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SNAFU with Ed Helms

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SNAFU with Ed Helms, America’s favorite podcast about history’s greatest screwups, returns for Season 4 with even more SNAFUs - one per episode, to be precise. And this time around, Ed ropes in a cavalcade of smart, hilarious guests to help unpack what these blunders, fiascos and faceplants say about who we are (spoiler: we’re basically just toddlers with nukes). Think of it as part history lesson, part hangout pod, and part group therapy for humanity.

Watch on YouTube at www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod. And check out the SNAFU book at www.snafu-book.com.

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24 episodes
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Avg 41 min
English

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September 23 · 38 min
Snafu Season 2: Episode 2: Want to come to a party?
This week, we’ve got Episode 2 of our Second season of SNAFU: MEDBURG. It’s about the citizen activist burglary in Media Pennsylvania. Get it? MEDBURG is a little portmanteau. Love those things. On this episode, we hear about the team behind this courageous act. How did it all come together? And how did they stay anonymous for decades afterward? Listen to the full season wherever you get your podcasts. This is SNAFU Season 2, Episode 2: "Want to come to a party?" See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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September 16 · 32 min
Snafu Season 2: Episode 1: The Citizens Commission to Investigate the FBI
This week’s throwback release: SNAFU Season 2, Episode 1 – about a little known group of ragtag activists who, in 1971, decided to burglarize an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania, revealing some incredibly shady wrongdoing at the highest levels J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI. Yes, a HEIST OF THE FBI! What could be more exciting? Listen to the full season wherever you get your podcasts. This is Episode 1 of SNAFU Season 2: "The Citizens Commission to Investigate the FBI" See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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August 19 · 39 min
Favorite Story Reveals & Twists
This week on SNAFU - it's the most exciting Story Reveals and narrative twists from Season 4 - Like the story of the Azores Glider with Adam Scott where we heard the tale of Robert Piche and the incredible tactics he used to save an entire plane of passengers as they ran out of fuel over the Atlantic Ocean. Or Sophia Bush’s reaction to the revelation that Pablo Picasso might have been involved in an art heist of The Mona Lisa?? Or Jon Lovett’s hilarious Survivor-adjacent ruminations on the tragic tale of the Donner Party? It’s a massive episode filled to the brim with all my favorite “SNAFU Story Reveals and Twists” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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August 12 · 35 min
Comedians: Ed’s Funniest Friends
Ed's funniest guests shine in this week's compilation episode - whether it was Nick Kroll waxing poetic about his family puking tuna sandwiches on a deep sea fishing trip, or Jenny Slate telling us how susceptible she is to cults, or Jordan Klepper reflecting on Donald Trump’s desperate need for a hug. It's the best of the comedians of SNAFU, so listen, laugh and enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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August 5 · 32 min
Primo Podcasters: My Favorite Murder, Bowen Yang and More
Podcast lovers, this one's for you! We've compiled the best clips from our favorite podcasting celebs on Season 4 of SNAFU - Karen Gilgariff and Georgia Hardstark from My Favorite Murder really brought their true-crime sixth sense to our tale of the kidnapping of William Morgan. Robert Evans, the head honcho of the Behind the Bastards Podcast, illuminated the Iran-Contra debacle of the 1980s with such wit and gravitas. And on a slightly more tech-oriented episode, the co-hosts of Hard Fork, Kevin Roose and Casey Newton, provided first hand accounts and reactions to one of Facebook’s most epic blunders. So enjoy these hosts and several more on this week’s compilation episode from Ed's absolute favorite “Primo Podcasters!” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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July 29 · 42 min
RERELEASE: S1E2: Will the Real Evil Empire Please Stand Up?
Today, we have Episode 2 of our first season of SNAFU all about Able Archer 83, the NATO military exercise that almost started a real nuclear war. Last week, you met some of our main characters and heard about 1980’s America where tension with the Soviets was a fact of everyday life and we heard about a dauntless sleuth trying to unearth the SECRET CIA files that reveal the entire Able Archer story. Now, in episode 2, we meet the men keeping it all together – aka avoid a nuclear armageddon. This of course is Ronald Reagan and Yuri Andropov. SIt back and enjoy SNAFU Season 1, Episode 2: "Will the Real Evil Empire Please Stand Up?" See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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July 27 · 46 min
RERELEASE: S1E1: Not All Fun and WarGames
If you’re a new fan of SNAFU and you never listened to our beloved Season 1, then now is the time to tune in for a tale of nuclear dread, traitorous spies, and a war game gone wrong. It was the closest we ever came to nuclear war since the Cuban Missile Crisis – and it’s a story with echoes into the present, especially with rising international tension. We’ll be sharing the second episode later this week, along with all the episodes on YouTube for the first time ever. But you can also go back and listen to the audio on any podcast app. This is Episode 1: “Not All Fun and War Games.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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July 15 · 29 min
Thought Leaders
It's another summer select episode of Ed's favorites! This week, hear from some of the podcasting industry's top minds. Folks like Scott Galloway, Kara Swisher, Jad Abumrad, Adam Grant, Kelly Corrigan, and more. Witness how their brains analyze and envision important cultural events, past and future, in ways both awe-inspiring and hilarious. Tune in for our montage episode of SNAFU's Best "Thought Leaders". See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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July 8 · 38 min
Insights From Ed's Castmates & Collaborators
This summer, to tide you over until our new season arrives, catch special montage episodes brimming with collective nuggets of Snafu-laden wisdom. First up, the most insightful moments from guests who also happened to be Ed's wonderful collaborators on film and tv projects over the years. If you didn’t catch the behind-the-scenes banter before, now is a great time to devour these bite-sized morsels. Featured in this episode: Angela Kinsey, Jenna Fischer, Jake Johnson, Paul Scheer, Mike Schur, and Desi Lydic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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June 16 · 20 min
Mars Orbiter and the Probe to Nowhere
A NASA space probe that lost roughly $25 million because of a… math era? Classic SNAFU! On this week’s special bonus, we revisit a favorite space-related chapters from my book, SNAFU: The Definitive Guide to History’s Greatest Screw-ups. Just in time for Father’s day, this is your gentle reminder that SNAFU makes for a fantastic gift for the history buff, nonfiction reader, or SNAFU podcast super fan. Pick up your copy on any book retailer or at this link: https://www.snafu-book.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S4 · E36
June 10 · 58 min
William Morgan & Our Favorite Murder (with Karen and Georgia of My Favorite Murder)
Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark are True Crime Royalty. They join Ed to unravel the mystery of William Morgan - one of the earliest American missing persons cases with massive political ramifications. Was it a case of bribery or... murder?? Listen to find out what the expert hosts of My Favorite Murder have to say about this eerie case. And stay tuned throughout the summer for updates on more SNAFU goodies! Watch today's episode on our SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S4 · E35
June 3 · 1 hr 1 min
Chappaquiddick & The Real Reason Ted Kennedy Never Became President (with Pete Holmes)
Pete Holmes is Weird. In a good way! He's also a New England native, and perfectly attuned to today's Martha's Vineyard-set SNAFU involving the youngest Kennedy brother, Ted. What happened on the small island of Chappaquiddick, and why did it potentially sink his chances at a future Presidency run? Watch today's episode on our SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S4 · E34
May 27 · 36 min
Behind the Bastards' Robert Evans & The Iran-Contra Arms Dealing Scandal (Part II)
Robert Evans of the Behind the Bastards Podcast is back for Round 2 of the Iran-Contra Scandal. Robert and Ed tee up the uncanny conclusion to this epic saga including some questionable offers of immunity, and unveil whether accountability comes to fruition. (Spoiler alert, it won't.) And don't forget to watch on our SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S4 · E33
May 20 · 37 min
Behind the Bastards' Robert Evans & The Iran-Contra Arms Dealing Scandal (Part I)
Robert Evans is a delightful human. Which makes it so funny that he hosts a hit podcast about the worst people to ever exist! Today, the mastermind of Behind The Bastards Podcast joins Ed to discuss a dastardly scheme in the early 80s involving arms trafficking to Iran, facilitated directly by some of Reagan's top brass. It's the Iran-Contra Affair on part one of this mind-boggling SNAFU. And check out our SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S4 · E32
May 13 · 33 min
Cambridge Analytica: Facebook's Big Data Scandal - Part II (with Kevin Roose and Casey Newton)
The unraveling web of deceipt continues in the Facebook Data Scandal. Our guests, Kevin Roose and Casey Newton unveil what Mark Zuckerberg had to say for himself in a one-on-one interview. And what were the ramifications in the wake of the 2016 presidential election? Find out in the thrilling conclusion of this week's SNAFU. Don't forget to subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod Buy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S4 · E31
May 6 · 34 min
Cambridge Analytica, Part I (with Kevin Roose and Casey Newton)
Kevin Roose and Casey Newton are High-Tech Savants. The co-hosts of the Hard Fork Podcast were on the front lines of the Facebook Data Scandal, and today they help Ed break down just how much of your data (yes, you dear listener!) was leaked and misused for political purposes. Find out what laws Cambridge Analytica broke in today's tech-heavy SNAFU. Don't forget to subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod Buy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S4 · E30
April 29 · 30 min
SNAFU's Hottest Takes & Biggest Laughs
It's a special "Best Of" SNAFU! From Nick Kroll's raucous family sea voyage, to Jenny Slate's casual susceptibility to cults, Ed selects his favorite, spiciest hot takes from this season's array of guests. Enjoy a fun romp through the last six months, and stay tuned for a hint at what's to come! Don't forget to subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod Buy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S4 · E29
April 22 · 44 min
Tulip Mania: The World's First Financial Bubble (with Bowen Yang)
Bowen Yang is an unwitting student of Dutch Economics. This week, Bowen joins Ed on a journey to 17th century Netherlands, where they help burst one of history's first ever economic bubbles, known today as Tulip-Mania. You thought NFT's were crazy, but did you know one Tulip bulb in 1637 could purchase an entire HOUSE? Find out what wilted this mad tulip fever, and don't forget to subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod Buy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S4 · E28
April 15 · 46 min
Revisiting the Prohibition Era (Ext. Interview with Terence Winter of Boardwalk Empire)
Welcome to another Bonus Episode of SNAFU! On Season 2, we discovered an eerie plot to poison the nation's alcohol; the government's last ditch effort to quell consumption and protect Prohibition. For color commentary, Ed brought in the preeminent producer, writer and showrunner, Terence Winter - the man behind HBO's Boardwalk Empire. With a heavy dose of wit and New York flare, Terry and Ed touch upon the fashion, ideologies and mishaps of the 1920s, whilst peeking behind the curtain of Hollywood productions. Enjoy Ed's conversation with Terry Winter and we'll be back with new episodes next Wednesday. Subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod Buy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S4 · E27
April 8 · 58 min
Who Killed Charles Francis Hall? The Polaris Expedition's Arctic Whodunnit (with Jad Abumrad)
Jad Abumrad is the definition of inquisitive. As the creator of hit shows RadioLab and Fela Kuti: Fear No Man, Jad has the innate ability to calculate idionsyncrasies, question the peculiar, and posit grand deductions. Perfect for this week's Murder Mystery of a SNAFU. Ed leads Jad on a tangled journey to the Arctic, where late 19th Century explorer Charles Francis Hall fell fatally ill. Was it the unforgiving tundra, or was there something more sinister afoot? Don your detective deerstalker alongside Jad as he tries to unravel this week's SNAFU WHODUNNIT! And watch this week's episode on the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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