This Famous Vendetta

All in the Family

This week on This Famous Vendetta, we peel back another layer of America’s most misunderstood conflict—and the deeper we dig, the less certain the story becomes. Before returning to the Tug Valley, Jason shares a firsthand encounter with modern history at the legendary Sphere in Las Vegas, where The Wizard of Oz has been transformed into a massive 16K immersive experience complete with AI-expanded visuals, haptic seating, flying monkeys, fog, wind… and foam apples falling from the ceiling. It’s a reflection on how history is preserved, reimagined, and experienced—and how every generation reshapes the stories it inherits. Then, we head back to 1880. The famous “hog trial” is supposed to be the simple origin story of the feud: Randall McCoy accuses Floyd Hatfield of stealing pigs, tensions explode, and bloodshed follows. Except… it’s not that simple. Instead, what emerges is something far more tangled: court cases, disputed testimony, shifting loyalties, accusations of betrayal, and cousins turning against cousins inside a deeply interconnected family network. As the fallout from the hog trial intensifies, one question takes center stage: Was justice denied… or simply not accepted?

The Part with the Pigs...

The fight between the Hatfields and McCoys was not merely about a pig; it was rooted in deeper feelings of honor and jealousy. Was "the pig incident" a catalyst that ignited existing tensions? When a pig went missing, accusations flew... #pigs #hatfieldandmccoy #justice #history #deeperunderstanding

Ashes to Ambition

Before the Hatfields and McCoys were killing each other… they were... suing each other? Could a messy timber dispute—not a gunfight—be the real spark that lit America’s most famous feud? And what do chickens have to do with anything? Join host Jason Hatfield to explore this part of the Hatfield and McCoy... misunderstanding?

In the Wake of the OTHER Conflict

What starts as a personal tragedy in 1865—the death of Asa Harmon McCoy—becomes the launching point for an unforgettable journey through one of America's most turbulent periods. Host Jason Hatfield takes listeners beyond the headlines of the Civil War's final days, revealing how Lincoln's assassination, Sherman's negotiations with Confederate generals, and the collapse of the South all converge to reshape the destiny of a man, a family, and even a town. What we’ll discover is that history doesn't happen in a vacuum.

Today's Agenda!

This episode of "This Famous Vendetta" explores unresolved issues and their evolution into conspiracy theories, using the example of the Kensington Runestone. It delves into the aftermath of the Civil War, the impact on returning soldiers, and the killing of Asa Harmon McCoy, shedding light on the complexities of the feud's origins. Books I'm reading and reference in this episode: "Ways and Means" by Roger Lowenstein, "The McCoys: Their Story" by Truda McCoy