Celebrity gaffes, salacious news, and criminal behavior: 11 podcasts about scandals that shook the world

If scandals are your cup of juicy tea, this podcast list will make your day. We’ve selected 11 podcasts detailing celebrities’ gaffes, salacious news, criminal behavior, and political scandals that shocked the world. There’s a podcast about one of the worst medical disasters of all time. For sports fans, tune into a podcast on Olympic controversies and redemption. One of our picks is about American sports history’s largest scandal that involved an NBA referee.

For the intersection of reality TV, pop culture, and crime, check out “Criminality” and season 2 of “Over My Dead Body.” We’ve also included two podcasts adapted for TV: “WeCrashed: The Rise and Fall of WeWork” and “The Dropout.” Check out these highly bingeable podcasts about scandals.

Criminality

If you’re into true crime and reality TV, you might enjoy “Criminality.” Check out new episodes every other week from hosts Melissa (“Moms and Murder”) and Rebekah (“DIE-ALOGUE“) to hear about reality TV stars’ arrests, frauds, scandals, and more. Recent episodes looked at the best and worst drama from Teen Mom, Yolanda Hadid, 90 Day Fiancé, and more juicy dirt.

American Scandal

From Wondery comes “American Scandal,” now in its 38th season. Topic-specific seasons delve into corruption, deception, and hubris that leads to personal, political, and corporate downfalls. This series covers a variety of scandals from politicians, celebrities, heroes, athletes, and moguls.

Hear the truths unfold and how each fallout impacted American culture and society. The latest season covers President Nixon’s Watergate scandal. Previous seasons focused on Bernie Madoff, Lance Armstrong, The Unabomber, and Big Tobacco, among others.

Shocking! Lurid! Tawdry! A History of American Scandals

Kasey Howe and Mark Peikert are unearthing forgotten headlines, stories, and scandals that once swept the nation. A recent episode covered TV’s iterations of The Dropout, WeCrashed, and Super Pumped. Other episodes dove into Ohio’s political scandals, Sean Young being forced to drop out of Batman due to an injury, and more.

Remember when Reese Witherspoon asked cops if they knew her name in 2013 when she and her husband were pulled over on the road? Reese was then arrested for disorderly conduct. These are the kinds of stories we’ll hear on “Shocking! Lurid! Tawdry! A History of American Scandals.”

Even the Rich

Hosts Brooke Siffrinn and Aricia Skidmore-Williams are chatting about family dynasties, drama, and controversies. Hear about The Kardashians, Britney Spears, the Royals, Janet Jackson vs The Halftime Show, Murder in the House of Gucci, and more. “Even the Rich” is presented by Wondery.

British Scandal

On Wondery’s “British Scandal,” hear about power, the British elite, epic fails, money, and how the mighty fall. There are episodes on spy cops, Jeffrey Archer, Robert Maxwell, The Murdoch Phone Hacking, Profumo, Saville, and more. Start each season from the first episode, and all episodes are less than an hour on average.

Bed of Lies

In The Telegraph’s “Bed of Lies” season 2, Cara McGoogan investigates a deadly medical scandal. What was supposed to be a treatment was actually poison. People contracted AIDS via contaminated medication, and victims were left suffering. They wondered how the disease started affecting people with hemophilia. 

This story started in a Louisiana prison and resulted in coverups and thousands of deaths. In season 1, Cara dug into the undercover policing scandal that went on for decades and rocked the United Kingdom. All episodes are now streaming.

WeCrashed: The Rise and Fall of WeWork

Wondery’s “WeCrashed: The Rise and Fall of WeWork” was adapted by AppleTV+, telling WeWork’s story. The founders believed they were about to make history with a $47 billion valuation and on track for a major IPO. Charming CEO Adam Neumann and his wife Rebekah believed they’d change the world, yet, it all came crashing down. Hear about the brand, the concept of “unicorns” in business, mess-ups, hope, and conceit. The podcast’s second season is the TV show’s companion listen, chatting with the show’s co-creators, actors, journalists, and more.

Torched

FilmNation Entertainment presents “Torched,” hosted by Molly Bloom. This series unpacks scandals, corruption, and controversies at The Olympics. In weekly episodes, Molly is joined by Olympic athletes and more guests to share their experiences and memories. Hear about fencer Boris Onischenko cheating, failed drug tests, an Olympic protest, “The Great Badminton Scandal,” and more.

Over My Dead Body: Joe vs Carole

Wondery’s “Over My Dead Body” shares a different true crime story each season where people are pushed over their limits and do the unthinkable. “Season 2: Joe vs Carole” is about exotic animal breeder, Joe Exotic, who has made plenty of enemies. This season dives into his vicious feud with Carole Baskin and what happened when they reached their boiling points.

The Dropout

ABC’s “The Dropout” covered Elizabeth Holmes‘ trial. Elizabeth is the former Theranos CEO. The company claimed to revolutionize blood testing based on a single drop. In January 2022, Holmes trial reached a verdict and was found guilty on 4 counts of fraud. Hear all updates leading up to and through the trial in over 20 episodes.

Whistleblower

Crime meets sports on Tenderfoot TV and Cadence13’s “Whistleblower.” In 2007, NBA referee Tim Donaghy was involved in American sports history’s largest scandal. Donaghy was arrested for betting on games he officiated.

This story is about money, a conspiracy going beyond one referee, and we learn this scandal disappeared so quickly from the headlines because everyone involved had something to hide. All 10 episodes (and bonus content) are now streaming.