Robin Williams’ manic mind moved at such a breakneck speed that cocaine had the opposite effect than it had on most other people: it slowed him down. Robin’s primary addiction, however, wasn’t cocaine. He was addicted to the dopamine rush of being on a stage, where he could let his mind run wild with free association, and be rewarded with uproarious laughter. He was addicted to proving himself as a dramatic actor, even if that meant attempting to trigger his own mental breakdown by running in place for hours. And when he died tragically at the age of 63, the cause of his death was surprisingly not what anyone suspected. It still isn’t.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including suicide. If you're thinking about suicide or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

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Jake and showrunner Zeth Lundy take the upcoming Oscars as a chance to check in, with their takes on the best movies of the year, what should and will win at the awards, what makes for a great film in 2023 and more.

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Lindsay Lohan’s arrest record is overcrowded with charges involving theft, cocaine, and the transportation of narcotics. The one-time Disney queen bee shattered her Mercedes and her good girl reputation with back-to-back DUIs when her career was at its peak. After appearing in court 20 times in the span of five years, Lindsay’s acting opportunities downgraded from Mean Girls-level blockbusters to meager microbudget art films, including a career-low role that paid her $100 a day to perform alongside porn stars.

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In the 1980s, AC/DC’s biggest fan was a notorious serial killer. The band was an international best-selling hit machine, and members like the late Bon Scott and die-hard Angus Young became rock icons. But when the press caught wind of the disturbing fandom of the serial killer Richard “The Night Stalker” Ramirez, the news quickly dragged the world’s most fun, pure rock ‘n’ roll band straight down the highway to hell and into the center of a media firestorm around Satanic Panic and the inspirations of a murderer.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including graphic depictions of violence and sexual assault.

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Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson was dealing crack by the age of 10, born into the height of the epidemic in Queens. He faced possession charges while still in high school, made a career as a dealer after, got stung and raided by cops, but always had his mind on the mission: to get rich, or die trying. And when he found out he was going to be a father, the idea of getting rich through music rather than drugs suddenly made a whole lot of sense. But it would still take a horrifying nine-bullet wake-up call to finally push him to peak achievement.

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Between beatnik parents, an LSD guru godfather, and an unconventional upbringing in Northern California, it’s not surprising that Winona Ryder became America’s endearing weirdo in the 1990s. Her noir starpower shined from an early age in movies like Beetlejuice, Heathers, and Edward Scissorhands, but her penchant for dark roles would lead her towards crime in real life. The only thing weirder than Winona’s $5,000 shoplifting spree and the kidnapping of a girl from her own hometown is how the two stories unexpectedly intertwine.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including kidnapping and child abuse.

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This excerpt from Season 8 of Disgraceland was previously exclusive but is now available wherever you get your podcasts. To hear the full episode, find and follow Disgraceland wherever you get your podcasts.

Despite his reputation as “the safe Beatle,” Paul McCartney was a badass. He took wild artistic risks, rubbed elbows with truly dangerous characters and because of his crimes, did hard time in one of the world’s most notorious prisons. His public spats with Beatles bandmate John Lennon are the stuff of legend, as is the “Paul is dead” conspiracy at the end of their time together as a band, but the truth may be even stranger.

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With his chiseled jawline and matinee idol good looks, Armie Hammer could have been another leading man like Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt. But Armie Hammer was not most movie stars. He wasn't even most people. On the surface, his life was perfectly curated and appeared picture-perfect, with no major public scandals or dirt-digging by the press. But his increasingly bizarre appearances in interviews and on social media, not to mention leaked videos and texts, led to shocking revelations about what was really going on behind closed doors. And what was going on was wilder than the untamed dreams of a Hollywood screenwriter.

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes every Wednesday, or binge the entire new season right now only on Amazon Music amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including sexual assault and graphic descriptions of violence.

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This episode of Disgraceland was previously exclusive but is now available wherever you get your podcasts. You can now listen to season 7 of Disgraceland in its entirety with episodes on David Bowie, the Ramones, Lil Wayne, the New York Dolls, Lil Peep, a previously unheard two-parter on Tupac, a two-parter on Biggie, a two-parter on Oasis, and a two-parter on the Beatles.

Gram Parsons is one of the most influential musicians in rock ‘n’ roll that you’ve maybe never heard of. He created a form of music that has been copied by everyone from the Eagles to Ryan Adams. He directly influenced the Rolling Stones’ greatest album, possibly the greatest rock ‘n’ roll album of all time, Exile on Main Street. And when he died his body was stolen and unceremoniously disposed of. This is the story of Gram Parsons' life, death and very strange aftermath.

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Lawrence Taylor, or “LT,” as he was known, was the most feared NFL linebacker in the 1980's. He once sacked a quarterback so hard that he snapped the guy’s leg in two–ending his career. His addiction to winning, to that victorious feeling on the field, was a euphoric high. But after a while, football didn’t get LT high enough. He partied just as hard as he played, a celeb rubbing elbows with megastars in NYC, the only city that could keep up with him. Pretty soon, he was spending $75,000 a month on his two off-field addictions: sex and cocaine. Nothing could stop him – not even failed drug tests or undercover grandmas busting his drug deals - until the day he had the barrel of a loaded gun pressed against his head. Then... everything changed.

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Bruno Fernandes de Souza was a soccer star in his home country of Brazil. He played for the country’s largest professional team. He was on the verge of moving on to the biggest international arenas. The sport raised him from a harsh childhood of poverty and crime to a life of celebrity where fans’ adoration came easy and rampant sex even easier. But life in the world of Brazilian soccer wasn’t always so simple; you had to fight for your own survival. When Bruno found himself named as the father in a controversial paternity lawsuit, murder seemed like the only way to keep his dream alive. 

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including graphic depictions of violence.

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In the 1980's and 1990's, thanks to cocaine, soccer in Colombia had never been better. Drug cartels laundered their dirty money through soccer clubs. High salaries kept players in their home country, as did the improved facilities, and the money pouring into impoverished neighborhoods. However, Colombian soccer players were caught up in controversy when they attended parties thrown by notorious drug kingpins. One such player, Andrés Escobar, even participated in a wild soccer match held behind prison walls, featuring an audience of armed guards and the country’s most feared man. Soccer was serious business in Colombia – life or death business. Andrés Escobar would find out just how serious when he scored a dreaded own goal during the 1994 World Cup.

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The Hillsborough Disaster ruined lives and communities. As a result of the April 15th, 1989 soccer match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, 97 men, women, and children lost their lives. But Hillsborough wasn’t just a disaster, it was a fight for justice. It was a war between the establishment and the people, and a cover-up on the largest scale – one that exploited hooligan culture in order to assassinate the character of the victims. Once the dust settled on the very public and very contentious collision of fandom and greedy capitalism, soccer – and, for that matter, all sports – would never be the same again.

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Fans loved everything that English soccer player Paul Gascoigne did, whether it was kissing the hand of Princess Diana or crying on the field as the national team lost the World Cup. He was the “unstoppable force.” He was Gazza. He was all over the papers, too, thanks to all of his arrests for drinking and drugs. So many arrests that British tabloid reporters began a dead pool and took bets on how much longer he had left to live. Everyone knew Gazza was bonkers - that was part of his appeal - but they had no idea just how bonkers until he showed up to rescue a cold-blooded killer from a tense police standoff, loaded on cocaine and armed with some bottles of lager, two fishing rods, and a rotisserie chicken.

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Diego Maradona was busted for drugs, prostitution, and shooting an air rifle at reporters. He was also associated with one of the biggest and oldest organized crime families in Italy. Despite all of this, Diego Maradona somehow still showed up the next day and played a great game of soccer. He even turned a soccer match into a weapon during a centuries-long war between England and Argentina. Diego Maradona was more than one of the greatest of all time on the pitch – he was also one of the most infamous.

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Robert Rozier’s tenure in the NFL and Canadian Football League didn’t last very long, but he may well have one of the most insane stories in professional sports. After being rejected by the big leagues, Rozier was drafted by a murder cult in Florida. He became one of the cult’s many “death angels,” disciples who carried out their so-called messiah’s instructions to kill – a messiah with a habit of ordering the beheadings of those who dared speak out against him. In 1986, as Devil’s Night gave way to Halloween, Robert Rozier found himself on the run – not down a football field, but into haunted woods - with authorities hot on his tail.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including graphic depictions of violence.

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Joe Namath was the Elvis and the Beatles of the gridiron at a time when the NFL was full of players with flat personalities. He was the catalyst that turned athletes into leaders, steering the cultural zeitgeist. Blonde bombshells drove onto the field in Cadillacs to pick him up. He intercepted women from Mick Jagger in New York nightclubs. He wore mink coats and sunglasses on the sidelines during preseason games he didn’t play in. He drank, he gambled, he smoked, and he grew his hair long - and people noticed. The mafia. The feds. The media. Even crazed fans…who wanted him dead.

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Armed with superstardom and a $100 million NFL contract, Michael Vick made it to the hallowed national stage, a place where many of his peers could only dream about. Unfortunately his increasingly bad decisions led to his self-destruction. It took just one search warrant for Michael Vick to go from one of the NFL’s most iconic players to its most vilified. There's no turning back from what police found buried on his 15-acre estate in rural Virginia.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including graphic depictions of violence involving animals.

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Ray Lewis wasn’t just a Super Bowl MVP, or a 2-time defensive player of the year, or a 13-time Pro Bowl player - he was the scariest player in the league. From an early age, Ray Lewis used football as a tool to survive a his terrifying reality: abusive and neglectful father figures, drugs and violence, and a beloved mentor shot dead. Four years into a professional career as the Baltimore Ravens' take-no-prisoners linebacker, Ray Lewis' reality caught up with him. That was the night that Ray Lewis was arrested and charged with a shocking double murder.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including child abuse, domestic violence, and graphic depictions of violence.

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Which NFL player found himself drafted into a murder cult that beheaded its disobedient members? How did one of the most fatal events in sports history start with nearly 100 deaths and end in a large-scale coverup? Why did a hard-partying English soccer player attempt to save a savage murderer from a police standoff...with two fishing rods and a rotisserie chicken? Discover the details behind these unbelievable but true stories in an all-new season of Badlands.

As American football gets into full swing, we’ll explore the intersection of gridiron giants and true crime, with stories about Michael Vick, Ray Lewis, Joe Namath, Robert Rozier, and Lawrence Taylor. And just in time for the World Cup, we’re tackling the sins and scandals of the soccer world, with episodes on Diego Maradona, Andrés Escobar, Paul Gascoigne, Bruno Fernandes de Souza, and of course, the infamous Hillsborough Disaster of 1989.

Listen to new episodes of Badlands beginning October 26 wherever you get your podcasts, or binge the entire new season exclusively on Amazon Music at amazon.com/badlands.

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Long before he raised the People’s Eyebrow, dropped the People’s Elbow, and laid the smackdown on the candyass world of Hollywood, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson ran a jewelry theft ring in Waikiki. He and his peers worked the posh shopping district, snatching and grabbing whatever they could get their hands on and then pawning their haul for cold, hard cash. As a result, he was arrested nearly ten times before he turned 17 years old. But perhaps the only thing more insane than that story is the tale of how Dwayne Johnson transcended a life of petty street crime to become one of the biggest cultural icons of the 21st century.

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Before Patty Hearst appeared as an actress in John Waters' movies, she captivated America on the silver screen as a hostage terrorized by the Symbionese Liberation Army. When the newspaper heiress was kidnapped by the radical organization in 1974, the country sympathized with her plight. But after just a few months, the SLA’s guns weren’t pointing at Patty anymore; suddenly, Patty was firing her own weapons during fistfights and bank robberies as a member of the same terrorist group that once kept her locked in a closet. In court, Patty claimed she was brainwashed and that she played along for her own safety. It’s true that Patty Hearst gave the performance of a lifetime — but we still don’t know which part of her life was the performance.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including graphic depictions of violence.

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Charlie Chaplin was a wanted man. Not just by moviegoing audiences that made him one of the biggest stars of the silent and talkie eras. And not just by governments who questioned his politics. He was nearly murdered by a jealous lover, and was likely the intended target of a homicide aboard the yacht of the wealthiest man in America. He survived numerous attempts on his life, only to be targeted by a cabal of Japanese assassins who wanted him dead. And when he did die, Charlie Chaplin remained in high demand. Just ask the guy who dug up his corpse and held it for ransom.

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John Belushi may have been one of the funniest comedians of his generation, but he wasn’t just a funny guy. He was a rock star. He partied with the Stones, fronted a world-class band of R&B legends, and was responsible for a punk rock riot in Rockefeller Center. He drew the ire of street gangs in Chicago, attempted to steal a boat with his blues brother, and performed one of his final episodes of Saturday Night Live on death’s door. Everything was heightened. The stakes. The laughs. The sensory overload of lights, camera, action. He worked hard, and played harder. And when it all came to a crashing halt in a Hollywood bungalow, one question remained: Was John Belushi’s death the result of foul play?

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On the surface, the star of one of the most popular television series of the 1960s was a squeaky-clean symbol of America’s innocence. But Hogan’s Heroes’ Bob Crane lived a secret double life that very few people knew about. His custom-built pornographic paradises were hidden behind the closed doors of his dressing room and apartment. He was obsessed with extra-marital sexual exploits, and he documented them with cutting-edge technology. The joy he received from making people smile was matched only by his need to fulfill his darkest desires…a need that would end in murder.

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Danny Trejo holds the record for most on-screen deaths by an actor. His go-to role is the bad guy – the baddest guy. The guy you do not mess with. And for the first 25 years of his life, he was that guy for real. He led a life of violence and drugs that landed him in just about every hardcore prison in California, including Folsom and San Quentin. On the inside, he ran the gym, the drugs, and protection rackets. And then one day, the tables turned and Danny Trejo was the one who needed protection. After the dust settled on a bloody prison riot, Trejo found himself staring down the death penalty.

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Lucille Ball might have been a natural boundary-pusher, but America's top TV comedienne had some ‘splaining to do when a damning news broadcast unveiled her former ties to the Communist Party. The hysteria of the Red Scare threatened to bury this redhead at the bottom of the Hollywood blacklist overnight. Even when America put rampant McCarthyism to rest, the United States government kept watching Lucille Ball – and we’re not talking about I Love Lucy reruns.

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Drew Barrymore spent her childhood charming audiences on movie screens and cramming cocaine up her nose at the most exclusive clubs in the country. Her breakout role as Gertie in E.T.: The Extraterrestrial rocketed her to such far-reaching fame that she became a regular at Studio 54 when she was only 7 years old. Her early taste for unchaperoned nightlife would lure her into other exceptionally adult addictions, nearly extinguishing her flourishing film career before Drew reached high school. As Drew’s grandfather and father before her already proved, no one acts – or parties – quite like a Barrymore. No one crashes and burns quite like a Barrymore, either. 

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Not one but two of Charlie Sheen’s Mercedes were found crashed into a ravine off Mulholland Drive on separate occasions. By that point, he was working on running his career off the road for a second or third time, in a haze of alcohol, cocaine, $30,000 one-night stands, awkward dinner dates with porn stars and his ex-wife, livestream rants, LAPD house raids, and a triumphant ascent to a Beverly Hills rooftop with a machete and a bottle of red liquid labeled “Tiger Blood.” And that’s only part of the story.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence.

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With his chiseled jawline and matinee idol good looks, Armie Hammer could have been another leading man like Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt. But Armie Hammer was not most movie stars. He wasn't even most people. On the surface, his life was perfectly curated and appeared picture-perfect, with no major public scandals or dirt-digging by the press. But his increasingly bizarre appearances in interviews and on social media, not to mention leaked videos and texts, led to shocking revelations about what was really going on behind closed doors. And what was going on was wilder than the untamed dreams of a Hollywood screenwriter.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including sexual assault and graphic descriptions of violence.

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of Hollywoodland each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of Badlands: Hollywoodland on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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Which muscled action star ran a jewelry theft ring as a teenager in Hawaii? How did a critically-acclaimed actor get chewed out by the public and the police for a scandalous cannibalism kink? And which heiress turned actress found herself firing a submachine gun when she was kidnapped and brainwashed by a terrorist organization?

Discover the details behind these unbelievable but true stories in an all-new season of Badlands: Hollywoodland. This season of Badlands dives deeper into the shady characters of Tinseltown than ever before, featuring the insane true stories of Drew Barrymore, Charlie Sheen, Danny Trejo, John Belushi, Armie Hammer, Charlie Chaplin, Lucille Ball, Bob Crane of Hogan’s Heroes, Patty Hearst, and Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a The Rock.

Listen to new episodes of Badlands beginning August 3 wherever you get your podcasts, or binge the entire new season exclusively on Amazon Music at amazon.com/badlands.

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Introducing the Disgraceland podcast - a show that tells the insane true crime stories of music’s most famous… on their darkest days.

Host Jake Brennan, tells the jaw dropping stories of musicians behaving very badly… and some even getting away with murder. In an all new season, he tells the unbelievable histories of the world’s most famous musical artists. Like the story of Britney Spears…locked into an unconventional conservatorship. Or Chris Brown’s gutted reputation and downward spiral. Or the Beatles' own Ringo Star being targeted by trigger happy extremists…These and many more.

Follow Disgraceland wherever you get your podcasts. Or you can listen to all 10 seasons exclusively on Amazon Music. Listen here: wondery.fm/Badlands_D10.

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Robin Williams’ manic mind moved at such a breakneck speed that cocaine had the opposite effect than it had on most other people: it slowed him down. Robin’s primary addiction, however, wasn’t cocaine. He was addicted to the dopamine rush of being on a stage, where he could let his mind run wild with free association, and be rewarded with uproarious laughter. He was addicted to proving himself as a dramatic actor, even if that meant attempting to trigger his own mental breakdown by running in place for hours. And when he died tragically at the age of 63, the cause of his death was surprisingly not what anyone suspected. It still isn’t.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including suicide. If you're thinking about suicide or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

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Rodney Alcala, AKA The Dating Game Killer, was a depraved murderer who eluded authorities for years. He hid his true identity behind charm and persuasion. He worked as a summer camp counselor while on the lam for the savage assault of an eight-year-old girl. He convinced his parole officer to let him take a vacation to the other side of the country, where he proceeded to commit another of his many murders. While New Yorkers were watching their backs for the Son of Sam in the summer of ’77, he killed again. And at the height of his killing spree, he managed to star in one of the creepiest moments in Hollywood history as a contestant on a popular television game show.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including sexual assault, child sexual abuse, and graphic descriptions of violence.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes from season 4 each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 new episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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Sharon Tate’s entanglement with Charles Manson and her husband, filmmaker Roman Polanski, as well as her involvement in some of the long-rumored hedonistic events at her home on Cielo Drive put her at the center of a counter-narrative that explosively disrupts the supposed motive for the Manson family murders. Was Sharon Tate blissfully ignorant of the darkness that had been bubbling beneath Hollywood’s shiny veneer for years? Or is there more to this story than we’ve been told in the past?

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including sexual assault.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes from season 4 each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 new episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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Sharon Tate was a sophisticated beauty who literally stopped traffic when she walked down the street. She began her movie career when America was becoming sexually liberated, and despite the ease with which she was made a sex symbol, she aspired to be respected as a serious actress. Decades later, however, she is perhaps best-remembered as one of the victims found brutally murdered at her Cielo Drive home, the one she shared with her husband, director Roman Polanski. Sharon and Roman welcomed regular guests to that home, including Sharon’s friend, Mama Cass Elliot, who was at the center of the Manson murders and whose actions may be why the motive for the murders that America has come to accept as fact is actually false.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including sexual assault and suicide. If you're thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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Acting came easy to Mickey Rourke. He was admitted to the prestigious Actors Studio after one audition, which is nuts when you consider that it took Jack Nicholson five auditions and six for Dustin Hoffman. But just because something came easy to Mickey Rourke didn’t mean he did things the easy way. His relationships with organizations like the Gambino crime family and the IRA became more talked about than the promising acting career he was busy tanking. He seriously considered carrying out a bloody revenge/suicide plot. And then he turned his back on the silver screen for a new life in the boxing ring. When he returned to Hollywood, his face was so pulverized and surgically altered that he was unrecognizable. So unrecognizable that he had to begin his journey all over again. And at the end of the line was either one of two things waiting for him: redemption or purgatory.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence, suicide, and graphic descriptions of violence. If you're thinking about suicide or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes from season 4 each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 new episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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One of Hollywood’s most eclectic and unpredictable actors, Woody Harrelson has played a hayseed barback, a streetball hustler, a natural born killer, a true detective, and so many more. But his most profound and difficult role might be his real-life role: the son of an infamous contract killer. Woody’s father, Charles Harrelson, was sent to prison for the assassination of a federal judge, only after he had been the subject of one of the largest federal manhunts in U.S. history – a manhunt that ended with a six-hour standoff with authorities during which he confessed to the assassination of JFK.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes from season 4 each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 new episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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With a few clicks of their ruby slippers, MGM made 16-year-old Judy Garland a box office giant, but their strict rules nearly killed the budding starlet in the process. The studio’s strict diet of chicken soup, uppers, and downers set up teenage Judy for a life fraught with addiction, malnutrition, extreme health complications, and regular visits to rehab. Even years after Judy severed ties with the MGM, the effects of her highly-regulated adolescence creeped into her career, literally poisoning her life — and her liver. A star was born when Judy filmed The Wizard of Oz, but by her late forties, that same star was in rapid decline.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including child abuse and eating disorders.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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In the summer of 1985, Sean Penn’s marriage to preeminent material girl Madonna was an epochal moment for ‘80s-era Hollywood. The bad boy from Bad Boys and the boy-toy pop superstar blissfully brought together the worlds of movies and music on a Malibu bluff overlooking the Pacific. But their subsequent attempt to make a movie together was anything but blissful. A wild film shoot in China would lead to even wilder things, like the time Sean dangled a photographer upside-down from a ninth-story balcony. Or the time he escaped a prison in Macau and had to have a pardon from the government negotiated by a former member of the Beatles. Or the time he spent in an American prison, where he found himself passing notes with a fellow inmate down the hall…one who happened to be one of the most notorious serial killers in history.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence and sexual assault.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes from season 4 each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 new episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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Between beatnik parents, an LSD guru godfather, and an unconventional upbringing in Northern California, it’s not surprising that Winona Ryder became America’s endearing weirdo in the 1990s. Her noir starpower shined from an early age in movies like Beetlejuice, Heathers, and Edward Scissorhands, but her penchant for dark roles would lead her towards crime in real life. The only thing weirder than Winona’s $5,000 shoplifting spree and the kidnapping of a girl from her own hometown is how the two stories unexpectedly intertwine.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including kidnapping and child abuse.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes from season 4 each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 new episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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Lindsay Lohan’s arrest record is overcrowded with charges involving theft, cocaine, and the transportation of narcotics. The one-time Disney queen bee shattered her Mercedes and her good girl reputation with back-to-back DUIs when her career was at its peak. After appearing in court 20 times in the span of five years, Lindsay’s acting opportunities downgraded from Mean Girls-level blockbusters to meager microbudget art films, including a career-low role that paid her $100 a day to perform alongside porn stars.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes from Season 4 each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 new episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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Which 1980's bad boy made a daring escape from prison and later had his freedom negotiated by a former Beatle? Why did the father of a Hollywood A-lister confess to the assassination of JFK? And just how did a serial killer manage to find his own 15 minutes of fame on national television while in the middle of a killing spree?

Hear the wild but true stories behind these questions as the fame, fortune, and felonies of tinseltown come alive in BADLANDS Season 4: HOLLYWOODLAND.

BADLANDS is a true-crime anthology podcast from Jake Brennan, creator and host of the award-winning music and true crime podcast DISGRACELAND.

This season of BADLANDS features all of these crazy-but-true tales plus the almost-too-crazy-to-be-true stories of Sean Penn, Woody Harrelson, Judy Garland, Robin Williams, Winona Ryder, Lindsay Lohan, Sharon Tate, Mickey Rourke, and Rodney Alcala, AKA The Dating Game Killer.

Listen to all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 4: HOLLYWOODLAND on-demand, beginning May 11 at amazon.com/badlands.

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The man who would be Iron Man was once an uninsurable, unreliable actor who lived many years at the bottom in a haze of drugs and alcohol. His transformation into the highest-paid actor in Hollywood is truly one of the most remarkable stories in the City of Angels.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS S3: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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In January 1947, the mutilated body of 22-year old Elizabeth Short was found, literally cut in half, in a vacant lot in Los Angeles. Even though hundreds of suspects were investigated and dozens of confessions were made, her murder remains unsolved to this day. In the years since, the case has gotten warm and cold again. Speculation into motive and method has been endless. And the deeper you look, the murkier the case becomes. It’s a case populated by drunks and junkies, syphilitic ex-cons and petty thieves, kingpins of organized crime, and the most corrupt police officers to ever wear a badge – and it still continues to this day.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including graphic descriptions of violence.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS S3: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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Robert Mitchum was famously busted for marijuana in the 1940s before his career had really taken off. Not so famous is how he managed to save his legacy, and his life: with the unlikely help of one of the most powerful men in the world.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS S3: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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Before he was headed to infinity and beyond, Tim Allen was headed to life in prison for a low-level drug deal in Michigan. This is the story about how his first career ended in a life-changing bust, and what he had to do in order to survive and find a way out.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including discussions about suicide. If you’re thinking about suicide or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS S3: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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The only thing more shocking than Brittany Murphy’s untimely death at the age of 32 was what happened next: more unexpected deaths, rumors of poisoning, and even murder.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS S3: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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Four different actors from the 1980s horror franchise Poltergeist died within a 6-year span. Dominique Dunne was murdered. Julian Beck succumbed to stomach cancer. Will Sampson suffered from a degenerative disease. And Heather O’Rourke’s death at the age of 12, was deemed “distinctly unusual.” Was it an eerie coincidence...or something more sinister?

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including descriptions of domestic violence and graphic descriptions of violence.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS S3: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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James Dean’s co-star in Rebel Without a Cause was an early trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community in Hollywood. Over the years he was harassed, heckled, and had his life threatened – just for being himself. When he was mysteriously murdered at the age of 37, the 15-month investigation exposed just how deep intolerance ran in the hearts and minds of many, despite Sal’s efforts to the contrary.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including sexual assault.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS S3: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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Gianni Versace was a runway iconoclast who outfitted the likes of Madonna, Demi Moore, Prince, Sylvester Stallone, and Don Johnson. He lived like Louis XIV and counted Princess Di and Elton John among his friends. He was plagued by rumors of ties to the Calabrian mafia and a secret health diagnosis. Those rumors continued to persist long after he was gunned down by a serial killer who had been on the lam after murdering four other men in three states.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS S3: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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In some of Hollywood’s best-loved movies, Jack Nicholson played jokers, sailors, inmates – even the Devil himself. But he never played by the rules. He allegedly mooned a crowd of thousands at a basketball game. His bedroom kinks were laid bare in the papers. He fought the MPAA and the LAPD. And in 1994, he attempted to establish his own set of rules when he attacked an idling Mercedes-Benz with a two-iron.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including sexual assault and child sexual abuse.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS S3: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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Heath Ledger’s preparation for and disappearance into his movie roles is legendary, and it’s what helped him play repressed cowboys, junkies, and maniacal clowns equally well. His research led him to junkies who taught him how to properly shoot up using a stolen prosthetic arm and fake blood, and to a personal diary full of cut-and-paste madness. The paparazzi, however, mocked Heath’s method, and took their public quarrel with him to duplicitous lengths.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS S3: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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Which silver screen superstar honed his comedic chops behind bars while doing time for slinging cocaine? Which movie mogul's home in the Hollywood hills played host to one of the most heinous and notorious crimes of the 1970's? And how did ONE movie franchise supposedly curse FOUR different actors, leading them each to an early grave?

Hear the unbelievable but true stories behind these questions and more in BADLANDS Season 3: HOLLYWOODLAND.

BADLANDS is a true-crime anthology podcast from Jake Brennan, creator and host of the award-winning music and true crime podcast DISGRACELAND.

BADLANDS Season 3: HOLLYWOODLAND is all about the dirty deeds of Tinseltown A-listers whose crimes and career lows were as unbelievable as some of their films' plot twists. Beginning February 16th, listen each week for wild stories about Robert Downey Jr., Gianni Versace, Sal Mineo, Tim Allen, Heath Ledger, Jack Nicholson, Brittany Murphy, the Poltergeist Curse, Robert Mitchum, and Elizabeth Short, aka The Black Dahlia.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 3: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes on-demand at amazon.com/badlands.

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Jake reveals the full list of subjects for the new season of Hollywoodland by picking their best roles and movies, and righting the historical mistakes we all know the Academy makes every year.

This episode was captured live on Twitch on 1/20/22, catch all streams by following https://twitch.tv/disgracelandtalks.

Chat with us about the episode by joining our Discord server at https://discord.gg/7WtPB92SVz

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Jake kicks off the coming season of more Hollywood true crime tales by looking back at all the stars of Hollywoodland Season 1, picking their best roles and movies, and righting the mistakes we all know the Academy makes every year by giving out our own honorary awards.

This episode was captured live on Twitch on January 20th, 2022. Catch all streams by following https://twitch.tv/disgracelandtalks

Chat with us about the episode by joining our Discord server at https://discord.gg/7WtPB92SVz

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Relive the episode that started it all for Badlands – Marilyn Monroe. Spend New Year's bingeing the whole season and get hyped for Hollywoodland 2 coming your way in the New Year... more on that soon.

Marilyn Monroe is one of the greatest Hollywood stars of all time. She rose from orphan to icon by creating an on screen character America could not peel their eyes away from. And she did it all while battling anxiety, depression, and addiction. Along the way she bedded, married, and otherwise conquered America's most impressive men--Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller, Frank Siantra and President John F. Kennedy to name a few. And her relationship with JFK and his younger brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, would prove disastrous and result in long-running rumors and conspiracy theories about her death that are as hard to debunk as they are to dismiss.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including sexual assault and suicide. If you're thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

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What are your favorite holiday movies? Traditional? Modern? Dark? Funny? Jake, Zeth, and Taylor sound off with their picks to fill out your December viewing lists.

Join the conversation live on Twitch at DisgracelandTalks.

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This is not the O.J. Simpson story you were expecting. This is the story of what happened after the former running back was acquitted for the murder of his ex-wife and her friend. It’s an insane story that involves missing sports memorabilia, ex-cons, a supposedly simple plan, and one of the most unbelievable armed robberies in Las Vegas’ sordid history.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence and graphic descriptions of violence.

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Ty Cobb was one of the smartest baseball players of all time. He could stretch a single into a double. He could steal second, third, and home base all in the same at-bat. He used the threat of violence to intimidate other players and get what he wanted. He had a short fuse, so violence wasn’t reserved for the basepaths. He fought with teammates, with fans, and with normal people just going about their business. He beat up hecklers with his bare hands. He pointed loaded guns at grocers. Some said he even killed a man who tried to rob him. Some of Ty Cobb’s legend was fact, and some of it was fiction—but it was all part of the mythology that made him larger than life.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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In the 1960s and 1970s, Aspen, Colorado gained a reputation as a trendy hotbed of hippies, beautiful people, liberal politics, and even more liberal drug use. It was a powdery playground for some of the country’s greatest downhill skiers, as well as some of the country’s most famous people looking for some anonymous R&R. And Aspen was all fun and games until the day that America’s most handsome and famous skier, Spider Sabich, was shot dead in his home. His girlfriend, the French singer Claudine Longet, held the smoking gun.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence.

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Pete Rose was the biggest winner in baseball history. He played more games. He had more hits. The numbers prove he was, unequivocally, the best. But his desire to win became an all-consuming compulsion both on and off the baseball diamond. When he could no longer rack up wins on the field as a player, he sought out other ways to feel like a winner. This led to bets placed with gangsters, debts owed to vengeful bookies, and a web of secrets and lies that would ultimately prove his undoing.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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The attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan that fellow US Olympian Tonya Harding organized is so well-known that nearly 30 years later, it remains one of the most shocking and infamous events in modern sports. But that attack is only part of the story. The whole story is full of nefarious plots, arrests for assault, drunk car crashes, and sobering realities that are predestined and never, ever subject to change.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND each Wednesday. Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands or on your Echo device.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence.

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Sonny Liston transcended a life of petty crime, police busts, and prison time to become the heavyweight champion of the world. He was so feared as a fighter, however, that he made it to the big time with the financial backing of a rogue’s gallery of infamous underworld figures. That dubious association would win him some fights, lose him some fights, and ultimately, lead to more than a few suspicious asterisks next to his boxing record. And it may have even killed him.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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Evel Knievel’s name is synonymous with motorcycle stunts and repeated personal injury. But the famous daredevil was more than just the guy who repeatedly broke every bone in his body in pursuit of high-flying glory on Wild World of Sports. Evel Knievel was a burglar, a safecracker, a card cheat, a con man, and the kind of hot-tempered control freak that you didn’t want to piss off. You can’t make up the things that happened to Evel Knievel when he wasn’t riding his motorcycle. You may not even believe them.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence.

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In April 2015, Aaron Hernandez, a former tight end for the New England Patriots, was found guilty of the cold-blooded murder of a semi-pro footballer and sentenced to life in prison. But there’s more to this story than the tragic death of Odin Lloyd. The story of the most disgraced player in NFL history involves strip clubs, a botched execution, a disgruntled drug dealer, a busted eardrum, ex-con bodyguards, and an unsolved double homicide in the heart of Boston that was on the verge of going cold.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including suicide. If you’re thinking about suicide or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

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Oscar Pistorius’s rise from double-amputee sprinter to unprecedented Olympic athlete gave South Africa a feel-good face as the country hoped to heal from a half century of apartheid. But Oscar’s inevitable fall turned that feel-good face into a brave face. It didn’t take long for his athletic accomplishments to be overshadowed by near-death accidents, arrests, guns, confessed murderers, prison gangs, mob bosses, and a Valentine’s Day murder that shook South Africa, and the world, to its core.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence.

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Mike Tyson’s arrival as a prodigious 18-year-old professional boxer in the 1980s represented a major paradigm shift in the sport. But just as quickly as he rose, Mike Tyson began to fall. Tortured by feelings of loss, abandonment, and self-loathing, and manipulated by a promoter who only paid attention to the bottom line, Mike spiraled into violence, drugs, and increasingly bizarre behavior. When he was released from prison on parole for a rape conviction in 1995, Mike Tyson faced a crossroads: continue on a path to redemption, or be tempted back into the dark abyss of self-destruction.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of SPORTSLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence and sexual assault.

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A sneak peek into BADLANDS Season 2: Sportsland, featuring Jake’s conversation with sportscasting legend Dan Patrick about Pete Rose’s gambling woes, O.J. Simpson, and Dan’s Hollywood turns with Adam Sandler.

New episodes of BADLANDS: SPORTSLAND dropping September 22nd.

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What was a retired running back looking for when he led an armed posse into a Las Vegas hotel? Why did violence outside the ring follow the heavyweight champion of the world all the way up to a small city in Maine? And did the first player ever elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame really kill a man?

Hear the unbelievable but true stories behind these questions and many more in BADLANDS Season 2: Sportsland.

BADLANDS is a true-crime anthology podcast from Jake Brennan, creator and host of the award-winning music and true crime podcast DISGRACELAND.

BADLANDS Season 2: Sportsland is all about the shocking rise and fall of sports legends. Beginning September 22nd, listen each week for wild stories about Mike Tyson, Oscar Pistorius, Aaron Hernandez, Evel Knievel, Tonya Harding, Pete Rose, Sonny Liston, Spider Sabich, Ty Cobb, and, of course, O.J. Simpson.

Follow BADLANDS on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Wondery+, or wherever you get your podcasts. BADLANDS Season 2: Sportsland premieres September 22nd with new episodes available every Wednesday. Or, beginning September 22nd, you can binge the whole season of 10 episodes on Amazon Music.

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This is a bonus episode of BADLANDS. Before the launch of BADLANDS Season 2: Sportsland, we take a look back at BADLANDS Season 1: Hollywoodland. BADLANDS host Jake Brennan talks with Zeth Lundy, Editorial Director at Double Elvis, about the time Sean Connery punched a real gangster, the mysterious death of Marilyn Monroe, and suspicions surrounding Bruce Lee shortly after the Manson murders.

Binge BADLANDS Season 1: Hollywoodland in its entirety now. Beginning September 22, you can hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: Sportsland every Wednesday wherever you get podcasts, or binge all 10 episodes exclusively on Amazon Music.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As captivating as actress Lana Turner was on screen, her personal life off screen was more dramatic than any movie could hope to be. Her father, turning up dead over a poker pot. Her co-star, Sean Connery, throwing down with pre-Bond panache when her boyfriend threatened to beat her up. And that same boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato, winding up dead in her Hollywood home after another of their infamous arguments.

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence and child sexual assault.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Natalie Wood was one of the most loved child stars of the silver screen in the mid-20th century, and the rare celebrity who was able to transition gracefully into grown-up roles all while maintaining an air of dignity and grace. She acted alongside Orson Welles, James Dean, Warren Beatty, and Bette Davis, and many of her roles remain iconic decades later. But beneath her unprecedented professional success was a life unseen by the public – a life full of fears, paranoias, pills, gypsy curses, and secrets. And when she drowned at the age of 43, more secrets would come floating to the surface.

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including sexual assault and suicide. If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dennis Hopper revolutionized American cinema by bringing the counterculture to the mainstream with his 1969 film Easy Rider. But he also lived his life in tandem with his art, on the fringes of society and sanity. His stubborn attitude and crazy ideas quickly transformed him from a hippie prophet into a longhaired loser. Hopper’s journey from success to failure and back again took him through jungles, deserts, and mountains, and involved varying degrees of drugs, guns, hallucinations, and ex-wives – all part of a lifelong search to save his career, and his life.

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Superman may be more powerful than a locomotive, but George Reeves, the actor who famously portrayed the Man of Steel on TV in the 1950s, was very much a mortal man. Did George Reeves really take his own life in June 1959, as the official report stated? Was he actually murdered by an impulsive girlfriend? Or was his death a highly orchestrated hit by one of Hollywood’s most infamous fixers?

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including suicide. If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bruce Lee got into so much trouble as a kid in Hong Kong that his parents banished him to the place of his birth: America. There he found all kinds of new trouble to get into. He upset kung fu traditionalists with his revolutionary style of fighting. He challenged long-held perceptions in racist Hollywood. He was an outsider determined to change the system the hard way – but did bringing about change cost Bruce Lee his life?

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

John Holmes unexpectedly found fame in the 1970s with a freakishly large appendage that proved a gateway into the burgeoning adult entertainment industry. He appeared in over 2,000 porn films and is alleged to have slept with over 14,000 women. But a severe drug habit put him in close contact with some strange bedfellows in the Los Angeles underworld, including a ragtag gang of junkies and dealers, and Eddie Nash, a dangerous criminal mastermind. Drugs, desperation, and double-crossing would eventually lead to the infamous murders at 8763 Wonderland Avenue on July 1, 1981.

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence and sex with minors.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A century ago, at the birth of movie superstardom, silent film star Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was at the center of a scandal that rocked Hollywood to its core. He was accused of a murderous sex crime so depraved that it turned the nation not only against him but against Hollywood itself. It led to the trial of the century, and a test of whether America’s elite veil of privilege could be pierced by the long arm of justice. The tide of public opinion that followed was so strong that it made Hollywood change the way Hollywood did business – at least on the surface.

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including sexual assault. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

River Phoenix was a once-in-a-generation talent. In the 1980s, a decade known for artifice and excess, he brought raw acting chops to performances in Stand by Me, Running on Empty, and My Own Private Idaho. His career was only just getting started when he died tragically at the age of 23 outside a notorious nightclub in Hollywood. The story of his short life is as complicated and dramatic as one of his signature roles, and includes brushes with religious cults, skinheads, street hustlers, and L.A.’s drug underworld.

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including child sexual abuse and sex trafficking.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The conspiracy theories surrounding Marilyn Monroe’s death in 1962 continue to entertain the imaginations of those obsessed with celebrity and scandal. The stories, many of them fantastical and one of them true, feature cameos by the likes of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra and Peter Lawford. Somewhere in the pile of countless rumors, innuendos, and crackpot theories is a closer understanding of exactly what happened and why the world lost its most iconic American actress at the young age of 36.

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including sexual assault and suicide. If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Marilyn Monroe is one of the greatest Hollywood stars of all time. She rose from orphan to icon by creating an on screen character America could not peel their eyes away from. And she did it all while battling anxiety, depression and addiction. Along the way she bedded, married, and otherwise conquered America’s most impressive men — Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller, Frank Sinatra and President John F. Kennedy to name a few. And her relationship with JFK and his younger brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, would prove disastrous and result in long-running rumors and conspiracy theories about her death that are as hard to debunk as they are to dismiss.

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including sexual assault and suicide. If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BADLANDS is a new true-crime anthology podcast from Jake Brennan, creator and host of the award-winning music and true crime podcast DISGRACELAND. 

Season 1 of BADLANDS, entitled “HOLLYWOODLAND,” explores the true crimes and scandalous careers of Hollywood’s most infamous stars. Listen each week for new stories on the mysterious death of Marilyn Monroe, Bruce Lee’s relationship with Hong Kong street fighters, John Holmes’ role in the bloody Wonderland Murders, and a cocaine and acid fueled Dennis Hopper, plus stories about River Phoenix, original Superman George Reeves, disgraced silent film star Fatty Arbuckle, Natalie Wood, and Lana Turner.

Follow BADLANDS on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Media, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands, or by saying, “Alexa, play the Badlands podcast.”

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.