The Worst of All Possible Worlds

INTERVIEW: Ben Collins on Infowars' past, present, and future

Ben Collins [https://bsky.app/profile/bencollins.bsky.social] is CEO of The Onion [https://theonion.com], the satirical newspaper that bills itself as America's Finest News Source. In 2024, Collins announced that The Onion had acquired Infowars, the longtime flagship brand of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, at bankruptcy auction. However, thanks to a series of higher court stays, the Infowars name remains in legal limbo. This month, The Onion relaunched "Real Infowars" at theonion.info [https://theonion.info] as part of a broader strategy to pressure the courts into unblocking the deal. Josh sat down with Ben Collins to learn about the history of the case, the legal roadblocks that remain in their way, and the longer-term plans to build a comedy network using the brand as a flagship logo.

249 - VeggieTales

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall [http://patreon.com/worstofall] The lads waltz with potatoes up and down the produce aisle as they begin their coverage of Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki’s seminal Christian children’s video series: Veggietales. Topics include Vischer’s Disney-esque upbringing, the horrors of divorce, and what it means to advocate for the importance of silliness for silliness’ sake. Media Referenced in the Episode: * Veggietales. Big Idea Productions. * #1: “Where’s God when I’m S-Scared?” * #2: “God Wants Me to Forgive!?!” * #4: “Rack, Shack, and Benny” * All 1990s Veggietales Commentaries [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMH0k36nKiw&list=PLi9f6yl0dqbI8gG3SSnN3XOD8qoHXseiK&index=1] * “Big Idea Productions: A Success Story Anyone Can Believe In” by Rick DeMott. Animation World Network. October 4th, 2002. [https://www.awn.com/animationworld/big-idea-productions-success-story-anyone-can-believe] * Me, Myself, and Bob: A True Story About Dreams, God, and Talking Vegetables by Phil Vischer. Thomas Nelson Incorporated. 2008. * Original “Where’s God When I’m S-Scared?” [https://archive.org/details/wheresgodwhenimsscared] * “One Cool Cucumber” by Chicago Tribune. October 2nd, 1998. [https://www.chicagotribune.com/1998/10/02/one-cool-cucumber/] TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/BrendanDalton] // brendan-dalton.com [http://brendan-dalton.com/] // brendandalton.bandcamp.com [http://brendandalton.bandcamp.com/] Interstitial: “Oh No, What’s It Gonna Be?” // Music by Kevin Heinecke // Lyrics by A.J. Ditty // feat. A.J. Ditty as “Marshall”, Brian Alford as “Paul”, Josh Boerman as “Phil”, and Eleanor Philips as “Narrator”. This podcast was recorded under a SAG-AFTRA Agreement.

248 - Whit Side Story [Whit’s Endless Summer 52]

The lads dive right into the heart of NOVACOM as they return to Odyssey for further adventures in franchising, gang warfare, and the terrifying video game that makes you old: Gloobers. Topics include the “evils” of VR, the inescapable childhood of the Boomer, and the vital importance of gloobin’ it with your buds. Want more TWOAPW? Get access to our full back catalogue of premium/bonus episodes by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall [http://patreon.com/worstofall]! Media Referenced in this Episode: * Adventures in Odyssey * #455: “Best Laid Plans” * #462: The W.E. * #463: Green Eyes and Yellow Tulips * #415: Gloobers! * The Dobson Newsletters * November 1998 [https://web.archive.org/web/19990224160930/http://www.family.org/docstudy/newsletters/A0003274.html#policy] * November 2000 [https://web.archive.org/web/20010126003000/http://www.family.org/docstudy/newsletters/a0013548.html] * February 2001 [https://web.archive.org/web/20010302181422/http://www.family.org/docstudy/newsletters/a0014687.html] * The Official Adventures in Odyssey Podcast #66 [https://media.focusonthefamily.com/aio/mp3/aiopodcast66.mp3] TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/BrendanDalton] // brendan-dalton.com [http://brendan-dalton.com/] // brendandalton.bandcamp.com [http://brendandalton.bandcamp.com/] Interstitial: “Sister Location” // Written by A.J. Ditty // feat. Josh Boerman as “Timmy ‘Taxman’ Thompson”, A.J. Ditty as “Estragon Estragonov/Phoebear/Melvin Mulligan”, and Brian Alford as “John/Alistair Adelman” // Music: “The Chain (Violin Cover) by Steve Bingham [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOz3N0E7C24]

247 - Hamilton

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall [http://patreon.com/worstofall]   We’re not throwing away our shot.       Media Referenced in this Episode: * Hamilton. Dir. Thomas Kail. Written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. 2015. * “Alexander Hamilton, the Wrong Founder” by William Hogeland. The Nation. June 16th, 2026. [https://www.thenation.com/article/society/alexander-hamilton-lin-manuel-miranda-oligarchy/?fbclid=IwY2xjawSfHr1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF1ZEV4aDdyYVh4VDhEWTJOc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHvLLmz49q7OZ9hp--b_FZwLw5w0gjYXtj4Z_Q7f4uoRrRxfYzNF6E9R7WGv8_aem_MyFKOT0FhY_A1fpDKxrA3g] * “Disaster Act” by Shellyne Rodriguez, Iris Dipni and Comité Por La Defensa Antillana. The New Inquiry. September 11th, 2019. [https://thenewinquiry.com/disaster-act/] * “Father's Day with Luis and Lin-Manuel Miranda: Joy, Hustle, and Building a Legacy” by Ana Navarro. Bleep! With Ana Navarro. June 22, 2026. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJOhaid3mJw] * “Hamilton’s America”. PBS. [https://archive.org/details/hamiltons-america-pbs-documentaries-full-film-2016-great-performances] * “Hamilton and the Death of the Obama Era” by Alexander Avila. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5aI2AGvkb4] * “'Hamilton' Arrives In Puerto Rico, Bringing A Bit Of Controversy With It” by Adrian Florido. NPR. January 11th, 2019. [https://www.npr.org/2019/01/11/684610164/hamilton-arrives-in-puerto-rico-bringing-a-bit-of-controversy-with-it] * Puerto Rico: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt-mpuR_QHQ] * “The Mixed Reception of the 'Hamilton' Premiere in Puerto Rico” by Daniel Pollack-Pelzner. The Atlantic. January 18th, 2019. [https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/01/hamilton-premiere-puerto-rico-stirs-controversy/580657/] * Siempre, Luis. Dir John Antonio James. 2020 * Black Actors Dress Up like Slave Traders…and It’s Not Halloween - ISHMAEL REED [https://www.counterpunch.org/2015/08/21/hamilton-the-musical-black-actors-dress-up-like-slave-tradersand-its-not-halloween/] TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/BrendanDalton] // brendan-dalton.com [http://brendan-dalton.com/] // brendandalton.bandcamp.com [http://brendandalton.bandcamp.com/] Interstitial: “Princess Track” // Music by Lin-Manuel Miranda // Lyrics by Dr. Samuel Bultch, D.D.S. // feat. Josh Boerman, Eleanor Philips, and Anne Boerman as “Ensemble” and A.J. Ditty as “Dr. Samuel Bultch, D.D.S.”

246 - 007 First Light (feat. November Kelly)

November Kelly (Kill James Bond!; No Gods No Mayors; Trashfuture; Well There’s Your Problem; Be Gay Solve Crimes) enrolls the lads in the 00 program as they cover IO Interactive’s 2026 spy-fest: 007: First Light. Topics include the origins of IO, the importance of fluted windows, and what it means to try to maintain a modern franchise featuring nothing but a stupid policeman. November Kelly: Website [https://novemberkel.ly/] // Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/postoctobrist.bsky.social] Kill James Bond! is a comedy film review/ pop culture commentary podcast about the portrayal of masculinity in cinema. November Kelly, Abigail Thorn, and Devon have watched Bond movies, War on Terror movies, Eurospy movies, and now they take on their biggest task yet: Heist Movies. What can Heat, Oceans’ 11, and the Fast and Furious movies teach us about how masculinity was imagined by the people who created them? What does that say about Society? Free episodes are released every fortnight on all major podcast platforms and bonus episodes are released for supporters on Patreon on the interstitial weeks. * Website [https://www.killjamesbond.com/]// Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/killjamesbond] * Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kill-james-bond/id1554716458] // Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5kQS8cE6xF7rUzO2vtCZ3s?si=4424e08a66824155] Trashfuture is a podcast about business success and making yourself smarter with the continued psychic trauma of capitalism. * Website [https://www.trashfuture.co.uk/] // Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/trashfuture/posts] * Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trashfuture/id1261944206] // Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4loPiV9XWjVOitg2XfzK7Q?si=8a7836ff1e5d416c] Well There’s Your Problem is a podcast about engineering disasters and systemic failures, from a leftist perspective, with jokes. * Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPxHg4192hLDpTI2w7F9rPg] // Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wtyppod/] // Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/wtyppod] * Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/well-there-s-your-problem/id1487829595] // Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2PQxEHzQFao28CkFsAeKKF?si=b85b0111018049a1] No Gods No Mayors: Municipal government: a trap that catches those too incompetent, too corrupt, too strange even for national politics. And the greatest of these, the mayor - the highest political office one can hope to reach with a truly oppositional personality or a crack addiction. Mattie Lubchansky, Riley Quinn and November Kelly are teaming up to make a podcast investigating these mayors. From petty Bonapartes to flagrant mafiosi, these are their stories. * Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4Ax906IlsRA4fD4rgylKg0?si=3b895e36b2eb454c] // Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-gods-no-mayors/id1767877239] // RSS Feed [https://rss.com/podcasts/nogodsnomayors/] Be Gay, Solve Crimes: Join Mia Mulder, November Kelly, and their local librarian Lucy as they investigate pop-culture copaganda and solve the mystery of why they wanted to become detectives before they transitioned. * Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2iosOSLvRD5tPRYJx1rveu?si=9788659414284f2d] // Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-gay-solve-crimes/id1879930924] // Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/cw/BeGaySolveCrimes] Media Referenced in the Episode: * 007: First Light. IO Interactive. 2026. * “007 First Light Dev IO Interactive Says It’s Now Sold 3 Million Copies, Tracking ‘Well Above Our Forecasts at This Point’” by Wesley Yin-Poole and Simon Cardy. June 6th, 2026. [https://www.ign.com/articles/007-first-light-dev-io-interactive-says-its-now-sold-3-million-copies-tracking-well-above-our-forecasts-at-this-point] * "I've been MANIFESTING this!" 007 First Light's Patrick Gibson REVEALS James Bond casting process by Radio Times Gaming. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKKs1CQlBLk&t=132s] * Jonas Eneroth’s Profile. Moby Games. [https://www.mobygames.com/person/35788/jonas-eneroth/] * “Long-awaited James Bond game shows how big games have become” by Julie Wurtz and Jesper Dein. Dr.Dk. May 26th, 2026. [http://dr.dk/] * “The Making of: Hitman: Codename 47” by Edward Love. Retro Gamer. May 17th, 2018. [https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143534/https://www.pressreader.com/uk/retro-gamer/20180517/281681140513757] TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/BrendanDalton] // brendan-dalton.com [http://brendan-dalton.com/] // brendandalton.bandcamp.com [http://brendandalton.bandcamp.com/] Interstitial: “Untitled Bond Movie 2026” // Written by A.J. Ditty // feat. Josh Boerman as “Announcer”, Brian Alford as “Q”, A.J. Ditty as “M/Salazar”, Eleanor Philips as “Moneypenny/Norah”, and introducing Devon as “James Bond”.