SNAFU with Ed Helms

Episoder

• Mars Orbiter and the Probe to Nowhere 16.06.2026 20min

  A NASA space probe that lost roughly $25 million because of a… math era? Classic SNAFU! On this week’s special bonus, we revisit a favorite space-related chapters from my book, SNAFU: The Definitive Guide to History’s Greatest Screw-ups. Just in time for Father’s day, this is your gentle reminder that SNAFU makes for a fantastic gift for the history buff, nonfiction reader, or SNAFU podcast super fan. Pick up your copy on any book retailer or at this link: https://www.snafu-book.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• William Morgan & Our Favorite Murder (with Karen and Georgia of My Favorite Murder) 10.06.2026 58min

  Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark are True Crime Royalty. They join Ed to unravel the mystery of William Morgan - one of the earliest American missing persons cases with massive political ramifications. Was it a case of bribery or... murder?? Listen to find out what the expert hosts of My Favorite Murder have to say about this eerie case. And stay tuned throughout the summer for updates on more SNAFU goodies! Watch today's episode on our SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Chappaquiddick & The Real Reason Ted Kennedy Never Became President (with Pete Holmes) 03.06.2026 1t 1min

  Pete Holmes is Weird. In a good way! He's also a New England native, and perfectly attuned to today's Martha's Vineyard-set SNAFU involving the youngest Kennedy brother, Ted. What happened on the small island of Chappaquiddick, and why did it potentially sink his chances at a future Presidency run? Watch today's episode on our SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Behind the Bastards' Robert Evans & The Iran-Contra Arms Dealing Scandal (Part II) 27.05.2026 36min

  Robert Evans of the Behind the Bastards Podcast is back for Round 2 of the Iran-Contra Scandal. Robert and Ed tee up the uncanny conclusion to this epic saga including some questionable offers of immunity, and unveil whether accountability comes to fruition. (Spoiler alert, it won't.) And don't forget to watch on our SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Behind the Bastards' Robert Evans & The Iran-Contra Arms Dealing Scandal (Part I) 20.05.2026 37min

  Robert Evans is a delightful human. Which makes it so funny that he hosts a hit podcast about the worst people to ever exist! Today, the mastermind of Behind The Bastards Podcast joins Ed to discuss a dastardly scheme in the early 80s involving arms trafficking to Iran, facilitated directly by some of Reagan's top brass. It's the Iran-Contra Affair on part one of this mind-boggling SNAFU. And check out our SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Cambridge Analytica: Facebook's Big Data Scandal - Part II (with Kevin Roose and Casey Newton) 13.05.2026 33min

  The unraveling web of deceipt continues in the Facebook Data Scandal. Our guests, Kevin Roose and Casey Newton unveil what Mark Zuckerberg had to say for himself in a one-on-one interview. And what were the ramifications in the wake of the 2016 presidential election? Find out in the thrilling conclusion of this week's SNAFU.Don't forget to subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodBuy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Cambridge Analytica, Part I (with Kevin Roose and Casey Newton) 06.05.2026 34min

  Kevin Roose and Casey Newton are High-Tech Savants. The co-hosts of the Hard Fork Podcast were on the front lines of the Facebook Data Scandal, and today they help Ed break down just how much of your data (yes, you dear listener!) was leaked and misused for political purposes. Find out what laws Cambridge Analytica broke in today's tech-heavy SNAFU. Don't forget to subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodBuy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• SNAFU's Hottest Takes & Biggest Laughs 29.04.2026 30min

  It's a special "Best Of" SNAFU! From Nick Kroll's raucous family sea voyage, to Jenny Slate's casual susceptibility to cults, Ed selects his favorite, spiciest hot takes from this season's array of guests. Enjoy a fun romp through the last six months, and stay tuned for a hint at what's to come! Don't forget to subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodBuy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Tulip Mania: The World's First Financial Bubble (with Bowen Yang) 22.04.2026 44min

  Bowen Yang is an unwitting student of Dutch Economics. This week, Bowen joins Ed on a journey to 17th century Netherlands, where they help burst one of history's first ever economic bubbles, known today as Tulip-Mania. You thought NFT's were crazy, but did you know one Tulip bulb in 1637 could purchase an entire HOUSE? Find out what wilted this mad tulip fever, and don't forget to subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodBuy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Revisiting the Prohibition Era (Ext. Interview with Terence Winter of Boardwalk Empire) 15.04.2026 46min

  Welcome to another Bonus Episode of SNAFU! On Season 2, we discovered an eerie plot to poison the nation's alcohol; the government's last ditch effort to quell consumption and protect Prohibition. For color commentary, Ed brought in the preeminent producer, writer and showrunner, Terence Winter - the man behind HBO's Boardwalk Empire. With a heavy dose of wit and New York flare, Terry and Ed touch upon the fashion, ideologies and mishaps of the 1920s, whilst peeking behind the curtain of Hollywood productions. Enjoy Ed's conversation with Terry Winter and we'll be back with new episodes next Wednesday. Subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodBuy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Who Killed Charles Francis Hall? The Polaris Expedition's Arctic Whodunnit (with Jad Abumrad) 08.04.2026 58min

  Jad Abumrad is the definition of inquisitive. As the creator of hit shows RadioLab and Fela Kuti: Fear No Man, Jad has the innate ability to calculate idionsyncrasies, question the peculiar, and posit grand deductions. Perfect for this week's Murder Mystery of a SNAFU. Ed leads Jad on a tangled journey to the Arctic, where late 19th Century explorer Charles Francis Hall fell fatally ill. Was it the unforgiving tundra, or was there something more sinister afoot? Don your detective deerstalker alongside Jad as he tries to unravel this week's SNAFU WHODUNNIT!And watch this week's episode on the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• From Business History: How E.T. The Extra-Terresterial Destroyed Atari 03.04.2026 51min

  I’m taking a break to share an episode of another podcast I think you’ll enjoy, Business History. Former Planet Money hosts Jacob Goldstein and Robert Smith examine the surprising stories of businesses big and small, bringing to life the greatest innovations, the boldest entrepreneurs and the craziest mavericks in the archives of commerce. They share why some company stocks soar, while other business ideas crash, and explore the ideas that shaped our economy—and the lessons behind their success and failure. Today’s episode: how E.T. brought down Atari. Fueled by hot tubs, recreational drugs, and a love of games, Nolan Bushnell took computer games out of research labs and into bars, launching an industry. Bushnell and his engineers were pushed aside as Atari expanded and, in a desperate bid to cash in on Hollywood hype, the company concocted a wild plan for a game based on Steven Spielberg's hit, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The game tanked...and brought Atari down with it.  Find Business History, on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Lord Dunmore and the Proclamation That Ignited Revolution (with Bob Crawford of The Avett Brothers) 01.04.2026 46min

  Bob Crawford is a musician with a historian's heart. Bassist and founding member of The Avett Brothers, his expertise on the Founding Fathers of the United States comes in handy on today's SNAFU, where Ed and Bob delve into the folly of Lord Dunmore, a Scottish-born supporter of the King and assigned royal Governor of Virginia in the 1770s. When whispers of revolution were building to an insurmountable roar, Lord Dunmore inadvertently mobilized the revolutionary war cries with one massive misstep after another. Watch this week's episode on the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Live at LA Talks with Tig Notaro 25.03.2026 47min

  Today is another SNAFU treat from the book tour archives! Tig Notaro joins Ed live on stage at Live Talks Los Angeles, where they break down Ed's book, SNAFU: The Definitive Guide to History's Greatest Screwups. Tig also roasts Ed like a campfire marshmallow, which will indeed leave you asking for "S'more." Find your copy of the New York Times Bestseller wherever you get your books, or go to: www.snafu-book.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Ivan Boesky: The Wall Street Legend Who Crashed and Burned (with Rory Scovel) 18.03.2026 49min

  Rory Scovel is a man of opulence. But he won't let greed go to his head like the subject of today's SNAFU. Ed and Rory discuss a modern Wall Street legend: the story of Ivan Boesky, a wall street trader who turned Arbitrage into front page headlines, until it all came crashing down.Subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodBuy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• What Went Wrong on the Hindenburg Luxury Airship (with Chelsea Handler) 11.03.2026 42min

  Chelsea Handler is a world traveler. Ed and Chelsea discover whether they're cut out for luxury Air Travel of the 1930's; the catch being it's aboard the infamous Hindenburg Zeppelin. Oh, the Humanity! And watch this week's episode on the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodBuy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Air Transat Flight 236: The Azores Glider That Ran Dry (with Adam Scott) 04.03.2026 54min

  Adam Scott is fearless. Ed and Adam explore a high-flying SNAFU that showcased just how valiant pilots must be when the engines run dry...literally. This is the tale of the Azores Glider, a complimentary mid-flight snack of FEAR at 30,000 feet. Subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodBuy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• That Time the U.S. Decided to Nuke Space: Starfish Prime (with Chris Winterbauer & Lizzie Bassett of What Went Wrong) 25.02.2026 50min

  Lizzie Bassett and Chris Winterbauer are film afficianados. This week, they help Ed uncover cinematic treasures that just may be synonomous with a very spooky moment in American hubris; the time we decided to literally NUKE SPACE! Find out what "Dr. Strangelove," "The China Syndrome," and "The Iron Giant" all have in common with today's SNAFU built for Cinemascope. Subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodBuy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• The Metric Pirates & Joseph Dombey's Bizarre Tale (with Jake Johnson) 18.02.2026 38min

  Jake Johnson is an off-the-cuff kinda guy, form-fit for this week's SNAFU when Ed and Jake meet a man who loved taking off his cuffs...and tunic, and trousers. He also happened to be one of the preeminent scientific minds during the French Revolution, and whose ill-fated trip across the Atlantic culminated in a tassle with Caribbean pirates and, potentially, a sunk American metric system. This is the Joseph Dombey Affair. Subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodBuy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Entering the world of a Former KGB Spy (with Jack Barsky) 11.02.2026 40min

  Welcome to another Bonus Episode of SNAFU! Today, sit back and enjoy Ed's conversation with a real, genuine former KGB Spy! Jack Barsky was a Soviet operative who defected, risking his life, and family, to remain in the United States. His story is full of twists and turns, and is truly a unique perspective behind the Cold War curtain. Enjoy Ed's conversation with Jack Barsky and we'll be back with new episodes next Wednesday. Subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodBuy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.