Particle Data Platform
This American Life

The Idiot

3/29/20261 hr

M. Gessen returns to our show with a true-crime story that takes place entirely within their own family. This story comes to us from the producers at Serial Productions—who invented the true-crime podcast more than a decade ago—and from The New York Times.

Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.

Act One: M Gessen tells Ira Glass about the surprising events that prompted them to begin reporting on their own family for their new podcast, The Idiot. They play the first episode of the series. (14 minutes)Act Two: Ira Glass and...

Clips

Murder-for-hire bombshell lands
Cheaper, more permanent option
“I’m sure. I’m comfortable.”
A mother sees her son
“Did you bring blue porridge?”
Why call it The Idiot
Reporting to persuade family

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Ira Glass· Host0:01

    Support for This American Life comes from Redfin. You're listening to a podcast, which, uh, means you're probably multitasking, maybe even scrolling home listings on Redfin, saving homes without expecting to get them. But Redfin isn't just built for endless browsing. It's built to help you find and own a home. Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents. So when you find the one, you've got a real shot at getting it. Get started at redfin.com. Own the dream. To make our newest bonus episode of This American Life, [door opening] Ira Glass went digging.

  2. M. Gessen· Guest0:35

    Okay, we're in.

  3. Ira Glass· Host0:36

    Digging for an old recording in a storage space with seventy boxes of old tapes.

  4. M. Gessen· Guest0:41

    [laughs] Oh my God.

  5. Ira Glass· Host0:43

    And as luck would have it- I can't believe it.

  6. M. Gessen· Guest0:45

    This is the one, two, three... This is the fourth box I'm opening, and literally right here, [boxes rustling] I think this is exactly what I was looking for.

  7. Ira Glass· Host0:54

    To hear what he found, plus dozens of other exclusive bonus episodes, and most importantly, to help us keep making the show, subscribe at thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners.

  8. M. Gessen· Guest1:04

    Okay, I really am stunned.

  9. Ira Glass· Host1:06

    That link is also in the show notes of this episode. Thanks.

  10. Speaker 21:10

    First floor.

  11. Ira Glass· Host1:12

    A quick warning: there are curse words that are un-beeped in today's episode of the show. If you prefer a beeped version, you can find that at our website, thisamericanlife.org. From WBEZ Chicago, it's This American Life. I'm Ira

We value your privacy

We use cookies to understand how you use our platform and to improve your experience. Click "Accept All" to consent, or "Decline non-essential" to opt out of non-essential cookies. Read our Privacy Policy.