenged by a secret diagnosis of diabetes in an era where management of the disease was complicated at best, and her marriage to fellow dancer Jack Dunphy - who would go on to be Truman Capote's partner for decades - was wrecked her affair with a French songwriter. Joan would become Bob Fosse's second wife and a major influence in his career. Given how brief her life was - she died at just 43 - her story is an impressive array of spiderwebs into both the Trashy Divorces Cinematic Universe, and Alicia's Done & Dunne podcast.

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Diana Ross is rightly one of the biggest stars in the world, but her fortuitous proximity to Motown Records and its founder, Berry Gordy, and his obsession with her, supercharged the musical career of a girl who dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. Their romance may not have been long lasting, but it left carnage in its wake even as Diana's star rose higher and higher.

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All the televised sights from Paris lately put Alicia in a mood, so today she's got the incredible story of Natalie Clifford Barney, a leading light in the Parisian art world in the 19th century, and also a fearless out lesbian in a time when such a thing was inconceivable to most. American born, Natalie's story is fascinating on many levels, not least because of her constant intersections with and contributions to the makers of the culture in which we live - artists and writers like Collette, Romaine Brooks, Renee Vivien, Djuana Barnes, Radclyffe Hall, Janet Flanner, Solita Solano, Mina Loy, Una Troubridge, and Elisabeth de Gramont, to name just a few.

Check out more of Alicia's Paris stories on our public Patreon feed.

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Once again, your requests are the best stories. Friends, we don't know where to begin with the trashiness that is Clint Eastwood, so we opted to focus mostly on his tumultuous relationship with fellow actor Sondra Locke. This one has everything - an almost pathological level of infidelity, indiscriminate fatherhood, unconventional marriages, and profound betrayals.

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