Rotten to the Core

Rotten to the Core

Welcome, my darlings, to the enchantingly sinister history podcast that weaves dark tales of humanity's most infamous characters and events. This award-winning podcast shall bewitch you with wickedly captivating stories of true crime and the shadowy corners of history, exploring the twisted desires that drive these rotten souls to the brink of infamy. Hosted by the delightfully devious queer queen, Joshua Waters.

Episodes

March 25, 2024 29 mins

Our lesson today is about a spoiled bully brat of a boy who grew to become the dictator of Cuba and was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of his people. 

He may have wanted the best for his people, but he went about getting it in every wrong way imaginable. 

So, let's refer to my mirror and learn all about the life of Fidel Castro—our Rotten Man of the Week. 

Magic mirror on the wall, who is the most rotten one of al...

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In this lesson, we will delve into the life of a man who held some troubling beliefs about women.

As we peel back the layers of his story, we'll uncover some shocking truths about his treatment of his family.

Despite his artistic brilliance, his loved ones were seen as nothing more than suffering muses who existed solely to inspire his creative masterpieces.

Get ready to discover the rotten side of a celebrated artist, Pablo Picas...

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March 10, 2024 30 mins

If there is one thing I loathe, it's entitlement! I am happy to assist you with anything, but when someone demands and expects it, you can see yourself out!

The villainous character in our lesson today is the embodiment of entitlement and the originator of sadism - the Marquis de Sade!

Get it, Sade, Sadism! Here my Baptist traumatized butt just thought it was from Satan!

I never imagined sadism was born from a spoiled aristocratic...

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March 3, 2024 18 mins

Do not shed any tears for the devil, for he is not real. The true embodiment of wickedness resides within the human heart and is shown to us by my magical mirror.

The man in our lesson today was so vile that he was given the nickname Dr. Satan. But even the devil wasn't as cruel and conniving as this man.

Throughout his life, he engaged in deceitful, fraudulent, and violent behavior, leading up to his untimely demise by guillotin...

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February 25, 2024 23 mins

E equals MC squared, but Albert Einstein's actions made him equal to or greater than Rotten!

As I gazed into Albert's life, the phrase "ignorance is bliss" kept popping into my head, but I quickly realized that bliss doesn't teach us much.

We can learn a lot from one of the greatest minds of all time, even from his mistakes.

No, I’m not talking about his hair or preference for open-toed leather sandals.

I am determi...

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February 19, 2024 12 mins

It’s no surprise that we know a dictator here on Rotten when we see one. 

This is a special one in the fact that he passed his title to his son and now his grandson, who is the current leader of North Korea! 

They’ve convinced their subjects that they are basically gods and don’t have brown stars or even need to defecate!

They’ve kept much of their deeds hidden, so let’s see if my magic mirror can see what is forbidden in the life and...

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February 10, 2024 19 mins

Humans are always looking for someone to admire. Sometimes, it’s a god, a celebrity, or someone influential from the past. I look up to Saint Dolly Parton and Eartha Kitt. During the Great Depression, there were some movie stars who garnered attention, but the real stars of the time were gangsters! We’ve learned about several of them already, but the biggest, baddest of them all was John Dillinger, the most famous bank robber in U....

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February 4, 2024 18 mins

We all know the work of Roald Dahl

He gave the world characters like Willy Wonka and, my personal favorite, Matilda. But from the same mind came child killing witches and, more notoriously, Trunchbull. His writings are often accompanied with sadness suffering, and often paint women in an unflattering light, aside from Miss Honey.

Let's take a peek beyond the pages of another famous children's author, and find out why his own ...

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Experience the fascinating and controversial life of Henry Ford in this eye-opening lesson. Discover how Ford revolutionized the automotive industry with his innovative assembly line, allowing for the mass production of the iconic Model T. Learn about his groundbreaking decision to pay workers a minimum wage and reduce their work hours, which transformed the lives of many and changed the structure of society. But behind the scenes,...

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In this episode, we delve into the dark and disturbing story of Harvey Weinstein, a once powerful and influential film producer whose reign of terror came crashing down. We explore the real-life horrors that women faced at the hands of this monster and how they ultimately found the strength to stand up and fight back. From his rise to power in the entertainment industry to his downfall and subsequent legal battles, we uncover the s...
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January 14, 2024 20 mins
Some of our lessons were about people who were born rotten; others were made rotten due to some trauma they endured.

Today’s lesson is about a young man whom I believe was rotten because it was the only way he knew how to live.

Nevertheless, I feel that there is a lesson we can learn from the life of Billy the Kid.

Let’s find out what it is!

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January 7, 2024 25 mins
Discover the shocking truth about a familiar face from UK television in this gripping episode of Rotten to the Core. Join host Joshua Waters as he delves into the life of Jimmy Savile, a beloved TV personality and DJ who hid a dark secret. Learn how Seville's charitable contributions masked his predatory nature and the devastating impact he had on countless children. From his rise to fame to the shocking revelations after his d...
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December 31, 2023 16 mins
Racial injustice is an ever-looming shadow that clings to our world. It has been happening since the first of mankind gained sentience and even with all of the time and history to learn better. Ignorance and racism still exist.

We are all of one Earth, and it sickens me that imaginary lines that have been created to divide us from one another.

There have been countless people throughout history and today who feel ...
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December 24, 2023 19 mins
Violence is defined as “behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something. Even when someone takes a personal stance against violence, there are still many other ways to cause harm.While he certainly isn’t the worst person we’ve covered, Mohandas Gandhi wasn’t a saint either, even though there are many who say otherwise.

It is true he did a great many things to help others during his ...
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December 17, 2023 23 mins
I like to think of myself as a wise guy; by wise, I mean I can spot a rotten person from a mile away on a foggy day with my eyes closed.

Yeah, see! There is one right there!

I didn’t have to look hard to find the man in today's lesson. There have been books, shows, movies, and everything else you can imagine about his life of crime and the hard time he served.

Al Capone was a notorious mob boss who ra...
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    I have my fair share of knowledge on cults, The cult of Henry Cavil, Gaga, and Dollyisms. I also live in Indiana, after all, the birthplace of the Jim Jones cult, the People’s Temple.

    Alas, we aren’t here to learn about him today. I have another cult leader who I believe was just as rotten, only a lot better at hiding the crimes….eventually.

    He is the man responsible for the cult, I mean the Church of Scientology,...
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    December 3, 2023 19 mins
    This is rough, but I want to use it to educate everyone on just how big of a problem child trafficking truly is. There are so many in power who are helping to fuel this horrific crime, and as long as they have the shadows to dwell in, they will never come to justice.

    He is, by far, the most rotten person we have covered. I did not want to do it at first, but I kept thinking about all of those poor babies who are victims of...
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    November 26, 2023 22 mins
    The more that you listen, the more you will know. A man who was Rotten, Oh, say it ain’t so!

    We grow up thinking we know all there is to know about a person, but little do we know that they were nothing but a rotten apple right under our noses.

    He has gone down in history as a popular author of children’s books, but there was a darker side to the man who put a cat in a hat.

    Aside from not actually liking ...
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    November 19, 2023 19 mins
    We all know that it takes a lot for a priest to get into trouble. They do all sorts of rotten things and end up with only a smack on the wrist and a relocation to another church. The sins of the priest in our lesson today were numerous and eventually led to him being the first priest executed in the United States. Let’s take a peek through the mirror and see how a man can claim to be called on by God, only to turn out to be a rotte...
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    November 12, 2023 22 mins
    I ain’t no saint, but the lady we will learn about today sure is.

    She helped the poor, fed the dying, and is now prayed to by millions, but her life wasn’t all Godly!

    She also believed that suffering was necessary and her true mission was more of conversion than compassion.

    Grab tight to your rosary beads because today we will be peering through the holes of the holy Mother Teresa.

    Visit me at it...
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