Todd Purdum joins Zach to unpack Desi Arnaz’s wild arc: raised like a prince in Cuba, exiled at 16 by revolution, hustling in Miami, inventing the conga craze, then conquering Broadway and Hollywood with Lucille Ball. We dig into trauma that fueled his genius, the invention of the three-camera sitcom, catching "Lightning In A Bottle" with I Love Lucy, womanizing, marriage cracks and goodbyes, and the fingerprints Desi left on modern television. Guest bio: Todd S. Purdum is a veteran journalist and author whose forty-year career has spanned The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Politico, and The Atlantic. He’s covered everything from city hall to the White House, served as diplomatic correspondent and Los Angeles bureau chief, and written definitive books on both Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution and the political drama behind the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He is the author of 'Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television.'

On this episode of The Zach Show, Mick West joins Zach to trace how modern conspiracies form from the Charlie Kirk assassination to UFO lore. They examine social media speed, projection of political fears, and AI’s role in amplifying falsehoods such as Grok inventing quotes about the Kirk assassination. Mick shows why high-resolution footage often fails to stop speculation, how theories evolve like viruses, and why people prefer simple enemies. The conversation moves into an analysis of the recent 'Hellfire Missile Vs. UFO' video presented in Congress, parallax, thermal contrast, provenance problems, how misperception fools even the most experienced pilots, and more. Guest bio: Mick West is a science writer, debunker, and founder of Metabunk.org. Author of Escaping the Rabbit Hole, he specializes in unraveling conspiracy theories and UFO claims. A former video game programmer, Mick co-founded Neversoft and helped create Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater before becoming the internet’s go-to UFO skeptic.

Leaked audio from Israel’s former chief of military intelligence, Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, reveals him saying “50,000 dead in Gaza is necessary” and that Palestinians “need a Nakba” to learn the cost of resistance. In this conversation, genocide scholar Omer Bartov unpacks the implications: the blurred line between war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and genocide; the whataboutisms comparing Gaza to WWII bombings; and U.S. complicity through its weapons pipeline. We also explore how Holocaust memory has been wielded as shield and sword, whether Zionism can be salvaged, and the paradox of a state born from genocide now accused of committing one. Guest bio: Omer Bartov is a historian and genocide scholar at Brown University, specializing in Holocaust studies, genocide, and modern warfare. Born in Israel, he has written extensively on the Holocaust in Eastern Europe and ethnic violence, and is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on genocide.

Genocide scholar Omer Bartov joins The Zach Show for part 1 of this conversation to explain why, by May 2024, it was “no longer possible to deny” Israel’s genocidal intent in Gaza. We dig into the Rafah operation, the systematic destruction of homes, hospitals, and schools, bulldozers flattening entire neighborhoods, mass starvation, and leaders invoking biblical calls to wipe out Amalek. Bartov lays out how operational patterns + explicit statements reveal genocide, raising haunting questions about U.S. complicity and the future of Palestinians.

In this episode of The Zach Show, award-winning journalist Philip Shenon, author of Jesus Wept, takes us inside the Vatican’s most turbulent century. From Pope Pius XII’s meeting with Hitler and his controversial silence during the Holocaust, to Pope John XXIII’s revolutionary Vatican II reforms, we trace the Church’s battles over power, mercy, and truth. Shenon unpacks Hans Küng’s assault on papal infallibility, the decades-long rivalry with Joseph Ratzinger, and explosive evidence tying John Paul II and Benedict XVI to global abuse cover-ups. We also explore the Vatican’s Cold War alliance with the CIA, Francis’s “Who am I to judge?” moment, and whether Vatican Intelligence still plays in the shadows.

What does it really take to disappear in 2025? In this episode, we dive into the surreal world of extreme-privacy consultants, people who charge tens of thousands to make you untraceable. From 191 virtual debit cards to fake dogs and burner phones in Faraday bags, these modern-day Disappearers help CEOs, crypto millionaires, and paranoid civilians vanish from the grid. But in a world where your face, heartbeat, and mouse movements can be tracked, is total privacy even possible anymore? This isn’t James Bond, it’s much weirder.

As the DOJ now claims no Epstein client list exists and Epstein-related files remain sealed, we’re re-releasing one of the most explosive interviews we’ve ever done. This is Part 2 of our deep dive with investigative journalist Nick Bryant, originally recorded in October 2024. Nick connects Epstein’s rise, from college dropout to Mossad-linked blackmailer, to the Franklin Scandal he spent years uncovering. We break down Epstein’s intelligence ties, the blackmail network, and the eerie parallels to the Diddy case. With media silence and official denial louder than ever, this episode cuts through the noise and exposes the machinery still working to bury the truth.

Professor Sander van der Linden’s fascination with misinformation traces back to his own family’s scars under Nazism, a regime that perfected propaganda so insidious it seeped invisibly into everyday life. In his award-winning book Foolproof, van der Linden argues that misinformation is a psychological virus, spreading through minds the way a biological virus hijacks cells. From Third Reich leaflets to modern algorithms, the tools have evolved, but the core infection remains the same: exploiting our mental shortcuts and illusions of truth. As the Capitol riots show, unchecked lies can kill. Van der Linden’s mission is urgent: to build psychological vaccines that inoculate society from misinformation before deepfakes, AI, and data-hungry platforms unleash the next generation of invisible propaganda and push us past the point of no return. Guest bio: Professor Sander van der Linden is a Cambridge social psychologist and award-winning author of Foolproof. He pioneered the concept of “psychological vaccines” against misinformation, advises governments and tech companies worldwide, and his research has shaped global strategies to combat fake news, conspiracy theories, and the growing threat of deepfakes. Van der Linden is the Professor of Social Psychology in Society in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge and Director of the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab.

Otis Brown III didn’t just grow up around music, he was shaped by it. With a father who drummed for legends like James Brown and Al Green, and a mother who was a classically trained pianist and choir director, Otis was raised in a home where rhythm and soul were a way of life. In this episode, we trace Otis’s journey from early church gigs to Donald Byrd’s midnight mentorship and on to stages with Esperanza Spalding and Robert Glasper. He breaks down his debut album, The Thought of You, the emotional power of drumming, and the unique pressure of leading a band. We also unpack Whiplash, the dark side of music education, and whether greatness comes from obsession, or in spite of it. Plus: his take on Kendrick Lamar, jazz-meets-hip-hop fusion, and the rhythms that speak louder than words. Guest bio: Otis Brown is a Grammy-nominated jazz drummer, composer, and recording artist who is a go-to session and touring sideman. He's studied under jazz icon Donald Byrd and trained at The New School. He’s performed with Joe Lovano, Esperanza Spalding, and Gerald Clayton, known for his expressive playing, deep humility, and dedication to elevating music with soul and purpose.

What does it take to bring down the most powerful drug lord in modern history? In this gripping episode, DEA Special Agent Steve Murphy, one of the agents who helped take down Pablo Escobar, joins me to unpack the truth behind the manhunt that inspired Netflix’s Narcos. From gunfights in Miami and undercover stings gone sideways, to the 18-month chase through Colombia with a $300,000 bounty on his head, Murphy shares firsthand stories that the cameras never captured. We dive into his early years, the real DEA-CIA turf wars, Los Pepes, Escobar’s cocaine superlabs, and the moral cost of a decades-long drug war. Guest bio: Steve Murphy is a former DEA Special Agent best known for helping track down Pablo Escobar. He’s the co-author of Manhunters: How We Took Down Pablo Escobar and co-host of the podcast Game of Crimes, where he unpacks real-life criminal investigations with raw insight and first-hand experience.

What really happened the night of the Breonna Taylor raid? In this episode, retired Louisville Sergeant John Mattingly shares his firsthand experience from the 2020 police operation that became a national flashpoint. Shot in the leg during the raid that left Breonna Taylor dead, Mattingly takes us beyond the headlines and social media narratives. From his upbringing in Portland, Louisville, to the pivotal moments that led him to a 20-year career in law enforcement, Mattingly recounts the intensity of working narcotics, shifting street dynamics, and the mental toll of policing a city on edge. We go deep into the night of the raid, what the warrant said, how entry unfolded, and the seconds before the first shot. Mattingly discusses the aftermath: public outrage, personal trauma, and even a $50,000 bounty allegedly placed on officers’ heads. He also reflects on the broader failures of law enforcement training, public perception, and media framing. Guest bio: John Mattingly is a retired Louisville Metro Police Sergeant with over 20 years in law enforcement, including high-risk narcotics work and undercover ops. He is the author of 12 Seconds in the Dark, his firsthand account of the Breonna Taylor raid.

On this episode of The Zach Show, Adam Butler and Zach discuss DMT, the psychedelic molecule that saved Adam's life. From suicidal despair in the desert to conversations with God, demons, and dimensional beings, Adam recounts his transformation through DMT with brutal honesty and poetic grit. We unpack the “Miracle Molecule” from every angle: the effects of endogenous DMT, why it shows up at birth and death, its role in altered states, and what happens when you smoke, drink, or breathe your way into it. Adam shares his thoughts on DMT as a tool for shadow work, transcendental sex, artistic creativity, and spiritual rebirth. We also examine the fine line between mysticism and madness, and why he believes DMT is not just a drug, but a key to consciousness itself. Whether you’re a seasoned psychonaut or a curious skeptic, this conversation will challenge your assumptions about reality, identity, and the nature of the soul. Guest Bio: Adam Butler is a psychedelic philosopher and passionate DMT psychonaut focusing on mental health, neuroplasticity, self-exploration, and the extreme limits of human potential and ability. He is the author of 'Butler's DMT Field Guide: A Brief History, Step-by-Step Recipes, and Personal Experiences From a DMT Saturated Consciousness'

On this episode of The Zach Show, Zach sits down with Dr. Jose Loiaza and Dr. Julie Labau to discuss mosquito-borne disease, the biggest myths about mosquitoes, whether we're on the brink of a supervirus pandemic, a recent research expedition to the Darien Gap, climate change, the origin of the coronavirus, Trump's threats to take over the Panama canal, and more.

On this episode of The Zach Show, Jim Mahaffey and Zach discuss how Jim became fascinated with nuclear history, the most infamous atomic weapons smuggler of all time, the high-risk environment of The Manhattan Project, what really went wrong at Chernobyl, a perfect explanation of what happened at Roswell, Cold Fusion, whether a nuclear powered Iron Man suit would actually be feasible, the connection between UFOs and nukes, and more.

On this solo episode of The Zach Show, Zach discusses the infamous Rendlesham Forest UFO Encounter, the much less discussed first-hand witness accounts of the UFO visiting the nuclear storage facility with live tactical nukes, the radar readings of the crafts from the encounter, the case for UAP transparency, the future of humanity as a species not alone in this universe, and more.

On this episode of The Zach Show, Julie and Zach discuss Black Swan, more specifically the twisted journey of Nina's descent into madness, the erotic rivalry that unfolded between Lily and Nina, fan theories on the film, the price of perfection, and more. Guest bio: Dr. Julie Labau is a research scientist for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute with a PhD in neuroscience.

On this episode of The Zach Show, Chris Cooper and Zach discuss Chris' debut fiction novel 'Crazy By Conscious,' how Chris saved his brother's life in the hospital, the philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurti, the collapse of Bed Bath & Beyond, Chris' firsthand New Jersey drone/UAP experience, and more.

On this episode of The Zach Show, Annette Nenner and Christian Hardinghaus discuss the disappearance of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon on the infamous Pianista Trail in Panama, the case analysis and elements of the disappearance that don't match up, the photos recovered from the SD card, accident versus crime theories, whether this case was covered up by Panamanian authorities, and more.

On this episode of The Zach Show, Brittany King and Zach discuss John Lewis and his courageous actions during the Civil Rights Movement, the driving forces behind the polarization of America, the outrage sparked by Ta Nehisi Coates' interview on CBS, Brittany's journey back towards God, and more. Guest Bio: Brittany King is a writer, essayist, and journalist. She is the founder of Yellow Seeds Magazine and the host of American Shade with Brittany King.

On this episode of The Zach Show, Michael Clune discusses his eleven-year long year battle with heroin use, his double life between the streets of Baltimore and the college classroom, the "magic" of the first time, which films depict heroin addiction most realistically, good times with 'Fun Boy,' the long road of recovery, advice for addicts, standup comedy, the realities of the fentanyl crisis, and more. Guest bio: Michael Clune is the award-winning author of 'White Out: The Secret Life Of Heroin' and a Professor of Humanities at Case Western Reserve University. Michael's essays have appeared in Harper’s—where he is a contributing editor—Critical Inquiry, Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The Atlantic, Best American Essays, PMLA, and elsewhere. His work has been supported by fellowships from the Guggenheim and Mellon Foundations, and his books have appeared on “best of the year” lists from The New Yorker, NPR, and elsewhere.