Just The Gist

Beginning in the 1950s, you could take any patient into a local doctor’s office, pay $200, have an ice pick inserted through their eye socket and then hammered into their brain. The whole thing took less than five minutes and was considered as unremarkable as getting a flu shot. Called the ‘lobotomy’, Dr Walter Freeman had invented the procedure as a ‘miracle cure’ for any and all mental illness - he figured by cutting up the part of the brain that controlled emotion, he could stop people being so… emotional. Men would bring in their wives with post-natal depression. Parents would bring in children who occasionally misbehaved. America was officially dazzled by Dr Freeman’s lobotomy technique. But most patients who received lobotomies ended up severely brain damaged (because, you know, they had an ICE PICK shoved into their brain), with many needing 24-hour care for the rest of their lives, if they survived at all.…We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's Breakin' Nooz, JTG After Show AND Bonus eps! You can access them by joining the Gistener Club via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Premium Subscriptions.Want to give us a SuGISTion? Tell Rosie to stop singing so much? Email us at hello@justthegist.com.au Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Producer and Host: Rosie Waterland | Senior Producer and Editor: James Joseph | Producer: Kate Leaver | Additional production support: Hayley Staveley | Acast Legends: Guy Scott-Wilson and Simon McDermott | Production Assistant: Pocket…BBC: ‘The strange and curious history of the Lobotomy’ (2011) - https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-15629160 PBS documentary: ‘The Lobotomist’ (2008) - https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/lobotomist/ Howard Dully’s story on NPR (2005) - https://storycorps.org/podcast/special-remembering-howard-dully-of-my-lobotomy/ PBS interview with Howard Dully (2005) - https://www.pbs.org/video/american-experience-original-interview-howard-dully/ The Guardian: ‘He was so bad, they put an ice pick in his brain’ (2008) - https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/jan/13/neuroscience.medicalscienceHoward Dully wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Dully#cite_note-8 Dr. Walter Freeman wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Jackson_Freeman_II  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Right now Ariana Grande is getting Oscar buzz for her turn as Glinda in Wicked: For Good, but back in 2018 she was mostly making headlines for her intense romance with the guy who made ‘BDE’ a thing: comedian Pete Davidson. Within two months, they met, got matching tattoos, moved in together, got more matching tattoos, got a pet piglet, got more matching tattoos, got engaged and… got more matching tattoos. We were inundated with paparazzi pics of the two of them holding hands, Ariana looking up at Pete like she wished the lollipop she was sucking on was… something else. And then, barely 6 months later, it all ended as quickly as it began. Pete Davidson was soon branding himself with Kim Kardashian’s name, and Ariana Grande was marrying a dude who looked just like her brother (and don’t even get us started on Wicked co-star Ethan Slater).…We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's Breakin' Nooz, JTG After Show AND Bonus eps! You can access them by joining the Gistener Club via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Premium Subscriptions.Watch Just The Gist episodes on Youtube @JustTheGistPodcastFollow Just The Gist on Instagram and TikTok @JustTheGistPodcastFollow Rosie in all the places at @RosieWaterlandWant to give us a SuGISTion? Tell Rosie to stop singing so much? Email us at hello@justthegist.com.au Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Producer and Host: Rosie Waterland | Senior Producer and Editor: James Joseph | Producer: Kate Leaver | Additional production support: Hayley Staveley | Acast Legends: Guy Scott-Wilson and Simon McDermott | Production Assistant: PocketDon't forget to follow and give us 5 stars, which means something apparently!Thank you, as always, for Gistening. Now go say something impressive at a dinner party.…E News (2025): https://www.eonline.com/news/1413523/pete-davidson-ariana-grande-where-they-stand-after-breakup People Magazine (2022):https://people.com/music/pete-davidson-ariana-grande-relationship-timeline/ Business Insider (2018):https://www.businessinsider.com/ariana-grande-pete-davidson-relationship-timeline-2018-6  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1985, Disney released a sequel to 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, with production involvement from legends of cinema George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola. It was directed by Oscar winner Walter Murch and starred a 9-year-old Fairuza Balk (who later went on to star in The Craft) as Dorothy. With that pedigree, you’d think an ‘Oz’ sequel would be a slam dunk, but this film did not have the celebrated reaction we later saw with ‘Wicked’. When the movie was released, parents stormed out of cinemas with their kids, saying it was more like a horror movie than something for children. It bombed at the time, but has since become a cult classic, this is just the gist of the 1985 sequel to The Wizard of Oz that Disney considers a complete disaster they would rather forget - Return To Oz. We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's Breakin' Nooz, JTG After Show AND Bonus eps! You can access them by joining the Gistener Club via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Premium Subscriptions.Want to give us a SuGISTion? Tell Rosie to stop singing so much? Email us at hello@justthegist.com.au Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Producer and Host: Rosie Waterland | Senior Producer and Editor: James Joseph | Producer: Kate Leaver | Additional production support: Hayley Staveley | Acast Legends: Guy Scott-Wilson and Simon McDermott | Production Assistant: Pocket…Return To Oz trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBPKgAXA-28 Guardian article ‘Hear Me Out: Why Return To Oz Isn’t A Bad Movie’ (2021): https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/feb/11/hear-me-out-why-return-to-oz-isnt-a-bad-movieThe Hollywood Reporter article: How George Lucas Saved Return To Oz (2024): https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/how-george-lucas-saved-return-to-oz-1235866485/ BBB article ‘How Return To Oz became one of the darkest children’s films ever made’ (2025)https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250616-the-darkest-childrens-film-ever-madeInterview with Walter Murch on the ‘It Happened In Hollywood’ podcast (2024): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/walter-murch-return-to-oz/id1437795866?i=1000651291941 ‘Remembering Return To Oz’ documentary (2021): https://www.rememberingreturntooz.com/ The Siskel and Ebert review (1985):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24kiDP1WRr4Return To Oz wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_to_Oz Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

British man Malcolm MacDonald spent SIX YEARS with a penis grafted to his arm after complications during surgery meant it couldn’t be attached to… the regular spot. He thought he might spend the rest of his life with it just swinging there, but in 2022, Britain’s Channel 4 made a documentary about Malcolm called ‘The Man With a Penis on His Arm’. It detailed the infection that led to the loss of his penis in the first place, and the struggles he had endured waiting for the surgery to finally put his new appendage in the right place. A (Rosie’s Version) of a JTG classic.We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's Breakin' Nooz, JTG After Show AND Bonus eps! You can access them by joining the Gistener Club via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Premium Subscriptions.Watch Just The Gist episodes on Youtube @JustTheGistPodcastFollow Just The Gist on Instagram and TikTok @JustTheGistPodcastFollow Rosie in all the places at @RosieWaterlandWant to give us a SuGISTion? Tell Rosie to stop singing so much? Email us at hello@justthegist.com.au Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Producer and Host: Rosie Waterland | Senior Producer and Editor: James Joseph | Producer: Kate Leaver | Additional production support: Hayley Staveley | Acast Legends: Guy Scott-Wilson and Simon McDermott | Production Assistant: PocketDon't forget to follow and give us 5 stars, which means something apparently!Thank you, as always, for Gistening. Now go say something impressive at a dinner party.…Channel 4 documentary ‘The Man With The Penis On His Arm’:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLqb-FNxh4MGuardian article (2022): https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/may/03/the-man-with-a-penis-on-his-arm-review-tv-that-makes-you-proud-to-be-british Daily Mail article (2022): http://dailymail.co.uk/lifestyle/article-10779775/The-Man-Penis-Arm-Man-47-lived-six-years-penis-attached-ARM.html  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You know who doesn’t know much about much unless she hyperfixates on it because she’s researching for an episode? Rosie. So occasionally we’re gonna get some experts in to give us Just The Gist on what they happen to be experts in. This week: Oshie’s Hair (and the man beneath it - iconic TV host Osher Günsberg) tells us all the things about The Bachelor Universe! From what goes on behind the scenes - like what happened when the Honey Badger picked nobody - to his thoughts on The Golden Bachelor.Listen to Osher’s podcast Better Than Yesterday right here:https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/better-than-yesterday-with-osher-g%C3%BCnsberg/id711028488Get his memoir ‘Back, After The Break’: https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9781460759028/back-after-the-break-a-memoir-from-one-of-australias-most-loved-celebrities-about-life-love-and-living-with-mental-illness-powerful-dark-f/ Get his new book ‘So What, Now What’:https://www.penguin.com.au/books/so-what-now-what-9781761352300 …We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's Breakin' Nooz, JTG After Show AND Bonus eps! You can access them by joining the Gistener Club via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Premium Subscriptions.Watch Just The Gist episodes on Youtube @JustTheGistPodcastFollow Just The Gist on Instagram and TikTok @JustTheGistPodcastFollow Rosie in all the places at @RosieWaterlandWant to give us a SuGISTion? Tell Rosie to stop singing so much? Email us at hello@justthegist.com.au Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Producer and Host: Rosie Waterland | Senior Producer and Editor: James Joseph | Producer: Kate Leaver | Additional production support: Hayley Staveley | Acast Legends: Guy Scott-Wilson and Simon McDermott | Production Assistant: PocketDon't forget to follow and give us 5 stars, which means something apparently!Thank you, as always, for Gistening. Now go say something impressive at a dinner party. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On January 28 1986, 'America's Favourite Teacher', 37-year-old Christa McAuliffe, boarded the Space Shuttle Challenger, after beating out 11,000 applicants to become the first regular civilian NASA would ever take to space. Satellites had been sent to schools around the country so children could watch the shuttle launch live from their classrooms. But just 73 seconds after launch, the Challenger exploded mid-air, resulting in millions of children witnessing the moment that Christa McAuliffe and 6 other Challenger crew members were tragically killed. The Challenger disaster turned what was supposed to be NASA's triumphant return to relevance through the "Teacher in Space" program into one of the most traumatic moments in US history, broadcast live into classrooms across the country.…We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's Breakin' Nooz, JTG After Show AND Bonus eps! You can access them by joining the Gistener Club via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Premium Subscriptions.Watch Just The Gist episodes on Youtube @JustTheGistPodcastFollow Just The Gist on Instagram and TikTok @JustTheGistPodcastFollow Rosie in all the places at @RosieWaterlandWant to give us a SuGISTion? Tell Rosie to stop singing so much? Email us at hello@justthegist.com.au Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Producer and Host: Rosie Waterland | Senior Producer and Editor: James Joseph | Producer: Kate Leaver | Additional production support: Hayley Staveley | Acast Legends: Guy Scott-Wilson and Simon McDermott | Production Assistant: PocketDon't forget to follow and give us 5 stars, which means something apparently!Thank you, as always, for Gistening. Now go say something impressive at a dinner party.…Netflix doco series 'Challenger: The Final Flight' trailer (2020):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILAeVAgqFV4National Geographic doco 'Space Shuttle Challenger - 30 Years On' (2016):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DMmkp_F25YYou're Wrong About 'Challenger Disaster' podcast episode (2019):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8qUAhcBKu8Trusty old wikipedia page:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disasterBritannica page: https://www.britannica.com/event/Challenger-disaster  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This story in The New York Times Magazine went ridiculously viral last week because… ooft. ‘She Was Ready To Have Her 15th Child, Then Came The Felony Charges’ was brilliantly written by David Gauvey Herbert, and tells the story of MaryBeth Lewis; a woman who has been having babies via IVF since her mid-forties and doesn’t want to stop - no matter what she has to do to make it happen. This episode started out as a segment in Breakin’ Nooz, then it turned into a JTG MINI, then it turned into a Medium, then it pretty much turned into a regular-length episode BECAUSE THIS STORY IS NUTS. Rosie gives Just The Gist of one of the most gripping and ridiculously good articles she’s read in a long time. Read it right here in The New York Times Magazine.…We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's Breakin' Nooz, JTG After Show AND Bonus eps! You can access them by joining the Gistener Club via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Premium Subscriptions.Watch Just The Gist episodes on Youtube @JustTheGistPodcastFollow Just The Gist on Instagram and TikTok @JustTheGistPodcastFollow Rosie in all the places at @RosieWaterlandWant to give us a SuGISTion? Tell Rosie to stop singing so much? Email us at hello@justthegist.com.au Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Producer and Host: Rosie Waterland | Senior Producer and Editor: James Joseph | Producer: Kate Leaver | Additional production support: Hayley Staveley | Acast Legends: Guy Scott-Wilson and Simon McDermott | Production Assistant: PocketDon't forget to follow and give us 5 stars, which means something apparently!Thank you, as always, for Gistening. Now go say something impressive at a dinner party. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The trash fire human formally known as ‘Prince’ Andrew is now just a regular person, only worse. Same as his former wife Sarah Ferguson, who until recently was still referred to as ‘Sarah, Duchess of York’. It was huge news in October 2025 when King Charles finally released a statement from Buckingham Palace, officially stripping Andrew of all his official titles and kicking him (and ol’ Fergie) out of the 30-room mansion ‘Royal Lodge’. But HOW did they end up this way? What is just the gist of Andrew and Fergie? How did they meet? How did they both end up such entitled, self-serving people (or were they always that way)? We’ve all seen the headlines about Andrew and Fergie’s enduring, years-long friendship with Jeffrey Epstein (and their continued lies about it), but what is it about them and their history together that led to this royal couple both being so… awful? Rosie gives just the gist of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and Sarah Ferguson. (CW: While this episode focuses more on the history and lives of Andrew and Fergie rather than the specifics of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and Andrew’s alleged involvement in them, those crimes are obviously part of this story so they are mentioned, without detail, at some points. Take care when listening.)We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there’s this:SO MUCH of the info for this episode came from the incredible book ‘Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York’ by Andrew Lownie (2025)Interview with Andrew Lownie on an episode of ‘Throwing The Book At Them’ (2025)Andrew Lownie giving a presentation about his book at the University of Cambridge (2025)‘The Turbulent Life of Sarah Ferguson’ by Isaac Bickerstaff for Tatler Magazine (2025)‘Fergie and Andrew: Duke and Duchess of Disaster’ documentary (2020)‘Downfall of a Duchess’ documentary (1997)Andrew’s now infamous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis ‘Nobody’s Girl’ by Virgina Roberts Giuffre (2025) If this episode was difficult for you, please contact (Australia):Blue Knot Helpline (1300 657 380)Bravehearts (1800 272 831)1800RESPECT (24 hours: 1800 737 732)Lifeline (24 hours: 13 11 14)13YARN - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Crisis Support (24 hours: 13 92 76) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All the kids are saying it. Teachers are banning it. South Park did an episode about it. And it was just named Dictionary.com’s 2025 Word Of The Year. So where did 6-7 come from? WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Rosie did some research to get to the bottom of it all, including getting the scoop from Official JTG Kidz Correspondents: her 12-year-old nephew Malekai and 6-year-old twin nieces Layla and Layelle. (And yes, she mixes them up during the interview.)We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there’s this:Forbes article trying desperately to understand the KidZ and their six-seven nonsenseDictionary.com trying to explain themselvesMusic video of ‘Doot Doot (6 7)’ by SkrillaVideo of the original 6 7 kid ‘doing’ 6 7 at a basketball gameVideo of the entire restaurant cheering when order ‘67’ is called at an In-N-Out BurgerSouth Park clip from the recent ‘6-7’ episode (this explains it better than anything tbh)…Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Producer and Host: Rosie Waterland | Senior Producer and Editor: James Joseph | Producer: Kate Leaver | Additional production support: Hayley Staveley | Acast Legends: Guy Scott-Wilson and Simon McDermott | Production Assistant: PocketLooking for Breakin’ Nooz? After Show? JTG Bonus eps? You can access them by joining the Gistener Club via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Premium Subscriptions! Watch Just The Gist episodes on Youtube @JustTheGistPodcastFollow Just The Gist on Instagram and TikTok @JustTheGistPodcastFollow Rosie in all the places at @RosieWaterlandWant to give us a SuGISTion? Tell Rosie to stop singing so much? Email us at hello@justthegist.com.auDon’t forget to follow and give us 5 stars, which means something apparently! Thank you, as always, for Gistening. Now go say something impressive at a dinner party. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is a movie that exists that is SO bad, the lead actress who signed on had to be legally forced to finish filming it. In 1996, recent Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg had signed on to star in a gritty, sci-fi drama, but the final script had turned it into a buddy cop film in which she starred opposite a talking dinosaur puppet wearing Converse sneakers and a backwards cap. Whoopi tired to back out, the producers sued, and she ended being forced to film Theodore Rex against her will (she is so unhappy to be there you can literally see her sighing on screen in some scenes in the movie). With a budget of $33.5million, Theodore Rex was never released in cinemas, making it the most expensive direct-to-video movie ever made (and the biggest regret of Whoopi Goldberg’s career).We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:Theodore Rex Wikipedia page - Complete film history and production details/Film - "How Did This Get Made? Theodore Rex (An Oral History)" - Interviews with producers, director, and crew (2015)Ranker - "The Story of Theodore Rex, The Bizarre Whoopi Goldberg Dinosaur Film" - Behind-the-scenes breakdownA.V. Club - "An oral history of how a bomb like Theodore Rex is made" (2015)YouTube - Theodore Rex Theatrical Trailer…Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Producer and Host: Rosie Waterland | Producer and editor: James Joseph | Producers: Kate Leaver and Hayley Stavely | Additional production support: Guy Scott Wilson and Simon McDermott | Production Assistant: PocketLooking for Breakin' Nooz? After Show? JTG Bonus eps? You can access them by joining the Gistener Club via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Premium Subscriptions.Watch Just The Gist episodes on Youtube @JustTheGistPodcastFollow Just The Gist on Instagram and TikTok @JustTheGistPodcastFollow Rosie in all the places at @RosieWaterlandWant to give us a SuGISTion? Tell Rosie to stop singing so much? Email us at hello@justthegist.com.auDon't forget to follow and give us 5 stars, which means something apparently!Thank you, as always, for Gistening. Now go say something impressive at a dinner party. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

IT’S THE DELIGHTFUL CAPER WE ALL NEEDED. On October 19 2025, four thieves (in disguise!) stole $102million worth of jewels from the Louvre Museum in Paris. They casually parked a basket lift truck out the front of the building, rode it to the first floor balcony and stepped right inside the Apollo Gallery - home to what’s left of France’s ‘Crown Jewels’. One glass cutter and a couple of minutes later, they rode away on Yamaha scooters with 9 precious items (well, 8 - they dropped a diamond-encrusted tiara that once belonged to Napoleon’s wife). Two men have been arrested, but no jewels have been found, and even George Clooney said he’s proud of the thieves for pulling it off. But why was it so easy to do? Who was the mysterious DAPPER MAN photographed at the scene of the crime? And will they even be able to sell what they stole?We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:This is Rosie’s absolute favourite thing she has read about The Louvre Heist: The Atlantic - "The Louvre Heist Is Terrific" (2025)  by Caity WeaverTIME Magazine - "Louvre Robbery: How Thieves Carried Out An Audacious Heist of 'Priceless' Napoleonic Jewels" (2025)The Guardian - "French police arrest two men over €88m Louvre jewel heist" (2025)AP News - "Thieves use basket lift in daring Louvre robbery, steal priceless jewels" (2025)AP News - "A timeline of the jewel heist at the Louvre in Paris" (2025)Daily Mail - "Two arrested over Louvre 'heist of the century' after raid of France's £76million crown jewels" (2025)…JTG MINIs is a Just The Network production. Executive Producer and Host: Rosie Waterland | Producer and editor: James Joseph | Producers: Kate Leaver and Hayley Staveley | Additional production support: Guy Scott Wilson and Simon McDermott | Production Assistant: PocketLooking for Breakin' Nooz? After Show? JTG Bonus eps? You can access them by joining the Gistener Club via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Premium Subscriptions.Watch Just The Gist episodes on Youtube @JustTheGistPodcastFollow Just The Gist on Instagram and TikTok @JustTheGistPodcastFollow Rosie in all the places at @RosieWaterlandWant to give us a SuGISTion? Tell Rosie to stop singing so much? Email us at hello@justthegist.com.auDon't forget to follow and give us 5 stars, which means something apparently!Thank you, as always, for Gistening. Now go say something impressive at a dinner party. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In May 2013, Nigerian cook Harrison Okene was sitting on the toilet when his tugboat capsized in a freak wave, trapping him 30 meters underwater in complete darkness. While his 11 crewmates drowned, Harrison found himself in a tiny air pocket, listening to their final screams before silence fell. For 60 hours, he survived on a can of Coke and sardines, fighting off crayfish that fed on his body, praying and singing hymns while the freezing water slowly rose around him. When South African divers finally found him during what they thought was a body recovery mission, they couldn't believe he was alive - making Harrison one of the most miraculous survival stories ever recorded.We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:The Guardian's original report - "Nigerian sailor 'a phenomenon' for surviving in air pocket for 60 hours" (2013)The Guardian's 10-year follow-up - "I survived three days in a capsized boat on the ocean floor – praying in my air bubble" (2023)Rescue footage on YouTube - Harrison Okene: Moment divers find man alive in sunken shipHarrison's interview - Man Rescued From Sunken Boat Talks About OrdealHarrison's Instagram - Follow Harrison's current life as a professional diverJascon-4 incident Wikipedia page - Complete details of the tugboat disasterBBC News coverage - "Nigerian cook 'survived 60 hours' in sunken ship air bubble" (2013)CNN interview transcript - Harrison Okene on Larry King Live (2013)National Geographic feature - "How One Man Survived 60 Hours Trapped Underwater" (2013)Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Produced and hosted by Rosie Waterland. Produced and edited by James Joseph. Additional production support by Kate Leaver and Hayley Staveley, along with Acast legends Guy Scott Wilson and Simon McDermott. Production Assistant: PocketJoin The Gistner Club via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Subscriptions. Follow Just The Gist @JustTheGistPodcast and Rosie at @RosieWaterlandEmail us at hello@justthegist.com.auThank you, as always, for Gistening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In December 2001, Winona Ryder was arrested for shoplifting nearly $6,000 worth of designer clothes from Saks Fifth Avenue, sparking one of the most bizarre celebrity trials of the 2000s. The '90s indie queen claimed her director told her to shoplift for a role, but the jury convicted her of felony grand theft anyway. From the iconic "Free Winona" t-shirt movement to Marc Jacobs making her their campaign face after she stole their designs, this is the scandal that made Winona disappear from Hollywood for a decade—until her Stranger Things comeback proved we should've freed her all along.We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:Vogue UK - "A grass roots campaign to 'free' Winona Ryder" (2002)Recordnet - "Ryder's try at humor not defusing scandal" (2002)W Magazine - "Winona Ryder: Ryder on the Storm" (2002)Interview Magazine - "Winona Ryder" (2013)YouTube - "free winona: the winona ryder shoplifting scandal" (2024)Disgraceland Podcast - "Winona Ryder: Drowning, Designer Theft, and a Deadly Kidnapping" (2025)…Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Producer and Host: Rosie Waterland | Producer and editor: James Joseph | Producers: Kate Leaver and Hayley Staveley | Additional production support: Guy Scott Wilson and Simon McDermott | Production Assistant: PocketLooking for Breakin' Nooz? After Show? JTG Bonus eps? You can access them by joining the Gistener Club via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Premium Subscriptions.Watch Just The Gist episodes on Youtube @JustTheGistPodcastFollow Just The Gist on Instagram and TikTok @JustTheGistPodcastFollow Rosie in all the places at @RosieWaterlandWant to give us a SuGISTion? Tell Rosie to stop singing so much? Email us at hello@justthegist.com.auDon't forget to follow and give us 5 stars, which means something apparently!Thank you, as always, for Gistening. Now go say something impressive at a dinner party. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1999, The Blair Witch Project became a cultural phenomenon when audiences believed they were watching real found footage of three film students who disappeared in the Maryland woods. But film directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez had actually just created one of the most successful marketing hoaxes in movie history, using fake missing person posters, a fake Sci-Fi Channel documentary, and the early internet to convince the world the Blair Witch was real. Made for just $60,000 with handheld cameras and improvising actors, it terrified audiences worldwide and earned nearly $250 million. But those actors - Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Michael Williams - were barely paid, and as of 2025, are still trying to be fairly credited for their work.We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:The Blair Witch Project Wikipedia page - Complete film history and box office successThe New York Times retrospective - "How 'The Blair Witch Project' Changed Movies Forever" (2019)The original Blair Witch website - The groundbreaking 1999 viral marketing siteVariety investigation - "'Blair Witch Project' Cast Says They Were 'Robbed' of Financial Success" (2024)The Guardian coverage - Cast's fight for fair payment and residuals (2024)The Hollywood Reporter - Cast demands retroactive residuals and consultation on future projects (2024)Blair Witch official websites archive - Collection of original marketing websitesBen Rock's articles - Behind-the-scenes insights from the film's production designerRewind podcast episode - "Believing in the Blair Witch" deep diveJust The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Produced and hosted by Rosie Waterland. Produced and edited by James Joseph. Additional production support by Kate Leaver and Hayley Staveley, along with Acast legends Guy Scott Wilson and Simon McDermott. Production Assistant: PocketFollow us on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube @JustTheGistPodcast  and Rosie @RosieWaterlandWant to give us a SuGISTion? Email us at hello@justthegist.com.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In what eventually became known as ‘THE CRAPPENING’, a Dave Matthews Band tour bus dumped 800 pounds of toilet waste while driving across the Kinzie Street Bridge in Chicago in 2004. And in an example of what might be the most perfect - yet unfortunate - timing ever, there just happened to be an open-air sightseeing tour boat passing directly under the bridge at the exact same time… Dave Matthews Band tried to deny being involved, but after being soaked in what was described as a "rust-coloured waterfall” the 120 passengers who were aboard ‘Chicago’s Little Lady’, and soon the entire city of Chicago, were demanding answers. We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:Dave Matthews Band bus incident Wikipedia page - Complete incident details and aftermathWBEZ 20-year anniversary coverage - "20 years after that disgusting Dave Matthews Band incident, victims now can laugh about it" (2024)CBS Chicago retrospective - "Remembering the disgusting Dave Matthews Band bus incident 20 years later" (2024)Chicago Tribune vintage coverage - "Vintage Chicago Tribune: Remembering the Dave Matthews Band bus incident, 20 years later" (2024)The Crappening documentary - Filmmaker seeking witnesses for documentary about the incident (2024)CBS Chicago vault footage - Original 2004 news coverageChicago mascots tribute video - Benny the Bull, Staley Da Bear, and Tommy Hawk pay respects on anniversary (2024) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2014, Elizabeth Holmes was hailed as the youngest female billionaire in America, promising to revolutionize healthcare with her blood-testing company Theranos. With just a drop of blood from a fingerprick, she claimed her Edison machines could run hundreds of tests faster and cheaper than traditional labs. But behind the black turtlenecks, deep voice, and Steve Jobs comparisons was one of the biggest frauds in Silicon Valley history. The technology never worked, patients received dangerous false results, and investors lost over $900 million. Holmes and her business partner Sunny Balwani were both convicted of fraud, with Holmes sentenced to over 11 years in prison, where she remains today still claiming her innocence.We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:Bad Blood by John Carreyrou - The definitive book on the Theranos scandal (2018)Elizabeth Holmes Wikipedia page - Complete biography and timelineUnited States v. Elizabeth A. Holmes Wikipedia page - Full trial details and verdictSunny Balwani Wikipedia page - Holmes' co-defendant and former partnerBBC News coverage - "Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes loses fraud appeal" (2025)People Magazine prison interview - Elizabeth Holmes breaks her silence from prison (2025)People Magazine current status - "Where Is Elizabeth Holmes Now?" (2024)The Dropout Hulu series - Amanda Seyfried's Emmy-winning portrayal (2022)The Inventor HBO documentary - "Out for Blood in Silicon Valley" trailer (2019)ABC News documentary series - "The Story of Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos" complete coverageJust The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Produced and hosted by Rosie Waterland. Produced and edited by James Joseph. Additional production support by Kate Leaver and Hayley Staveley, along with Acast legends Guy Scott Wilson and Simon McDermott. Production Assistant: PocketLooking for Breakin’ Nooz? It drops on every Tuesday, along with a whole lot of other bonus audio, video and behind the scenes content, which you can access for just a couple of bucks via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Subscriptions. Follow Just The Gist on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube @JustTheGistPodcast  and Rosie at @RosieWaterlandEmail us at hello@justthegist.com.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1912, four-year-old Bobby Dunbar vanished during a family fishing trip to Swayze Lake in Louisiana, sparking a massive eight-month search. When authorities found a boy matching Bobby's description in Mississippi with traveling handyman William Walters, the Dunbar family claimed him as their son. But another woman, Julia Anderson, recognised the boy's picture in the paper and insisted he was actually her son Bruce. After a sensational trial, the court awarded the child to the Dunbars, and he lived his entire life as Bobby Dunbar. But nearly a century later, DNA testing revealed the shocking truth.We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:Disappearance of Bobby Dunbar Wikipedia page - Complete case details and DNA revelationThis American Life episode - "The Ghost of Bobby Dunbar" comprehensive investigation (2008)This American Life transcript - Full episode transcript with all detailsMedium retrospective - "The Disappearance of Bobby Dunbar: The story of the missing boy who was replaced with another" (2020)Newspapers.com clipping - "But where is Bobby?" vintage newspaper coverage (2019)A Case for Solomon book - Tal McThenia and Margaret Dunbar Cutright's definitive account (2012)BuzzFeed Unsolved episode - "The Bizarre Disappearance of Bobby Dunbar" (2018)History by Day analysis - "Who Was Bobby Dunbar? A Century-Old Case Finally Solved" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Remembered for being one of the most famous murderers of the 20th century, there's not many people who don't know about Charles Manson and the Sharon Tate/LaBianca murders. But it tends to be one of those topics everybody assumes they know everything about, until they hear the bizarre details. Did you know that Manson didn't actually kill movie star Sharon Tate himself, or any of the victims that 'The Manson Family' are most known for slaughtering? Or that Charles Manson was good friends with The Beach Boys, to the point where one of his songs even ended up on one of their albums? Or that the public were so fascinated with him that he was put on the cover of Rolling Stone?It's a famous story that's been told a gazillion times, but there's way more crazy 'impress your friends at a dinner party' details in this one than you think.We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:The AMAZING 'Charles Manson's Hollywood' series of the 'You Must Remember This' podcast by Karina Longworth: http://www.youmustrememberthispodcast.com/episodes…This bestselling book considered one of the definitive texts about it all:'Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson' by Jeff Guinn: https://www.amazon.com.au/Manson-Life-Times-Charle…'Helter Skelter' by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry - probably the most famous book about Manson, written by the lawyer who prosecuted him:https://www.amazon.com/Helter-Skelter-Story-Manson…The Rolling Stone cover story from 1970 'Charles Manson: The Incredible Story of the Most Dangerous Man Alive': https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/…Charles Manson's first televised prison interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbW0agGFv88Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Produced and hosted by Rosie Waterland. Produced and edited by James Joseph. Additional production support by Kate Leaver and Hayley Staveley, along with Acast legends Guy Scott Wilson and Simon McDermott. Production Assistant: PocketLooking for Breakin’ Nooz? It drops on every Tuesday, along with a whole lot of other bonus audio, video and behind the scenes content, which you can access for just a couple of bucks via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Subscriptions. Follow Just The Gist on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube @JustTheGistPodcast. Follow Rosie in all the places at @RosieWaterlandWant to give us a SuGISTion? Email us at hello@justthegist.com.auDon’t forget to follow and give us 5 stars, which means something apparently! Thank you, as always, for Gistening. Now go say something impressive at a dinner party. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was supposed to be the biggest streaming service the world had ever seen. Launched in 2020 by industry heavyweights Jeffrey Katzenberg (the former head of Dreamworks) and Meg Whitman (former CEO of Ebay), Quibi was expected to end up bigger than Netflix and Youtube combined. It had two billion dollars invested in it and the biggest talent in the world - everyone from Reese Witherspoon to Steven Spielberg - was making shows for it. Yet just six months after launching, the streamer shut down, becoming the second biggest start-up failure in history - behind only Theranos. So what the hell happened to Quibi - the biggest streaming service you’ve never heard of?We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:Quibi Wikipedia page - Complete company history and timelineThe Wall Street Journal investigation - "Quibi Was Supposed to Revolutionize Hollywood. Here's Why It Failed" (2020)The Verge's comprehensive breakdown - "11 reasons why Quibi crashed and burned in less than a year" (2020)Deadline's exclusive shutdown interview - Jeffrey Katzenberg & Meg Whitman detail decision to shut down (2020)Forbes analysis - "The Fatal Miscalculation That Doomed Katzenberg And Whitman's Streamer" (2020)NBC News post-mortem - "A look at why Quibi failed so soon after launching" (2020)BBC behind-the-scenes report - "Quibi: Why did the video app go so wrong?" (2020)The Guardian's cautionary tale - "They built it, but people did not come: the cautionary tale of Quibi" (2020)Entrepreneur's marketing analysis - "What Can Marketers Learn From Quibi's Failure?" (2020)The Media Moment's post-mortems - "What Went Wrong For Quibi: The Post-Mortems" (2020)Quibi Super Bowl commercial - The expensive ad that confused everyone (2020)Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Produced and hosted by Rosie Waterland. Produced and edited by James Joseph. Additional production support by Kate Leaver and Hayley Staveley, along with Acast legends Guy Scott Wilson and Simon McDermott. Production Assistant: PocketSubscribe to The Gistener Club on Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Subscriptions.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2012, a six-year-old beauty pageant contestant named Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson became America's most controversial reality TV star, thanks to her 'Go-Go Juice' and brilliant catchphrases like "A dollar makes me HOLLAR (Honey Boo Boo Child)!" What started as an appearance on TLC's Toddlers & Tiaras turned into the phenomenon reality show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, following Alana's entire family in rural Georgia - including Mama June Shannon, Sugar Bear, Chickadee, Chubbs and Pumpkin. But behind the viral memes and record-breaking ratings was a dark story of family dysfunction, drug addiction, and financial abuse. The show was abruptly canceled in 2014 amid major family scandals that shocked America. Now in her twenties, Alana Thompson has narrated a revealing 2025 Lifetime movie called 'I Was Honey Boo Boo', exposing the disturbing truth about what really happened behind the cameras - and where everyone in the infamous Honey Boo Boo family has ended up today.CW: This episode includes some brief discussion (without any detail) of sexual abuse. We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:This article from The Hollywood Reporter Here Comes Honey Boo Boo review from The A.V. ClubThis article from Los Angeles Times Here Comes Honey Boo Boo Wikipedia pageShannon family Wikipedia pageAsk Dr. Drew podcast Alana's recent interview on Barely Famous Podcast Alana's TikTokLifetime's 2025 biopic Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Produced and hosted by Rosie Waterland. Produced and edited by James Joseph. Additional production support by Kate Leaver and Hayley Staveley, along with Acast legends Guy Scott Wilson and Simon McDermott. Production Assistant: PocketLooking for Breakin’ Nooz? It drops on every Tuesday, along with a whole lot of other bonus audio, video and behind the scenes content, which you can access for just a couple of bucks via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Subscriptions. Follow Just The Gist on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube @JustTheGistPodcast. Follow Rosie in all the places at @RosieWaterlandWant to give us a SuGISTion? Email us at hello@justthegist.com.auDon’t forget to follow and give us 5 stars, which means something apparently! Thank you, as always, for Gistening. Now go say something impressive at a dinner party. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.