Ambivalent Offenders: Re-Examining History’s Most Questionable Figures

By Jamie & Erin Poljanac

Listen to a podcast, please open Podcast Republic app. Available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.


Category: History

Open in Apple Podcasts


Open RSS feed


Open Website


Rate for this podcast
    

Subscribers: 3
Reviews: 0
Episodes: 50

Description

Just like history isn’t all black and white, neither are the people who lived it. So who are the ones living in the grey?Welcome to Ambivalent Offenders— where we dig into the lives of people who’ve been called a lot of things: villains, scoundrels, monsters, misfits, or just plain morally messy. But were they really as bad as history says… or have they gotten an unfair rap?In each episode, we unpack the stories, facts, and cultural myths surrounding some of the most questionable  (and sometimes misunderstood) figures from the past — all in a tone that’s more friend-at-brunch (according to one listener review) than lecture hall. No dusty textbooks, no moral grandstanding. Just conversational storytelling, questionable behavior, and a little historical tea.Ultimately, we’re here to do what humans do best: judge the hell out of some pretty interesting people.

Episode Date
Trailer for “Ambivalent Offenders”
Jul 05, 2025
George Villiers: Part 3
Jul 01, 2025
Yoko Ono, "the So-Called Woman Who Broke Up the Beatles": Part 1
Jun 30, 2025
George Villiers: Part 2
Jun 24, 2025
"Just Throw Away the Key" Episode 1: Jails, Prisons, & Custody Levels, Oh My!
Jun 14, 2025
NEW PODCAST TRAILER (HOSTED BY JAMIE)! "Just Throw Away the Key: The Hidden World of Prisons Behind Our True Crime Fascination"
Jun 14, 2025
George Villiers, Favourite to King James I: Part 1
Jun 06, 2025
Mary Todd Lincoln: Part 3
May 15, 2025
Mary Todd Lincoln: Part 2
May 07, 2025
Mary Todd Lincoln: Part 1
Apr 25, 2025
President Lincoln's Assassination and Aftermath
Apr 14, 2025
Tonya Harding, Figure Skating’s Most Controversial Star
Apr 01, 2025
Andrew Carnegie and the Robber Barons
Mar 24, 2025
Mark Antony: Part 3
Mar 10, 2025
Mark Antony: Part 2
Mar 03, 2025
Mark Antony, Roman politician & lover of Cleopatra: Part 1
Feb 24, 2025
Dueling Villains Judgement Episode
Feb 12, 2025
Alice Perrers (20 minute Preview from Patreon Episode!)
Feb 03, 2025
Aaron Burr: Dueling Villains (Part 2)
Jan 09, 2025
Aaron Burr: Dueling Villains (Part 1)
Dec 18, 2024
BONUS: Bleeding Kansas (with Erin & Matt!)
Dec 11, 2024
John Brown, America’s “Good” Terrorist? (Dueling Villains series)
Dec 10, 2024
Wolf Hall Episode 1 Discussion
Nov 22, 2024
Female Villains v.s. Male Villains
Nov 19, 2024
Caterina Sforza: Part 3
Nov 08, 2024
Caterina Sforza: Part 2
Oct 29, 2024
Caterina Sforza, the Rise of the Tigress of Forli: Part 1
Oct 16, 2024
John Lennon
Oct 10, 2024
Emperor Claudius
Oct 01, 2024
P.T. Barnum: the Greatest Fraudster or Showman?
Sep 23, 2024
Wernher Von Braun: Part 2
Sep 18, 2024
Operation Paperclip Mini-sode
Sep 08, 2024
Wernher Von Braun, Nazi Rocket Scientist to NASA Pioneer: Part 1
Sep 06, 2024
Bonnie Parker: Part 3 (Final)
Aug 23, 2024
Jane Boleyn: Part 2 (Final)
Aug 21, 2024
Bonnie Parker: Part 2
Aug 19, 2024
Bonnie Parker (the real Bonnie of the infamous Bonnie & Clyde): Part 1
Aug 12, 2024
Jane Boleyn: Part 1
Aug 11, 2024
Elvis Presley
Jul 29, 2024
Isabella of France: Part 2
Jul 24, 2024
Isabella of France: Part 1
Jul 22, 2024
Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova: Part 3 (Final)
Jul 18, 2024
Preview of Patreon Mini Episode!
Jul 16, 2024
Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova: Part 2
Jul 15, 2024
Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova, the Last Czarina of Russia: Part 1
Jul 09, 2024
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy: Part 2
Jul 03, 2024
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy: Part 1
Jun 30, 2024
Typhoid Mary
Jun 23, 2024
John of Gaunt
Jun 18, 2024
Richard Nixon
Apr 21, 2023