Nine Podcasts About Women Behaving Badly

Domestic terrorism, scams, cults, bad love affairs and murder—all these have become the stuff of podcasts, and for nine of my favorite series, women have taken the lead, all with a layered premise. Whatever evil may or may not have transpired, there is always a complicated past behind it. These podcasts all explore women’s deep, dark secrets.
Not a Very Good Murderer (Audible)
While this had me at Ronan Farrow reporting—it is Cece Doane’s story that kept me hooked. She’s a wealthy socialite in Paradise Valley, Arizona who also allegedly concocted murder plots against two of her husbands. Her wild past, wealthy lifestyle and the trouble she makes along the way is absolutely fascinating. Farrow gets all the good tea from her decades of bad behavior, and Doane’s story will be turned into a documentary next year.
The Drop Out
Elizabeth Holmes and her start up company, Theranos, was the darling of Silicon Valley. The promise of a simple blood test seemed like it could change the way the medical industry works. ABC News’s Rebecca Jarvis breaks down how the woman once celebrated as the next Steve Jobs found herself serving an 11-year sentence in federal prison. And in a recent twist, her husband is raising millions for a new biotech testing startup, and she is consulting with him from prison.
Debutante (Audible)
Carole Howe is a socialite, debutante and adopted daughter of an extremely wealthy family who was associated with domestic terrorists like Timothy McVeigh. He was tried, convicted and executed for carrying out the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. But did he act alone? Host Jon Ronson seeks to find out if Carole was an advocate or maybe even an FBI informant. Host and Journalist Jon Ronson recently released an update on Carole with new, fascinating information since the series was released in 2023.
Three
A trio of female best friends head to the Appalachian woods for some fun, but only two come back. This is the story of teen cruelty and angst and how social media keeps bad-behavior receipts. The situation rocks the community and continues to horrify everyone close to it. With Gen Z internet culture and important shows like Adolescence, this series feels more relevant than ever.
Scamanda
Amanda is a one woman “Make A Wish” enterprise—a Christian influencer with cancer whose blog provides daily life inspirations and solicits donations to help others. But of course, things aren’t what they seem when friends and online fans are fleeced out of a lot of money. There’s a Hulu/ABC documentary series on Amanda, but the podcast is where it all started, and it’s much better.