Tell Me a Hoax

It's the holidays so naturally thoughts turn to microplastics and the Barbie Liberation Organization! We discuss their latest hoax where they spoof Mattel, announce EcoWarrior Barbie, and fool the press. We also, of course, talk about the Barbie movie. Support the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!

Did the BBC broadcast a real ghost haunting on Halloween 1992? Nope, it was a hoax. Before The Blair Witch Project, there was Ghostwatch. We discuss horror films, mockumentaries, BBC personalities, the found footage genre, and ghosts. Support the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!

Did Roy Johnson, the coach at the center of HBO's documentary BS High, call us after our Bishop Sycamore  episode? Yep. That's not a hoax. Support the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!

It's a bird...it's a plane...it's a hoax! Did the Heene's think they had accidentally launched their son in a UFO-shaped balloon into the sky, which turned into a more than an hour chase involving the police and National Guard helicopters? Or was this a publicity stunt to launch their upcoming Wife Swap episode and their reality TV ambitions? SourcesSupport the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!

Craig created new co-hosts using AI, and Sarah is not happy about it. Join us as we discuss stock voices, AI information, James Frey, authenticity, and whether Sarah will take a vow of silence. Support the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!

Love or hate those biker shorts, Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus got the short end of the lip-syncing scandal. Join us to talk pop star authenticity, grunge, Frank Farian, the MTV reveal, the press conference, and how big a fan girl Sarah is. SourcesSupport the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!

We let AI take the wheel. We asked ChatGPT to create an episode on AI generated hoaxes. Instead, it lured us into an audio drama full of twists and turns. We talk about the AI threat, real or imagined. Also discussed: the identity of the Code Master and bunny suits. Tell Me a Hoax, where truth is just a riddle away.Support the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!

Did people in 1835 think there were bipedal beavers on the moon? I mean, some of them might have, but that was thanks to the Great Moon Hoax pulled off by  Richard Adams Locke. And boy was Edgar Allan Poe mad about it, thinking Locke had copied his earlier moon hoax. We get into it. But it's not all fun and games as we also look at Kevin Young's reading of the hoax's racial context. SourcesSupport the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!

What can a fake high school football team tell us about inequity? Sadly a lot. We discuss the Varsity Blues scandal, IMG Academy, and Roy Johnson. SourcesSupport the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!

Want to learn the rules of summer camp pranking? You’ll have to listen to us get in summer mode first as we reflect back on the hoaxes of the year so far and decide what’s the best, the worst, and the weirdest. Special guest Momo. And there will be tarts! Support the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!

What happened on Berners Street? For one day, 54 Berners Street became the most talked about residence in all of London. Join us as we talk about the nature of memory, pranks, Theodore Hook, and the invention of the postcard. Also, there are tarts and horse dung. SourcesSupport the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!

Learn how to become a super successful rock star! Or not so much. Join us for the fake band Threatin who toured Europe, or tried to, with no following, no record deal, and possibly no clue. We discuss a love story, hair, and sibling rivalry. SourcesSupport the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!

Surprise! It's an April Fools' Day holiday special where we talk about the origins of April Fools, Sarah confesses to being an evil person, and Craig confesses to being lukewarm on pranks. Also we discuss love languages for some reason. And, of course, Happy Birthday, Rick Pryll!SourcesSupport the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!

Would Jane Austen be published today? That's the question David Lassman asks in this hoax. Our question is what's up with asking this question. We talk about the publishing industry, including some of the thankless parts. Plus learn about The Circle of Sappho. SourcesSupport the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!

Wanna see a body? What if the body is an alien? What if it's being cut up? What if the autopsy is hosted by  William Riker from Star Trek: The Next Generation and was the center of the 1995 "documentary" Alien Autopsy: (fact or fiction?), which aired on Fox?  SourcesSupport the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!

Did Rosie Ruiz win the Boston Marathon? Sure, only thing is she hardly ran any of it. Join us as we discuss marathon cheating, Kip Litton, bib mules, Katherine Switzer, and of course racism and misogyny. In honor of Rosie Ruiz, just download it and skip to the end. SourcesSupport the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!

You've heard about TikTok's many problems, like the spying, the effects on attention, the indoctrination, but have you heard about the hoaxes? We play the game "Is This a TikTok Hoax?" Join us as we also talk about Elon Musk, attenuation, and of course Joe Biden's earlobes. Support the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!

The clowns came for us in 2016! The only thing is there were no clowns. Join us as we discuss scary clowns, the history of clowns, creepy clown pranks, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Stephen King's It, Gags the Clown, and of course juggalos. SourcesSupport the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!

Is Momo coming to get your kids? Nope, it's a hoax. Join us to discuss all the fun stuff like Satanists, moral panics, challenge culture, suicide, techno anxiety, and of course, body positivity for monsters.If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis, 988 provides connection to free, confidential support. There is HOPE. The Lifeline WORKS. For 24/7 confidential support, just call, text, or chat 988.SourcesSupport the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!

Will we teach you the most amazing holiday prank? Of course, you can trust us. Along the way, we will take this time of year to reflect back on the hoaxes we've already covered, like the Cardiff Giant, Birds Aren't Real, and Naked Came the Stranger. We make hoax-related New Year's resolutions. One of us brought gifts! There will be incrimination,  unwrapping ASMR, and gaslighting, you know, a holiday! Most Amazing Holiday PrankSupport the showYou can now support us by joining Tell Me a Hoax + and help grow the podcast! Our WebsiteThanks to poet and songwriter Morri Creech for our theme music!Thanks to Mel Clayton for our art!