Scamfluencers

‘Tis the season for spending obscene amounts of money. That’s something superstar art dealer Inigo Philbrick excels at. In this re-run from last year, the art world hustler starts making big money “flipping” works of art. Before long, he’s selling shares of paintings to investors all over the globe, all while becoming known for his jet-setting and expensive taste. But when he makes too many promises he can’t keep, this art world svengali will lose it all.

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

In the second part of this two-part epic, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker go their separate ways and carve out very different paths — but they both still love being in the spotlight. Tammy becomes a fixture on daytime and reality T.V., while Jim gets out of prison and goes right back to televangelizing. This time, he’s embracing a whole new scheme: shilling products for the apocalypse. In the second part of this two-part epic, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker go their separate ways and carve out very different paths — but they both still love being in the spotlight. Tammy becomes a fixture on daytime and reality T.V., while Jim gets out of prison and goes right back to televangelizing. This time, he’s embracing a whole new scheme: shilling products for the apocalypse.

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

Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker get their start in Christian broadcasting in the early 1960s and quickly become television superstars. As their fame explodes, they build an empire complete with their own network, a theme park, and a super-sized luxury lifestyle for themselves. But when their spending – and their scandals – get out of control, they’ll face their own kind of judgment day.  

This episode contains descriptions of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor looking for resources, call the U.S. National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-H-O-P-E.

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

When Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, and Bella Hadid signed up to promote a scorching new music festival, they had no idea the flaming mess they were really in for. Entrepreneur Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule collabed on the notorious Fyre Festival, a disaster that cost millions, almost got festival workers killed or kidnapped, and is forever burned into flop history.

Comedians Laci Mosley (Scam Goddess, A Black Lady Sketch Show) and Lauren Ashley Smith (Grown-ish, A Black Lady Sketch Show) join The Big Flop host Misha Brown to roast Billy McFarland and his cheese sandwich schemes. 

This is just a preview of The Big Flop. You can listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts, or at wondery.fm/thebigflop.

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

After starting his own law firm in the early 1990s, David J. Stern gains a reputation for churning out foreclosure cases. His biggest payday comes during the mortgage crisis, when millions of Americans lose their homes. Their loss is his gain. But when wronged homeowners begin to fight back, they’ll unravel the fraud at the heart of the system.

This episode contains descriptions of sexual harassment and assault. If you or someone you know has experienced has experienced sexual harassment and would like to speak with someone who is trained to help, the U.S. National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached at 1-800-656-HOPE.

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

It’s hard to know what to believe about George Santos’ wild origin story. Since being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022, almost every facet of his life has been called into question — from his name and religious background to his former marriage and previous employment. But when the Justice Department starts digging into his campaign fundraising reports, they discover an even bigger bombshell. 

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

In the second part of this two-part rerun from last December, journalist Christie Smythe wants to dig deeper into the man who’s become the face of corporate greed. She begins following him everywhere, and she decides he’s not the villain the press has made him out to be. But when their relationship comes to light, the damage will already have been done.

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

Wouldn’t you love to be a famous? Money. Red carpets. Adoring fans. Did we mention the money? But you’re also on a tightrope. Because when everyone’s watching, you’re only one misstep away from it all going terribly wrong. It’s like Rihanna said: there's a long way to fall when you're so far from earth. Join hosts Anna Leong Brophy and Emily Lloyd-Saini in Wondery’s new show Terribly Famous, as they tell the stories of our most iconic stars. After all, it’s fun to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes – especially when they’re Manolos.

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

With a number of fraud trials in the news, we thought we’d revisit one of the cringiest fraud cases we’ve ever covered: Martin Shkreli’s. In this re-run episode from last winter, we chart his rise – and fall – from humble beginnings to finance wunderkind to one of the most hated men in America.

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

When some of the wealthiest, most famous teams announce their plan to break away from Europe’s biggest football competition in April 2021, it causes 48 hours of complete chaos. With billions of dollars on the line, personal relationships will get destroyed, new rivalries will be formed, and all bets are off.

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