You're Wrong About

By Sarah Marshall

Society & Culture History

What's You're Wrong About about?

Sarah is a journalist obsessed with the past. Every week she reconsiders a person or event that's been miscast in the public imagination.

4.6

10,383 ratings

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LAST EPISODE

Cattle Mutilation with Rach...

11.28.2023

Mulder and Scully were busy this week, so Monroe and Marshall are on the case. Did UFOs really travel across the galaxy to experiment on American cows in the 1970s? And if so, why did they come back after fifty ...

You're Wrong About episodes:

11.28.2023 Cattle Mutilation with Rachel Monroe Mulder and Scully were busy this week, so Monroe and Marshall are on the case. Did UFOs really travel across the galaxy to experiment on American cows in the 1970s? And if so, why did they come back after fifty ...
11.14.2023 Amy Winehouse with Eve Lindley This week, celebrity correspondent Eve Lindley tells Sarah about why we should all be thankful for Amy Winehouse. Note: this episode depicts struggles with eating disorders, addiction and self harm. Please listen with care. We are thankful for you, too. ...
10.30.2023 Our Dearest Fears with Chelsey Weber-Smith This week, American Hysteria’s Chelsey Weber-Smith gives Sarah some exposure therapy. You can find Chelsey / American Hysteria here. Support You're Wrong About: Bonus Episodes on Patreon Buy cute merch Where else to find us: Sarah's other show, You Are ...
10.17.2023 A MASSIVE SÉANCE with American Hysteria in Portland, Oregon Come one, come all to the Aladdin theater in Portland, Oregon this December 6, for a collaboration with our BFF podcast American Hysteria! Two podcasts combine mystical forces to summon strange spirits and investigate sensational otherworldly beliefs, conjuring comedy and ...
10.16.2023 Lizzie Borden with Princess Weekes Forty whacks with a wet noodle, Bart! This week, Princess Weekes tells Sarah the true story of the crime of the century… the nineteenth century, that is. You can find Princess on YouTube here. Support You're Wrong About: Bonus Episodes ...
10.02.2023 Mindhunting with Sarah Weinman "What is it about the culture that has conditioned us to favor the wants and needs and desires, however horrible, of a serial murderer, as opposed to--most often--the women and girls that they harmed and killed?" This week, Sarah Weinman ...
09.18.2023 Changing Your Mind Here's one from our bonus vault: you sent in your stories about moments when you found yourselves changing your minds, and we listened. When do we do it? Why do we do it? What does it take? Here are some ...
09.05.2023 Sound of Freedom with Michael Hobbes AND Human Trafficking re-release Like so many other mostly imaginary topics, human trafficking is in the news again. Michael Hobbes—ever heard of him??—came by so Sarah could tell him about Sound of Freedom, a surprise hit summer movie that promises it can end child ...
08.21.2023 The Most Normal Girl in Cleveland with Heather Radke This week, Heather Radke brings us a tale of pageants, eugenics, and butts. You can find Heather online here. You can see Norma/Norman here. More on the Better Babies Pageants. Support You're Wrong About: Bonus Episodes on Patreon Buy cute ...
08.07.2023 The Cottingley Fairies with Chelsey Weber-Smith This week, Sarah tells her favorite kind of story to American Hysteria’s Chelsey Weber-Smith: one where two girls hoaxed the world without trying very hard. You can find Chelsey + American Hysteria online here. Buy ‘Lullaby’ on Bandcamp here. Support ...
07.17.2023 Bonnie and Clyde (and Blanche and Buck) with Jamie Loftus “Why don’t something happen?” Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow died in 1934, but their legend gets bigger every year. This week, Jamie Loftus brings us back to reality with a tale of prison breaks, FBI malfeasance, love, guitars, and hot ...
07.11.2023 Fleetwood Mac's Rumours with Carolyn Kendrick This week, we bring you a re-release from our bonus vault as Sarah tells Carolyn Kendrick about the making of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. We learn about the worlds of songwriting and production, how the music business has changed since the ...
06.27.2023 Renée Richards with Julie Kliegman This week, Sports Illustrated’s Julie Kliegman volleys with Sarah about trans athlete Renée Richards’s fight for her right to play in the U.S. Open. They also dig into how the dialogue surrounding trans athletes has and hasn’t changed in the ...
06.12.2023 Lesbian Seagulls with Lulu Miller Fly with us, lesbian seagull. This week Radiolab’s Lulu Miller brings us a story of queer nature and scientists in denial, featuring seagulls, penguins, rams, swans, dolphins, and—maybe the gayest animal of all—humans. To learn more about the seagulls, and ...
05.29.2023 The Hot Mess Express Spectacular! “I felt that empathy like it was directed towards me, and it helped me feel like my unhappiness was enough.” On our fifth anniversary, we asked for your stories about what You’re Wrong About has meant to you. Here they ...
05.15.2023 We Need to Talk About the New York Times with Tuck Woodstock “What if you were writing a profile on someone named Janet and I was your editor, and I was like, ‘I’m sorry, for balance, find someone who wants to kill Janet’?” This week, Tuck Woodstock, host of Gender Reveal, takes ...
05.08.2023 Call for Anniversary Stories You’re Wrong About is five years old, and we want to hear your stories about the show! Listen here for details, and submit your file to [email protected] the show
04.25.2023 Debi Thomas with Leslie Gray Streeter In 1988, twenty-year-old American figure skater Debi Thomas headed to the Calgary Olympics to face off against East German juggernaut Katarina Witt. In the process, she became the first Black American in history to medal at a Winter Olympics. Then ...
04.10.2023 Sinéad O'Connor with Allyson McCabe This week, we fight the real enemy with Allyson McCabe. Here's where to find Allyson online here. You can find Allyson's book Why Sinéad O'Connor Matters here. Support us: Bonus Episodes on Patreon Donate on Paypal You're Wrong About Spring ...
03.28.2023 What Even Is Justice? with Amanda Knox This week, national treasure Amanda Knox talks with Sarah about what the American legal system claims to be for, what it’s actually doing, and what might be possible in the future. They entertain the most heretical ideas they can think ...
03.13.2023 Juvenile "Justice" with Josie Duffy Rice This week, criminal justice correspondent Josie Duffy Rice dives into America’s obsession with prosecuting children. From 19th century houses of refuge to modern day detention centers, we comb through the tangled braids of juvenile incarceration, tough on crime fallacies, as ...
02.27.2023 Chris McCandless with Blair Braverman This week, survival correspondent Blair Braverman tells Sarah the story of a Supertramp. In 1996, Jon Krakauer's book Into the Wild described a young man, Chris McCandless, who changed his name, walked into the Alaskan bush, and died after mistakenly ...
02.22.2023 Spring Tour Announcement! You're Wrong About is going back on tour! We're doing a bunch of live shows in North America—me, producer and musician Carolyn Kendrick, and some fabulous guests—and we hope you come think about some stuff, and also that you laugh. ...
02.14.2023 Napster with Niko Stratis This week, a tale of two Shawns/Seans, their impossible dream, and the file sharing service that lived fast, died young, and helped create the internet as we know it. Plus, Metallica. Here's where to find Niko: Website Newsletter Twitter Resources ...
01.31.2023 Karen Carpenter Part 2 with Carolyn Kendrick In this episode, Carolyn and Sarah follow Karen from the height of her fame through her struggle to find independence, her attempts at eating disorder recovery, and finally to her death on February 4, 1983, when she was just 32 ...
01.24.2023 Valentine's Show A Go-Go Livestream announcement! Join us for a Valentine's Day live stream, presented by Moment. We'll be joined by Jamie Loftus and we'll be serenaded by Carolyn Kendrick. It's a You're Wrong About Valentine's Day Variety Show. February 14th 5 PM Pacific, 8 PM ...
01.17.2023 Trailer: Unreformed Extry! Extry! New podcast by Josie Duffy Rice! — In 1968, five Black girls escaped from the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children, a so-called “reform school” outside of Montgomery, Alabama. These girls were not the first children to run ...
01.16.2023 Karen Carpenter Part 1 with Carolyn Kendrick Long ago and oh so far away, Carolyn and Sarah fell in love with Karen Carpenter when they saw her drum. We examine her meteoric rise. CONTENT WARNING: Karen Carpenter died in 1983 of complications from an eating disorder. Most ...
12.26.2022 Baby Jessica with Blair Braverman On October 14, 1987, 18-month-old Jessica McClure fell down a well in Midland, Texas. This week, Sarah tells our survival correspondent, Blair Braverman, about the community that worked to rescue her, and the nation that watched. Here's where to find ...
12.12.2022 Beanie Babies with Jamie Loftus They’re winsome and soft and so fun to cuddle/ With one of Ty’s Beanie Babies, you could never go wrong/ But they were all born from a toxic puddle/ It really was capitalism all along. This week, Jamie Loftus tells ...
11.28.2022 Where Have All the Preppies Gone? with Avery Trufelman Put on your Docksiders for a stroll through history with Avery Trufelman, who shows us how Ivy style became “preppy,” and how preppy fashion escaped the campus and took over the world. We’re talking about clothing, class, race, and the ...
11.15.2022 The Movie Rating System with Karina Longworth How did Poltergeist get that PG rating? Podcast legend Karina Longworth, host of You Must Remember This, takes us on a wild ride through a century or so of Hollywood history, and shows us what’s been left on the cutting ...
10.31.2022 Flight 571: Survival in the Andes with Blair Braverman Our survival correspondent Blair Braverman is here to tell us the story of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which crashed in the Andes on October 13, 1972. Of the 45 people on board, 16 ultimately lived. Their survival made them ...
10.17.2022 Your Abortion Stories “Abortion is healthcare and abortion is a human right. Abortion is racial justice. It’s economic justice. It’s at the intersection of every movement towards liberation. My abortion was a gift.” We asked you to share your abortion stories with us. ...
10.03.2022 Online Shopping with Amanda Mull Why is it so hard to find the one thing you need? The Atlantic’s Amanda Mull is here to tell us the story of shopping, from the Silk Road to SHEIN hauls, and the story that emerges is one of ...
09.26.2022 We’ll be back next week! (And a tour update!) Support us:Bonus Episodes on PatreonBonus Episodes on Apple PodcastsDonate on PaypalBuy cute merchWhere else to find us:Sarah's other show, You Are Good [YWA co-founder] Mike's other show, Maintenance PhaseLinks: http://patreon.com/yourewrongabout http://apple.co/ywa https://www.teepublic.com/stores/youre-wrong-about https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/yourewrongaboutpod https://www.podpage.com/you-are-good http://maintenancephase.comSupport the show
09.12.2022 Hunting Serial Killers with Michael Hobbes This week, Mike and Sarah reunite to hunt for serial killers, and try to figure out whether they’re really endangered. Digressions include crow funerals, Carrie Bradshaw, and how we feel about being called mom and dad. An extended cut of ...
08.29.2022 The Donner Party with Chelsey Weber-Smith You may: 1. Travel on the established trail 2. Take the Hastings Cutoff What is your choice? Chelsey Weber-Smith (American Hysteria) tells Sarah about the Donner Party. Here's where to find Chelsey: Website Twitter Support us: Bonus Episodes on Patreon ...
08.15.2022 Henry Lee Lucas with Rachel Monroe This week we’re taking the back roads with Rachel Monroe, who tells us how the most prolific serial killer in American history may have been something much more ordinary—and why we keep trying to make violent men seem much more ...
08.02.2022 Porn Wars with Nona Willis Aronowitz Here’s some money, go see a Porn War. This week we’re going on a field trip to Times Square with Nona Willis Aronowitz, author of Bad Sex, to learn about Deep Throat, “porno chic,” and the unresolved feminist battle over ...
07.18.2022 Eugenics with Eric Michael Garcia This week, Eric Michael Garcia tells Sarah about America’s barely forgotten pastime, plus the Supreme Court’s long history of horrifying decisions. Digressions include due process, The Evil Dead, and what Hitler admired about the United States. Here's where Eric: Website ...
07.13.2022 West Coast Tour Announcement This is a super quick message to let you know we'll be having a You're Wrong About West Coast mini tour in September. We'll be going to Portland on 9/16, Seattle (9/18), Los Angeles (9/20) and San Francisco (9/22). There ...
07.04.2022 Go Ask Alice Part 2 with Carmen Maria Machado This week Carmen and Sarah read the rest of Alice’s bitchin' diary, and ponder the truths that only lies can tell. Digressions include Pamela and Clarissa, sadistic switch hitters, and orange yeast rolls. You can hear Part 1 here and ...
07.04.2022 Go Ask Alice Part 3 with Rick Emerson and Carmen Maria Machado Sarah and Carmen complete their epic trilogy by meeting Rick Emerson on the edge of Mount Doom to discuss his book, Unmask Alice, and some of the story behind the diary that has captivated America—and informed its drug policy—for half ...
06.20.2022 Martha Stewart with Sarah Archer This week we’re dishing up a mouthwatering feast of history, gossip, and white collar crime. Guest Sarah Archer tells the tale of Martha Stewart, a girl from New Jersey who achieved world domination by letting us look at her basket ...
06.06.2022 The Dyatlov Pass Incident with Blair Braverman This week, Sarah tries to solve the mystery of the Dyatlov Pass Incident, in which nine experienced ski hikers fled their shelter and ran into the frigid night for reasons unknown. Digressions include yetis, snowmobiles, and Rachel Monroe. Sarah miraculous ...
05.23.2022 The Prison Boom with Shannon Heffernan Where did all these prisons come from? WBEZ’s Shannon Heffernan is here to give us part of the answer, which involves “small government” (of course), Lennie Briscoe (as always), the pink flowers of Alcatraz, and a prison sweepstakes that produced ...
05.09.2022 Go Ask Alice Part 1 with Carmen Maria Machado This week we begin our journey into the totally true not at all made up diary that has been scaring America’s teens for fifty years. Digressions include Jell-O, magic mushrooms, and ironing your hair, and Sarah promises to trip with ...
04.25.2022 Medieval Torture with Dana Schwartz We want to play a game. This week, Dana Schwartz stuffs us in an iron maiden and explains why the most famous Medieval torture devices are none of the above. Digressions include the Kings Cross Wax Museum, getting stabbed in ...
04.11.2022 How Email Took Over the World with Anne Helen Petersen How did the information superhighway get so gridlocked? Guest Anne Helen Petersen tells Sarah the story of how email took over the world and our working lives, and what it would mean for us to get a little of our ...

Older episodes

You're Wrong About

What's You're Wrong About about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

You're Wrong About episodes:

Cattle Mutilation with Rachel Monroe

Amy Winehouse with Eve Lindley

Our Dearest Fears with Chelsey Weber-Smith

A MASSIVE SÉANCE with American Hysteria in Portland, Oregon

Lizzie Borden with Princess Weekes

Mindhunting with Sarah Weinman

Changing Your Mind

Sound of Freedom with Michael Hobbes AND Human Trafficking re-release

The Most Normal Girl in Cleveland with Heather Radke

The Cottingley Fairies with Chelsey Weber-Smith

Bonnie and Clyde (and Blanche and Buck) with Jamie Loftus

Fleetwood Mac's Rumours with Carolyn Kendrick

Renée Richards with Julie Kliegman

Lesbian Seagulls with Lulu Miller

The Hot Mess Express Spectacular!

We Need to Talk About the New York Times with Tuck Woodstock

Call for Anniversary Stories

Debi Thomas with Leslie Gray Streeter

Sinéad O'Connor with Allyson McCabe

What Even Is Justice? with Amanda Knox

Juvenile "Justice" with Josie Duffy Rice

Chris McCandless with Blair Braverman

Spring Tour Announcement!

Napster with Niko Stratis

Karen Carpenter Part 2 with Carolyn Kendrick

Valentine's Show A Go-Go Livestream announcement!

Trailer: Unreformed

Karen Carpenter Part 1 with Carolyn Kendrick

Baby Jessica with Blair Braverman

Beanie Babies with Jamie Loftus

Where Have All the Preppies Gone? with Avery Trufelman

The Movie Rating System with Karina Longworth

Flight 571: Survival in the Andes with Blair Braverman

Your Abortion Stories

Online Shopping with Amanda Mull

We’ll be back next week! (And a tour update!)

Hunting Serial Killers with Michael Hobbes

The Donner Party with Chelsey Weber-Smith

Henry Lee Lucas with Rachel Monroe

Porn Wars with Nona Willis Aronowitz

Eugenics with Eric Michael Garcia

West Coast Tour Announcement

Go Ask Alice Part 2 with Carmen Maria Machado

Go Ask Alice Part 3 with Rick Emerson and Carmen Maria Machado

Martha Stewart with Sarah Archer

The Dyatlov Pass Incident with Blair Braverman

The Prison Boom with Shannon Heffernan

Go Ask Alice Part 1 with Carmen Maria Machado

Medieval Torture with Dana Schwartz

How Email Took Over the World with Anne Helen Petersen

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