United States of Kennedy

Epizode

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  Finale: What We’ve Learned About the Kennedys 13.04.2026 57min

  Over the last 10 months, we’ve explored family drama, political scandal, unsolved mysteries, forgotten and misunderstood historical figures, and countless conspiracy theories. In the final episode of United States of Kennedy, we take stock of everything we’ve learned and attempt to answer the questions we still have about the most infamous American dynasty.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The Patriarch, Joseph P. Kennedy 06.04.2026 1h 6min

  We’re finally going back to where it all began. Joe Kennedy — father to the nine Kennedy children — was a banker, a real estate baron, a liquor magnate, a Hollywood producer, a Washington insider, the first ever chair of the SEC, and the disgraced ambassador to the UK during World War II. We dive into his not-so-humble beginnings, his monumental successes in business and finance, and his complicated legacy as a political figure and patriarch of one of the most prominent families in American history.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The Rise of RFK Jr. 30.03.2026 1h 4min

  RFK Jr., currently the Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Trump, has come up repeatedly on the podcast over the last year. We finally do a deep dive into his origin story and pre-Trump past, from family tragedy to environmental law to his turbulent personal life to his habit of… collecting roadkill? Plus: We check in on Jack Schlossberg’s congressional run. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Eunice Kennedy’s Lasting Legacy 23.03.2026 1h 6min

  Eunice was the fifth of Joseph and Rose Kennedy’s nine children. While she’s perhaps best known as the founder of the Special Olympics, that was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of her lifelong commitment to public service and disability rights. To unpack Eunice’s life and legacy, we’re joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of Eunice: The Kennedy Who Changed the World, Eileen McNamara.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  ‘Love Story: JFK Jr. & Carolyn Bessette’: Part Two 16.03.2026 49min

  Since we recapped the first three episodes of Ryan Murphy’s ‘Love Story’, it has become the most streamed limited series on FX — and TikTok’s favorite show to argue about. We discuss what’s behind the overwhelming popularity of the show, Daryl Hannah’s searing New York Times op-ed about her portrayal, past guest Glynnis MacNichol’s new essay about Carolyn Bessette’s New York, and what it all means for the Kennedy brand.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Trump’s Takeover of the Kennedy Center 09.03.2026 51min

  The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was a bipartisan project for the advancement of the performing arts conceptualized during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations. When JFK was assassinated in 1964, it was established as a “living memorial” in his honor. For decades, the Center was an American cultural stalwart. Then, last year, President Trump dismissed its entire board of trustees, took over as chairman, and changed its name to the Trump Kennedy Center. We’re joined by New Yorker staff writer Katy Waldman to dive into the Center’s legacy and Trumpian transformation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Film of the Month: Blonde (2022) 02.03.2026 51min

  Inspired by our recent episode about Marilyn Monroe’s relationship with the Kennedy family, we watched the most recent fictionalized account of Marilyn’s life to make a splash: Andrew Dominik’s 2022 Netflix film ‘Blonde,’ starring Ana de Armas and based on the 2001 Joyce Carol Oates novel of the same name. We’re joined by film writer Esther Zuckerman to talk about the film’s divisive legacy, recognition by both the Oscars and the Razzies — and the infamous JFK scene that gave it its NC-17 rating. A content warning for our listeners: This episode discusses sexual assault.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Ryan Murphy’s ‘Love Story: JFK Jr. & Carolyn Bessette’ 23.02.2026 49min

  We discuss the buzzy new FX series ‘Love Story: JFK Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.’See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The Murder of JFK’s Mistress Mary Pinchot Meyer 16.02.2026 42min

  Mary Pinchot Meyer was a D.C. socialite, artist, and mistress of President John F. Kennedy. While walking near her studio on October 12, 1964, she was murdered in broad daylight. The man initially accused of shooting her was acquitted, and the case has been unsolved ever since. To this day, conspiracy theories about her death abound. We’re joined by journalist Nina Burleigh, author of A Very Private Woman: The Life and Unsolved Murder of Presidential Mistress Mary Meyer, to talk about Meyer’s life and the many unanswered questions of her death.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Marilyn Monroe and the Kennedys 09.02.2026 54min

  Marilyn Monroe has been associated with the Kennedy family for decades, from her memorable rendition of “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to enduring rumors about a full-fledged affair with his brother Bobby. Most disturbingly, Kennedy-related conspiracy theories persist surrounding Monroe’s untimely death in 1962. Today we’re taking a look at how those theories relate to everything from the FBI to Norman Mailer. Lastly, we discuss the 2022 Netflix documentary “The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes,” and whether or not it complicates or clarifies the narrative.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Update 02.02.2026 1min

  We’re taking a break this week, but here’s a sneak peek of what’s to come in the next ten episodes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  RFK's Assassination 26.01.2026 40min

  On June 5, 1968, the day after winning the California Democratic primary for President, Robert F. Kennedy was shot and killed by a man named Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. As with most Kennedy tragedies, some people don’t buy the official narrative of how the events unfolded. Crimetown co-creator Zac Stuart-Pontier joins us to chat about going down the rabbit hole of RFK conspiracy theories for his acclaimed 2018 documentary series The RFK Tapes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Film of the Month: Thirteen Days (2001) and the Cuban Missile Crisis 19.01.2026 34min

  “You’ll never believe how close we came.” That’s the tagline for this month’s film, the 2001 historical political thriller Thirteen Days. Kevin Costner stars as White House assistant Kenneth O’Donnell during the 1962 diplomatic standoff between the U.S. and the Soviet Union that became known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. The 2.5-hour slogfest has it all: unexamined Kennedy mythology, confounding music choices, dramatic black-and-white vignettes, and montages of atomic bomb explosions at seemingly random times. We discuss it all with open hearts and minds… sort of.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Catholicism and the Kennedys 12.01.2026 1h 4min

  The Kennedys are the most famous Catholic family in America, and their religious background shaped both their personal lives and their careers in politics. We’re joined by Matthew Sitman, co-host of the podcast Know Your Enemy, to chat about Joe Kennedy’s complicated relationship with the Catholic Church, anti-Catholic sentiment during JFK’s election, a Gary Wills book on the Kennedys we’ve been devouring, and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The Myths of the JFK-Nixon Debate 05.01.2026 39min

  The first televised presidential debate in U.S. history took place in 1960 between then-Vice President Richard Nixon and a young, charismatic Senator named John F. Kennedy. You may have learned in high school that audiences who watched the debate on television thought JFK won, and audiences who listened on the radio thought Nixon won. But the truth is not quite that simple. To separate fact from fiction and chat about the legacy of the JFK-Nixon debate in U.S. politics, we’re joined by Craig LaMay, professor of U.S. and comparative media law at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and co-author of Inside the Presidential Debates: Their Improbable Past and Promising Future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Kennedy Year in Review 29.12.2025 45min

  To ring in the new year, we count down the 10 most important Kennedy moments of 2025, from government corruption to media scandals to tell-all memoirs to family feuds. Happy holidays! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The Kennedy Compound 22.12.2025 39min

  Today, we welcome back Rolling Stone features director Kate Storey to chat about her 2023 book White House by the Sea, a sprawling and meticulously researched history of the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, MA. Kate walks us through the major historical moments, family events, and celebrity visits that took place in the Kennedys’ infamous vacation property, where they could be “the people we are when no one but the neighbors is looking.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy 15.12.2025 1h 7min

  America’s prince JFK Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy were ubiquitous in ’90s New York until their tragic death in a plane crash in the summer of 1999. “In the pages of the city tabloids during those few short years, Bessette was a daily soap opera, forced into the multitude of unforgiving tropes for public women. The scheming girlfriend; the coked-up vixen; the miserable spouse,” writes journalist and author Glynnis MacNicol in Town & Country. But little is known about what Carolyn was actually like. We’re joined by MacNicol to separate fact from fiction. NOTE: This episode originally aired July 14, 2025. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Kennedy Fashion 08.12.2025 50min

  From JFK’s allegedly hat-less inauguration to Jackie’s pillbox hats, the Kennedys have always had a distinct style. But the type of fashion they’re most known for is the “classic” New England look you’re already picturing. In a word: Preppiness. We’re joined by Avery Trufelman, the host of the podcast ‘Articles of Interest’ whose 2022 series ‘American Ivy’ explored the history of preppy fashion, to investigate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Jack Schlossberg’s Congressional Run 01.12.2025 40min

  Today we’re taking a break from our regularly scheduled programming to talk about something in the news that caught our eye: JFK’s grandson Jack Schlossberg is running for congress in New York. Does he have what it takes to make an impact in an incredibly crowded race? And can he pivot from controversial social media star to respectable politician? Does he even want to? We’re joined by Washington Post political features writer Kara Voght to break it all down.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.