History is rarely black and white—and neither are the people who shape it. *Ambivalent Offenders* explores the lives of controversial historical figures who “live in the grey.” Hosted by twin sisters Jamie and Erin, along with frequent guest co-host Matt, the show blends rich historical research with approachable, conversational storytelling. No lectures—just layered context and a healthy dose of curiosity and fun. Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take! Support the s...
Jul 05, 2025•1 min
In Part 3 of our series, we wrap up the glamorous, chaotic life of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, a man who somehow managed to fail upwards until the very, bitter end. From his attempts at diplomacy (Cardinal Richelieu has now entered the chat) to his ill-fated military campaigns, George had a knack for turning everything that he touched into a spectacular mess. Discover how his bromance with (Baby) Charles I led to political chaos, why Parliament aimed to impeach him (twice!), and how his...
Jul 01, 2025•2 hr
Was Yoko Ono really the reason the Beatles broke up… or is there a lot more to the story? (Spoiler: there is.) In this emotional and eye-opening episode of Ambivalent Offenders , we explore the real Yoko Ono — far beyond the tired headlines and fan theories. From her childhood in wartime Japan to her bold entry into the avant-garde New York art world, Yoko was already a creative force before she ever met John Lennon. We trace: Her rise as a solo artist and performance visionary The evolution of ...
Jun 30, 2025•1 hr 16 min
We continue the story of the ultimate Favorite, history’s greatest boy toy—George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham. Stick around for the disguises (fake mustaches!), Cardinal Richelieu popping up like a movie villain, and a dirty joke that had be censored (don’t worry, we kept some of it). There’s even a dash of true crime, because is it even a podcast without that? Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take! Support the show Instagram Patreon Buy Me a Coffee (one time suppor...
Jun 24, 2025•1 hr 43 min
Available now wherever you listen to podcasts! Please subscribe to follow for future episodes! This is episode one of "Just Throw Away the Key, the Hidden World of Prisons Behind Our True Crime Fascination," the podcast where we talk about what happens after the true crime story ends because there's so much left about what comes next, things that impact you and I in ways we sometimes are blind to one thing being funding. Prisons cost money to run for food officers, power heating programming, and...
Jun 14, 2025•24 min
This is the trailer for my (Jamie typing here) podcast, "Just Throw Away the Key: The Hidden World of Prisons Behind Our True Crime Fascination." Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take! Support the show Instagram Patreon Buy Me a Coffee (one time support) TikTok Show website If you have a judgement on any of the figures that we have covered (it can be a voice memo or an email that we can read!) or have a recommendation for a historical figure, please contact us at amb...
Jun 14, 2025•3 min
We are tackling the action-packed and brief life of George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham, who became the powerful favorite and lover of King James I of England. He’s also the George in the new show “Mary & George.” In Part 1, we cover George's early life, how he found himself dangled in front of a king (thanks to his mother and the Queen), and all the complexities of being a favorite. Spoiler alert: it's a lot more paper-pushing than you'd expect. Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with ...
Jun 06, 2025•1 hr 35 min
We conclude our series on Mary Todd Lincoln, covering her life post-assassination, her insanity trial, the betrayal of her eldest son, and how she spent her final years. Expect a rant (or two!) about Robert Lincoln, everybody’s least favorite Lincoln child. Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take! Support the show Instagram Patreon Buy Me a Coffee (one time support) TikTok Show website If you have a judgement on any of the figures that we have covered (it can be a voic...
May 15, 2025•1 hr 52 min
We continue Mary Todd Lincoln’s story as she enters the White House, diving into her controversial tenure as First Lady, her exploration of spiritualism, and the assassination that turned her world—and the nation—upside down. Will Erin make it through the pod without crying? Spoiler: absolutely not. But at least we got to roast a (dead) senator and his muttonchops before the overwhelming sadness. Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take! Support the show Instagram Patre...
May 07, 2025•1 hr 42 min
Mary Todd Lincoln has the distinction of being one of the least popular First Ladies of the United States, even as her husband tops the lists of greatest Presidents. Their marriage has been the topic of entire books and careers. Mary has been called crazy, a spendthrift, certainly not the intellectual equal of her husband. Listen to part 1 of our series on Mary Todd Lincoln to hear about her early life in Lexington Kentucky, the courtship and marriage to an up and coming attorney named Abraham L...
Apr 25, 2025•2 hr 41 min
We are marking the 160th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination on April 14, 1865. As we prepare to release our upcoming series on Mary Todd Lincoln, we are going to go forward in her story and talk about the assassination and its aftermath. Explore with us the details of the plot, the events of the day, and what Lincoln's body has gone through after his death (spoiler alert: it is a lot--more than you would expect a body to go through!). Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take...
Apr 14, 2025•57 min
Grab your ice skates—we are going back to the ‘90s to talk all about Tonya Harding! Harding survived her bad childhood to become a rising (and controversial) star in the figure skating world...until the scandal broke that put her in the pantheon of “Bad Women" and ruined whatever was left of her reputation. Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take! Support the show Instagram Patreon Buy Me a Coffee (one time support) TikTok Show website If you have a judgement on any of...
Apr 01, 2025•1 hr 32 min
The original oligarchs of America are on trial this week. Grab your monocle and best suit as we head back to the Gilded Age to meet Andrew Carnegie and his gang of fellow robber barons…and spend not an insignificant time discussing HBO’s “The Gilded Age.” Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take! Support the show Instagram Patreon Buy Me a Coffee (one time support) TikTok Show website If you have a judgement on any of the figures that we have covered (it can be a voice ...
Mar 24, 2025•1 hr 33 min
We have arrived at the end of Mark Antony's story...and his life. Join Erin and guest co-host, Matt, as we discuss his relationship with Cleopatra, the final showdown with Octavian, and how it went so horribly, inescapably wrong. Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take! Support the show Instagram Patreon Buy Me a Coffee (one time support) TikTok Show website If you have a judgement on any of the figures that we have covered (it can be a voice memo or an email that we c...
Mar 10, 2025•1 hr 52 min
Join Erin and guest co-host, Matt, as we continue on in the life of Mark Antony, as he navigates life as Julius Caesar's faithful deputy, the horrific aftermath of the Ides of March, and feuding with a teen. Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take! Support the show Instagram Patreon Buy Me a Coffee (one time support) TikTok Show website If you have a judgement on any of the figures that we have covered (it can be a voice memo or an email that we can read!) or have a re...
Mar 03, 2025•1 hr 39 min
Mark Antony--Shakespearean hero, Roman bad boy, lieutenant to Julius Caesar, and a man whose death often overshadows his life. With guest co-host, Matt, we begin our series with discussions of the very egalitarian Roman Senate (just kidding!), the Roman Republic, Antony's debauched early life (man loved a short tunic), and his time at Caesar's side. Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take! Support the show Instagram Patreon Buy Me a Coffee (one time support) TikTok Sho...
Feb 24, 2025•1 hr 27 min
We conclude our first Dueling Villains series with the judgement on John Brown and Aaron Burr. Matt fills in for Jamie and helps us break down the flaws and the greatness of two of history's most enigmatic (and frustrating!) figures. Brown or Burr, who is the greater villain in our history? Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take! Support the show Instagram Patreon Buy Me a Coffee (one time support) TikTok Show website If you have a judgement on any of the figures that...
Feb 12, 2025•40 min
NOTE: We always have a 7 day free trial for our Patreon memberships so this could be the perfect time to check that out! Hello listeners! We've been dealing with illness, job changes, issues with our editing program, and the usual chaos of life that has pushed us behind schedule. We just wrapped a full episode for our Patrons on Patreon to make up for January's mini-episodes there and thought we'd give you a little preview in case you want to join us! This is about Alice Perrers, King Edward III...
Feb 03, 2025•25 min
Follow the rest of Aaron Burr's story, as he vies for the presidency in the Election of 1800, enters that infamous duel with longtime rival/future musical star Alexander Hamilton, and finds himself dabbling in some *light* treason. Emperor Aaron I has a nice ring to it, does it not? Sources: The Great American Rascal: the Turbulent Life of Aaron Burr by Noel Gerson Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take! Support the show Instagram Patreon Buy Me a Coffee (one time sup...
Jan 09, 2025•1 hr 32 min
We are covering Aaron Burr (SIR!) as the second half of our "Dueling Villains" series. In this episode, we cover Burr's early life, the American Revolution and his role in it, as well as his political life up until the election of 1800. There's babies attending college, cougars, and absolutely insane attempts at staying neutral in between! We also pitch Timothee Chalamet the role of a lifetime. Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take! Support the show Instagram Patreon...
Dec 18, 2024•1 hr 18 min
We spoke about Bleeding Kansas briefly in the previous episode on John Brown, but we have invited back Husband of the Pod, Erin's husband, Matt, to explain more of what was happening in Kansas during the lead up to the Civil War. St. Louis baseball supremacy and Chicago Deep Dish references abound! Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take! Support the show Instagram Patreon Buy Me a Coffee (one time support) TikTok Show website If you have a judgement on any of the figu...
Dec 11, 2024•48 min
Listen to our first installment of our new Dueling Villains series! We will be covering John Brown, an American enigma. Terrorist, martyr, mad man--or a little bit of each? We will talk about Brown's early life, his move to Bleeding Kansas, and the raid at Harper's Ferry that would lead to his demise. Next time, in our second part of the series, we will cover Aaron Burr (of "Hamilton" fame!) and judge the two against each other. Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take!...
Dec 10, 2024•1 hr 10 min
With the new season of Wolf Hall airing in the U.K. now and coming to the United States in March, we have begun our own rewatch series of the first season. Follow along with us as we continue through the first season and sharing our comments/historical analysis/eternal love for Mark Rylance. You can join our Patreon for free to join the chats that we will have after each episode! Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take! Support the show Instagram Patreon Buy Me a Coffe...
Nov 22, 2024•1 hr 7 min
FYI I (Jamie) had to re-record a few lines so apologies if they stand out too much! Before we jump into our dueling offenders series, we wanted to do something a little different and discuss how questionable female historical figures are viewed and treated versus their male counterparts. Listen as we have an informal conversation on this very important topic about historical discourse and why we should even care today. As always, feel free to share your opinions as well! Tell us your thoughts! D...
Nov 19, 2024•1 hr 2 min
In our final episode on the Tigress of Forli, Caterina Sforza, we will conclude the rest of Caterina's exciting life--more assassinations, more himbos, the first appearance of syphilis, and plenty of female rage follows! Oh, and Cesare Borgia makes his long awaited appearance like a horror movie villain. Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take! Support the show Instagram Patreon Buy Me a Coffee (one time support) TikTok Show website If you have a judgement on any of th...
Nov 08, 2024•1 hr 23 min
We pick up Caterina Sforza's story as she finally launches into action, taking castles and fortresses, outwitting cardinals and bishops, and earning that nickname of the Tigress of Forli. Expect assasinations, daring deeds, more pregnancies than we care to think about, and pulp (unfortunately, not orange juice pulp)...it is a wild ride! Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take! Support the show Instagram Patreon Buy Me a Coffee (one time support) TikTok Show website If ...
Oct 29, 2024•1 hr 6 min
Caterina Sforza is often overshadowed by the men who she came into contact with as they comprised some of the Italy's most infamous dynasties: the Medicis and the Borgias. While there is much to commend her on being a real warrior female leader in the Italian renaissance, a female powerhouse -- after all her nickname is the Tigress of Forli -- Caterina's legacy is marred by instances of violence that shocked even her contemporaries. Listen to the first part of Caterina's story as we explore her ...
Oct 16, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Another week and another ambivalent offender...this time Jamie tackles another one from the music world (thanks to our Patreon fans & their votes!) and from one of the most recognizable bands of all time--John Lennon. From his traumatic childhood to his battles with mental health to his tumultuous relationships with romantic partners (as well as his son Julian), follow along to hear our examination of John's life---from early losses, to Beatlemania, domestic abuse (trigger warning is mention...
Oct 10, 2024•1 hr 38 min
The Roman Emperor Claudius was as unlikely an emperor as they come (from inside the imperial family that is). Learn about his unexpected rise, his...complicated...marital history, and if we can truly call him one of the "good" Emperors. Remember, you can access FREE content on our Patreon this month by going to our patreon page linked below and joining as a free member! Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take! Support the show Instagram Patreon Buy Me a Coffee (one tim...
Oct 01, 2024•1 hr 30 min
Come one, come all, to learn about the man who has been nicknamed the Greatest Showman and created the Greatest Show on Earth. In this one-parter, you'll learn about P.T. Barnum's dark start (understatement) in show business and his journey from museum owner to starting a circus. Stick around at the end to hear a trailer for "Door Key" history podcast! Tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with our take? Share your take! Support the show Instagram Patreon Buy Me a Coffee (one time support) TikTok ...
Sep 23, 2024•1 hr 2 min
