''My Favorite Murder'' is a weekly true crime comedy

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...

hosted by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

comedians

Karen Kilgariff Karen Kilgariff (born May 11, 1970 in Petaluma, California) is an American writer, comedian, singer, author, actress, television producer, and podcast host. She began her career as a stand up comedian in the early 1990s and later became a televis ...

and

Georgia Hardstark Georgia Hardstark (born June 8, 1980) is an American television host and podcast personality. She is the co-host of the true crime-comedy podcast '' My Favorite Murder'' along with comedian Karen Kilgariff. In 2018, Hardstark and Kilgariff co-fou ...

. The first episode was released in January 2016. The podcast debuted at #25 on the iTunes podcast charts and peaked at #3 on April 27, 2018. Weekly episodes regularly land within the iTunes' Top 10 Comedy Podcast chart. As of 2020, the podcast gets 35 million downloads per month.

History

Kilgariff and Hardstark met at a

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

party in 2015 where Kilgariff was describing a violent car accident she had witnessed at

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. Hardstark approached Kilgariff, finding they had a shared interest in true crime. Prior to the podcast, Kilgariff was best known for her stand-up, which included singing and playing guitar to original comedic songs. Kilgariff also previously worked on ''

Mr. Show ''Mr. Show with Bob and David'', also known as ''Mr. Show'', is an American sketch comedy series starring and hosted by Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. It aired on HBO from November 3, 1995, to December 28, 1998. Cross and Odenkirk introduced m ...

'', ''

The Pete Holmes Show ''The Pete Holmes Show'' is an American late-night talk show starring comedian Pete Holmes. It aired Monday through Thursday at midnight on TBS, from October 28, 2013 until June 18, 2014. The show was atypical among late-night talk shows for havi ...

'', and ''

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''. Hardstark co-hosted the shows ''Drinks With Alie and Georgia'' and ''Slumber Party with Alie and Georgia'' with previous collaborator

Alie Ward Alison Ann "Alie" Ward (born November 6, 1976) is an American writer, actress, and television and podcast host. Born in California, Ward graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a degree in cinema. In 2016, she won an Emmy ...

. In January 2016, Kilgariff and Hardstark released their first episode of ''My Favorite Murder'' with

Feral Audio Feral Audio was an independent podcast network and production company, founded in 2012 as a podcasting collective by Dustin Marshall after Dustin left Earwolf. Feral launched from Executive Producer's Shadi Petosky's apartment in Franklin Village ...

, where they discussed the cases of JonBenét Ramsey and the

Golden State Killer Joseph James DeAngelo Jr. (born November 8, 1945) is an American serial killer, sex offender, burglar, and former police officer who committed at least 13 murders, 51 rapes, and 120 burglaries across California between 1974 an ...

. Shortly thereafter, ''My Favorite Murder'' appeared on an episode of the

Cracked Cracked may refer to: Television * ''Cracked'' (British TV series), a 2008 British comedy-drama television series that aired on STV * ''Cracked'' (Canadian TV series), a 2013 Canadian crime drama series that aired on CBC * "Cracked", a Season 8 ( ...

podcast. In June 2016, Steven Ray Morris became the podcast's producer, making his first appearance in Episode 23 "Making A Twenty-Thirderer." In 2017, Feral Audio was shut down following abuse allegations made against the founder. In September 2017, ''My Favorite Murder'' moved to

Midroll Media Stitcher is a media company that specializes in the creation, distribution, and monetization of podcasts. Stitcher creates original shows through networks such as Earwolf and Witness Docs. Stitcher provides ad sales and distribution services to ...

. On November 28, 2018, Kilgariff and Hardstark introduced their new podcast network Exactly Right (named after a phrase often said on the podcast by Kilgariff). In January 2022,

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and

Wondery Wondery is an American podcast network and publisher of numerous award-winning podcasts, including Dirty John, Dr. Death, and The Shrink Next Door. Wondery was founded in 2016 by entrepreneur and media executive Hernan Lopez. The company was lau ...

acquired exclusive rights to the ''My Favorite Murder'' podcast. The acquisition was part of an exclusive ad sales and distribution deal with the podcast's parent network, Exactly Right. The deal stipulated that episodes of ''My Favorite Murder'' and some episodes from other podcasts on the Exactly Right Network will drop one week early on

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and Wondery+ before being released on other podcast platforms.

Format and structure

Kilgariff and Hardstark each select a single murder, true crime story, survivor story, or historical event to recount and discuss. The podcast consists mainly of dialogue between the hosts with one host telling the story and the other host reacting and providing commentary. Episodes were initially thematically based, though this concept was abandoned early in the series. Episodes 1-32 were titled with murder-themed puns and pop culture references. From then on, episode titles were based on jokes from the conversations within the episodes. While the show traditionally consists only of Kilgariff, Hardstark and producer Steven Ray Morris, a few episodes have featured guest appearances. Past guests have included

Guy Branum Guy Branum (born November 12, 1975) is an American comedian, writer, and actor best known as the head writer of, and a sketch performer on, ''X-Play'' on the G4 network and as a regular panelist on ''Chelsea Lately'' on the E! network. He used t ...

, Paul Holes,

Patton Oswalt Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is known as Spence Olchin in the sitcom ''The King of Queens'' (1998–2007) and for narrating the sitcom '' The Goldbergs'' (2013–present) as ...

Bellamy Young Bellamy Young (born Amy Maria Young; February 19, 1970) is an American actress, producer and singer, best known for her role as Melody "Mellie" Grant in the ABC drama series'' Scandal'' (2012–2018). In 2014 for her portrayal of Mellie, she won t ...

Conan O'Brien Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for having hosted late-night talk shows for almost 28 years, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' (19 ...

, and

Cameron Britton Cameron Britton (born ) is an American actor known for his role as Ed Kemper in the Netflix crime drama television series ''Mindhunter'', for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series and ...

, among others. Additionally, ''My Favorite Murder'' has collaborated with other podcasts, including the Cracked podcast, ''

Unqualified ''Unqualified'' is an American advice podcast created and hosted by actress Anna Faris, featuring interviews with celebrities and cultural figures, followed by personal phonecalls to listeners asking for relationship and other advice. It was co- ...

'' with

Anna Faris Anna Kay Faris (; born November 29, 1976) is an American actress. She rose to prominence for her work in comedic roles, particularly the lead part of Cindy Campbell in the ''Scary Movie'' film series (2000–2006). She has appeared in a number o ...

, '' The Dollop'', ''

Harmontown ''Harmontown'' is a comedy podcast that aired live weekly from June 16, 2012 to December 3, 2019. It was hosted by writer Dan Harmon, best known as the creator of the television series ''Community'' and the co-creator of ''Rick and Morty'', along ...

'', and ''Movie Crush''. Karen Kilgariff was also on ''Mother, May I Sleep With Podcast'' in an episode on the movie ''

Flowers in the Attic ''Flowers in the Attic'' is a 1979 Gothic novel by V. C. Andrews. It is the first book in the Dollanganger Series, and was followed by '' Petals on the Wind'', '' If There Be Thorns'', '' Seeds of Yesterday'', '' Garden of Shadows'', '' Christop ...

''. Full episodes are released weekly on Thursdays, ranging in length from 60 to 120 minutes. "Minisodes" are released Mondays, and are typically 30–45 minutes long. Minisodes initially focused solely on the topic of "Hometown Murders," which include listeners' personal connections or experiences with crime submitted via email. Minisodes have since expanded to also include topics such as the paranormal, hidden objects, family secrets,

first responder A first responder is a person with specialized training who is among the first to arrive and provide assistance or incident resolution at the scene of an emergency, such as an accident, disaster, medical emergency, structure fire, crime, or terr ...

stories, or whatever topics the hosts have requested. Kilgariff and Hardstark have both referred to the podcast as a sort of therapy to deal with their own anxieties about true crime. They often discuss common problematic themes in true crime, such as mental illness,

sex work Sex work is "the exchange of sexual services, performances, or products for material compensation. It includes activities of direct physical contact between buyers and sellers as well as indirect sexual stimulation". Sex work only refers to volunt ...

, sexual abuse, religion, women's rights, and

victim's rights Victims' rights are legal rights afforded to victims of crime. These may include the right to restitution, the right to a victims' advocate, the right not to be excluded from criminal justice proceedings, and the right to speak at criminal just ...

. Within the discussion of the crimes, they also discuss personal experiences and anecdotes. These topics often include previous

substance abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...

, rehab,

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Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

sobriety Sobriety is the condition of not having any measurable levels or effects from alcohol or drugs. Sobriety is also considered to be the natural state of a human being at birth. A person in a state of sobriety is considered sober. Organizations o ...

, therapy/mental health,

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...

stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...

, and growing up in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Each episode ends with the hosts saying their catchphrase " Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered." Hardstark then asks her

siamese cat The Siamese cat ( th, แมวไทย, Maeo Thai; แมวสยาม, Maeo Seeaam) is one of the first distinctly recognized breeds of Asian cat. Derived from the Wichianmat landrace, one of several varieties of cat native to Thailand (f ...

Elvis: "Elvis, do you want a cookie?" and he meows into the microphone as the episode ends. After their move to the Exactly Right offices, Hardstark recorded Elvis on her phone at home, and it was then added to the end of the podcast in post-production. Elvis died in December 2020, though his recording is still played after each episode.

Reactions and response

''My Favorite Murder'' was swiftly syndicated beyond the original Feral Audio site to such places as

Google Play Music Google Play Music is a discontinued music and podcast streaming service and an online music locker operated by Google as part of its Google Play line of services. The service was announced on May 10, 2011; after a six-month, invitation-only be ...

and

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

. Media reaction to the program has been largely positive, with the phenomenon of the podcast's rapid popularity documented in many outside sources such as

BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ken ...

, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', ''

Marie Claire ''Marie Claire'' is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937, followed by the United Kingdom in 1941. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on wo ...

'', ''

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'', and ''

Bustle A bustle is a padded undergarment used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles are worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. ...

''. As of October 5, 2016, ''My Favorite Murder'' was #10 on the overall iTunes podcast charts and #1 in the comedy category, and has around 450,000 downloads per episode as well as millions of downloads each month. ''Elle'' invited Hardstark to write about the JonBenét Ramsey case following '' The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey'' to discuss her reaction and share her theories on the case. On February 21, 2017, ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' published the article titled "How a True-Crime Podcast Became a Mental-Health Support Group" which discusses the "Murderino" community built around taking care of yourself, and how stories of murders have come to help listeners exorcize their fears. The show has faced some criticism, notably with regard to their treatment of topics relating to marginalized groups (such as sex workers, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community) as well as factual inaccuracies. Many episodes include a "Corrections Corner" segment to address criticisms or correct inaccuracies from previous episodes. In 2019 Forbes named them #2 on their first-ever ranking of the highest-earning podcasters. In 2019, ''My Favorite Murder'' earned $15 million.

Murderinos and fan cult

''My Favorite Murder'' quickly gained a large fan following, including a

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group with over 200,000 members , and a Facebook fan page with more than 171,000 followers . Of note is the predominance of female listeners and fans, which is consistent with data showing the majority of true crime fans to be female. Fans of the show refer to themselves as "Murderinos," which they define as: "Person with a borderline obsessive interest in true crime, and the specific nature and details of disturbing murders." The term "Murderino" is loosely inspired by a Ned Flanders line from a Halloween episode of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

.'' On April 12, 2018 ''My Favorite Murder'' announced their new platform for fans called the Fan Cult. For a yearly fee, fans are granted access to exclusive merchandise, pre-sale of live show tickets, additional content, and forums. In November 2019, ''My Favorite Murder'' hosted a weekend-long event called ''"''My Favorite Weekend''"'' in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

''I'll Be Gone in the Dark''

'' I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer'' is a true crime book by Michelle McNamara about the

. The book and McNamara's work on the case are frequently discussed in ''My Favorite Murder'', which boasts a large fan base of true crime aficionados. The debut episode of the show ''"''Episode 1: My Firstest Murder''"'' featured the case as well as discussion of McNamara's work. Prior to the arrest, ''"''Episode 115: I'll Be Gone In The Dark at Skylight Books''"'' featured McNamara's widower Patton Oswalt, Paul Haynes, and Billy Jensen discussing the book and their roles in finishing project following McNamara's death. In this episode, Oswalt discusses McNamara's writing process, including making "era-appropriate playlists to help her get into a proper mindset." Oswalt explains finishing of the book as a bittersweet experience: "It’s another part of her that’s kind of gone. In a very a sick way, not having the book done—and us working on it—meant she was still here.” ''"''Episode 118: Golden State Serial Killer Caught''"'' released on April 26, 2018 (immediately after the arrest was made) and featured Billy Jensen discussing the arrest and his work on the book following McNamara's death. ''"''Episode 122: Surprise! It's Paul Holes''"'' featured Billy Jensen and Golden State Killer investigator Paul Holes discussing the case and the impact of McNamara's work. Following their involvement in the Golden State Killer case and McNamara's work, in 2019 Billy Jensen and Paul Holes began a podcast called ''Jensen & Holes: The Murder Squad'', produced through Kilgariff and Hardstark's podcast network Exactly Right.

''Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered''

Hosts Kilgariff and Hardstark co-wrote a book titled ''Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered'' that was released on May 28, 2019, by

Forge Books Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be one of the 'Big Five' English language publi ...

. The book is a dual memoir, framed by their signature focus on true crime. The book title is a reference to the podcast's catchphrase.

Exactly Right Podcast Network

In November 2018, Kilgariff and Hardstark departed from Earwolf and launched the

Exactly Right Podcast Network Exactly Right Podcast Network is an American podcast network founded by Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff in 2018. It produces 16 podcasts including ''My Favorite Murder'' which Hardstark and Kilgariff have co-hosted since 2016. History T ...

. The name of the network is in reference to a phrase often said by Kilgrariff in the show. In addition to producing ''My Favorite Murder'', the network began hosting the pre-existing shows '' The Fall Line'', ''The Purrrcast'', ''

This Podcast Will Kill You ''This Podcast Will Kill You'' is an American podcast hosted by disease ecologists and epidemiologists Erin Welsh and Erin Allmann Updyke. Its first full-length episode was released on October 31, 2017. New episodes were released weekly until the ...

'', and ''Do You Need A Ride?''. In 2019, Exactly Right podcast ''Jensen & Holes: The Murder Squad'' was announced, which was the first show original to the network. The show is hosted by retired cold case investigator Paul Holes and investigative journalist Billy Jensen. Jensen and Holes discuss "unsolved murders, unidentified remains, and missing persons cases" with contributions from their listeners. Both Jensen and Holes gained notoriety within the ''My Favorite Murder'' fan community following their involvement in the

case in 2018. Additional podcasts hosted by the network include ''I Said No Gifts'', in which comedian Bridger Winegar has conversations with guests who have brought him supposedly unwanted gifts, and ''Bananas'', wherein

Kurt Braunohler Kurt Braunohler (born February 22, 1976) is an American comedian and co-host of the podcast ''Bananas'' on Exactly Right Podcast Network. He was previously the host of IFC's comedy game show '' Bunk'' and has appeared on Comedy Central, ''This ...

and Scotty Landes discuss the strange news from around the world. Exactly Right's lineup continues to expand with shows such as ''Adulting with Michelle Buteau and Jordan Carlos'', ''That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast'', ''I Saw What You Did'', author Kate Winkler Dawson's ''Tenfold More Wicked'', ''Lady to Lady'', ''The True Beauty Brooklyn Podcast'', ''Parent Footprint with Dr. Dan'' and Dave Holmes' limited series '' Waiting for Impact''.

Episodes

Live shows

The hosts have done several live shows internationally that follow the same format of the podcast, starting in September 2016. Vince Averill, Hardstark's husband, acts as the tour manager and travels with the show. Live shows are often posted in place of new episodes. ''My Favorite Murder'' is the top-selling podcast live show.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.myfavoritemurder.com/ 2016 podcast debuts Audio podcasts Crime podcasts Comedy and humor podcasts Non-fiction works about serial killers American podcasts

History

Format and structure

Reactions and response

Murderinos and fan cult

''I'll Be Gone in the Dark''

''Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered''

Exactly Right Podcast Network

Episodes

Live shows

See also

References

External links