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''The Last Podcast on the Left'' is a weekly
podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...
on the Last Podcast Network featuring podcast producer and researcher
Marcus Parks ''The Last Podcast on the Left'' is a weekly podcast on the Last Podcast Network featuring podcast producer and researcher Marcus Parks, comedian and actor Henry Zebrowski, and comedian Ed Larson, three longtime friends. Episodes have explored ...
, comedian and actor
Henry Zebrowski Henry Thomas Zebrowski Jr. (born May 1, 1984) is an American actor, podcast host, and comedian, known for his work on the Adult Swim series '' Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell'', the film The Wolf of Wall Street, the NBC series '' Heroes Reborn ...
, and comedian Ed Larson, three longtime friends. Episodes have explored the topics of
serial killers A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...
,
cults Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ha ...
,
conspiracy theories A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...
, UFO sightings,
ghosts In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...
,
cryptids Cryptids are animals or other beings whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated by science. Cryptozoology, the study of cryptids, is a pseudoscience claiming that such beings may exist somewhere in the wild; it has been widely cri ...
, the
occult The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysti ...
, and readings of fan-submitted creepypastas. The name is a reference to the 1972 horror movie '' The Last House on the Left''.


Premise

Episodes explore real and imagined horror, with a typical runtime of one to two hours. The show releases two episodes weekly: a main episode and a side story episode. Main episodes, hosted by Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, and Ed Larson and formerly hosted by Ben Kissel, are focused on a singular topic and multiple episodes may be dedicated to one topic. Side Stories are typically hosted by Larson and Zebrowski (previously only Kissel and Zebrowski) and cover weekly true crime and other unusual news stories, with an additional “Hero of the Week” segment and often a “Listener Emails” segment. Occasionally, guests are invited onto the show for interviews, including
Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Aykroyd was a writer and an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" cast on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Nigh ...
. The opening theme of the podcast features a snippet from serial killer
Jeffrey Dahmer Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer (; May 21, 1960 – November 28, 1994), also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster, was an American serial killer and sex offender who killed and dismemberment, dismembered seventeen men and boys b ...
who utters the line, "That's when the cannibalism started." It also includes the line and subsequent advertisement transition "Rise from your grave!" uttered by
Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...
from the
Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
action game ''
Altered Beast ''Altered Beast'' is a 1988 beat 'em up video game developed and published by Sega for arcades. The game is set in Ancient Greece and follows a player character chosen by Zeus to rescue his daughter Athena from the demonic ruler of the under ...
'' (1988). The closing theme is
Al Bowlly Albert Allick Bowlly (7 January 1899 – 17 April 1941) was a South African-British vocalist, crooner, and dance band guitarist who was Britain's most popular singer for most of the 1930s. He recorded upwards of 1,000 songs that were listened ...
's "
Midnight, the Stars and You "Midnight, the Stars and You" is a British-American popular foxtrot song written by Harry M. Woods, Jimmy Campbell and Reg Connelly and published in 1934. The most famous recorded version was performed in 1934 by Ray Noble and his Orchestra wi ...
", a reference to '' The Shining'' (1980). Several repeat characters are present on the podcast (primarily voiced by Zebrowski) such as "Detective Popcorn" (the semi-erotic food-focused and incompetent police detective);
Charles Ng Charles Chi-tat Ng (born Ng Chi-tat) ( zh, t=吳志達, j=ng4 zi3 daat6; born 24 December 1960) is a Hong Kong-born convicted serial killer who committed numerous crimes in the United States. He is believed to have raped, tortured, and murder ...
(a notorious serial killer); "Terry the Gnome", "The Bone-Slicer"; and Minnie and Nannie Williams (victims of serial killer
H. H. Holmes Herman Webster Mudgett (May 16, 1861 – May 7, 1896), better known as Dr. Henry Howard Holmes or H. H. Holmes, was an American con artist and serial killer active between 1891 and 1894. By the time of his execution in 1896, Holmes had engaged ...
).


Hosts


Marcus Parks

Marcus Parks (born January 19, 1983) is an American podcast host best known for his work as a co-host on ''The Last Podcast on the Left.'' Parks, from Rochester,
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, graduated from
Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship instit ...
, where he studied English and acted as KTXT-FM's station manager for around 4 years. Along with ''The Last Podcast on the Left'', Parks also co-hosts the music history podcast ''No Dogs in Space'' with comedian and podcaster Carolina Hidalgo, who is also his wife.


Henry Zebrowski


Ed Larson

Ed Larson (born October 9, 1981) is an American comedian, writer, actor and podcast host on the Last Podcast Network. Larson began co-hosting ''The Last Podcast on the Left'' in late 2023 following Ben Kissel's departure, temporarily filling the third seat. After a while, Larson became a permanent co-host of the show. Larson also co-hosts another Last Podcast Network show called ''The Brighter Side'' with Amber Nelson, a show exploring and talking about the brighter side of a topic they choose every week. Outside of the Last Podcast Network, he performs
stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage (theatre), stage and delivers humour, humorous and satire, satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical comedy, physical acts. These ...
, and has released a documentary called "How America Killed My Mother". The documentary explores how the health insurance and banking systems in the United States contributed to his mother's death.


Ben Kissel (formerly)

Ben Kissel (born July 21, 1981) is an American comedian and former politician best known for his work as a former co-host on ''The Last Podcast on the Left''. Kissel was born in
Fargo, North Dakota Fargo is the List of cities in North Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, Cass County. The population was 125,990 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, which was e ...
and raised in Stevens Point,
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
and attended the
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...
, where he received a degree in political science. After co-creating ''The Last Podcast on the Left'' in 2011, Kissel would continue to co-host the show until 2023. In 2017, Kissel ran for Brooklyn borough president as the candidate for the Reform Party but lost with 1.79% (6,017) of the vote. Kissel also co-hosted ''Abe Lincoln's Top Hat'', a political podcast ran under the Last Podcast Network. On October 4, 2023, it was announced that Kissel would no longer be part of the podcast or the Last Podcast Network. This came following allegations of abuse. ''(See Co-host abuse allegations)''


History

''Last Podcast on the Left'' was launched in 2011 as a conversation between friends who love horror movies. The name was inspired by the horror movie ''The Last House on the Left''. The podcast's discussions have delved into topics including aliens, cryptids and other macabre topics. In 2017, ''The Last Podcast on the Left'' received the People's Voice Webby in the Podcasts & Digital Audio (Comedy) category. In 2018, they filmed their first live show at Thalia Hall in
Chicago, IL Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
. In 2019, they filmed their second live show in
New Orleans, LA New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
. The hosts have toured extensively in the US and internationally, including Iceland, Australia, and Canada for live events. On November 19, 2019, it was announced that the show was moving exclusively to
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
for ad-sponsored episodes. This arrangement was short-lived, ending in October 2021. In 2020,
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company ( ; HMH) is an American publisher of textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, and reference works. The company is based in the Financial District, Boston, Boston Financial District. It was fo ...
released ''The Last Book on the Left'', written by Kissel, Parks, and Zebrowski, and illustrated by Tom Neely. The book debuted at number three on the ''New York Times'' Bestseller List under Hardcover nonfiction. On September 13, 2023, it was announced that co-host Ben Kissel would be "going into treatment" for his mental and physical health, and would not feature on the podcast until his treatment was completed. This came following accusations of abuse by a former girlfriend, though this was not explicitly stated as a contributing factor for his leave. On October 4, 2023, it was announced that Kissel would no longer be part of the podcast or the Last Podcast Network.


Co-host abuse allegations

On October 12, 2023, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' released an article that outlined allegations against former ''Last Podcast on the Left'' co-host Ben Kissel, which included multiple alleged instances of sexual misconduct and verbal and physical abuse against women over the span of several years. The article further included testimony of former and current associates of Kissel who allege that he had issues with alcoholism, some of whom claimed that it would lead to drastic changes in his personality. Other individuals contacted by the ''Rolling Stone'' went against many of the allegations, such as denying Kissel's personality would drastically change by consuming alcohol or attesting that they had never seen Kissel be abusive towards a woman or violent in any capacity. Former acquaintances also implied that there may have been a "willful blindness" towards Kissel's alleged behaviour and alcohol abuse among The Last Podcast Network, though this was disputed by individuals close to the network. One person outlined in the article claimed that Kissel's substance abuse was a known issue in the workplace, and lengthy discussions over it had taken place over a "seven year period." They further stated that this had become enough of an issue that discussions were being made to remove Kissel from the show weeks before his eventual departure. Parks and Zebrowski are specifically named as individuals who attempted to discuss and intervene in Kissel's drinking problems. A statement was released on the ''Last Podcast on the Left''
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
page on October 14, in which it was claimed that they had no knowledge of the alleged abusive behavior. In the same article, a statement written by Kissel was published, where he denied all allegations of abuse, but conceded he had been using alcohol to "cope with childhood trauma," and was in
rehab Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to: Health * Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished * Rehabilitation hospital, hospitals devoted to the rehabilitation of patients w ...
to deal with his issues.


''Last Stream on the Left''

''The Last Stream on the Left'' is a spin-off show originally hosted on the
Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as
dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representativ ...
and s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...
website. The episodes typically consist of commentary of a selection of videos found by the hosts. After 8 seasons on Adult Swim, the Adult Swim streaming platform stopped hosting original content late in 2020. The program moved to
Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle c ...
on December 22, 2020; but the first episode was 'very quickly removed' from the network and the account banned. Subsequently, the stream was hosted on the LPOTL
Patreon Patreon (, ) is a monetization platform operated by Patreon, Inc., that provides business tools for content creators to run a subscription service and sell digital products. It helps artists and other creators earn a recurring income by provid ...
page, with the video uploaded to their
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
account after the live episode airs. The live stream show aired what was intended to be its final episode on February 18, 2022, but returned once again in February 2023.


''Soul Plumber''

''Soul Plumber'' is a DC horror comic which includes adaptions of ''Last Podcast on the Left'' hosts Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, and former host Ben Kissel. The hosts worked with artist John McCrea of DC Comics on the project. The plot follows Edgar Wiggins, a former seminary student who works at a gas station. Wiggins left seminary school in disgrace but joins a group called the Soul Plumbers out of the desire to continue saving souls. The comic is a six-issue series.


''Open Lines''

''Open Lines'' was a live radio talk show available exclusively on
Sirius XM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merge ...
's, Faction Talk. The show consists of listeners calling in to tell personal accounts on a previously established topic. Topics are usually related to themes covered in the podcast such as
paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...
encounters,
cryptozoology Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience and subculture that searches for and studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated, particularly those popular in folklore, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness ...
, and
true crime True crime is a genre of non-fiction work in which an author examines a crime, including detailing the actions of people associated with and affected by the crime, and investigating the perpetrator's Motive (law), motives. True crime works often ...
. The weekly live show aired on Mondays at 7pm ET and listeners can participate by calling 855-355-4741.


''Side Stories: Excerpts''

''Side Stories: Excerpts'' is a short video series hosted on YouTube. As the name suggests, the videos consist of short excerpts of the full-length Patreon exclusive video. The first ''Side Stories'' video recording of their March 8, 2022, episode was uploaded on March 11, 2022. The full-length Patreon exclusive video is uploaded every Wednesday, and the 10-minute YouTube excerpt episodes are uploaded on Fridays.


Episodes


See also

*
Horror podcast A horror podcast is a podcast that covers fiction, non-fiction, or reviews of the horror genre generally. History Horror podcasts are typically created and run by volunteers in their free time. As some podcasts such as '' Archive 81'' and '' ...
* List of American crime podcasts


References


Sources


"Why ‘Last Podcast on the Left’ will no longer be a Spotify exclusive"
''
The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...
''


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Last Podcast on the Left Comedy podcasts Audio podcasts Non-fiction works about serial killers Crime podcasts 2011 podcast debuts Horror podcasts American podcasts Podcasting companies