Robert Evans’ history podcast profiling history’s worst people with dark humor and rigorous research. Behind the Bastards made learning about Hitler, Stalin, L. Ron Hubbard, and Steven Seagal entertaining through comedy guests reacting to horrifying stories — proving educational content could be funny without disrespecting subjects.

Format

Each episode:

• Bastard selection — Historical villain or awful person
• Comedy guest — Comedian/podcaster co-host
• Story reveal — Evans sharing research as guest reacts
• Dark humor — Finding absurdity in awfulness
• Context — How systems enable monsters

History as conversational discovery.

Evans’ Background

Credibility from:

• War correspondent — Syria, Ukraine conflict coverage
• Cracked.com writer — Online humor journalism
• It Could Happen Here — Podcast on American civil war potential
• Portland protests — On-ground reporting (2020)

Serious journalist using humor as teaching tool.

Guest Roster

Regular contributors:

• Billy Wayne Davis — Comedian, Texas perspective
• Jamie Loftus — Comedian-researcher, feminist lens
• Cody Johnston — Some More News host
• Katy Stoll — Comedy writer, leftist politics
• Prop — DJ/producer, music interludes

Chemistry making history accessible.

Bastard Range

Subjects spanning:

• Hitler episodes — Multiple deep-dives
• Steven Seagal (2018) — Absurdist starting point
• L. Ron Hubbard — Scientology founder saga
• Kissinger — War criminal analysis
• Alex Jones — Conspiracy grifter breakdown
• Tucker Carlson — Contemporary media figure

Historical and current bastards.

Research Depth

Evans’ preparation:

• Books cited — Often 3-5 sources per episode
• Primary sources — Letters, documents, recordings
• Academic rigor — Footnoting, fact-checking
• Nuance — Avoiding oversimplification

Comedy wrapping serious history.

Political Perspective

Unapologetically leftist:

• Anti-fascism — Explicit ideological stance
• Anarchist sympathies — Horizontal organizing support
• Capitalism critique — System analysis, not just individuals
• Intersectionality — Race, class, gender frameworks

Audience knows where Evans stands.

Cool Zone Media

Evans’ podcast network:

• Behind the Bastards — Flagship
• It Could Happen Here — Daily news analysis
• Worst Year Ever — 2020 political chaos
• The Women’s War — YPJ fighters in Syria

Building leftist podcast ecosystem.

Sponsor Mocking

Ad read subversion:

• Ironic delivery — “These products and services support the show”
• Weed/knife ads — Predictable sponsor jokes
• Raytheon bits — Imaginary weapons manufacturer sponsor
• Self-aware — Acknowledging capitalism critique

Making monetization part of comedy.

Machete Meme

Running gag:

• “Behind the Bastards: A Podcast About Machetes” — Joke description
• Machete recommendations — Evans suggesting machete ownership
• Throwing bagels — Unexplained recurring bit

Inside jokes building community.

Cultural Impact

Behind the Bastards demonstrated:

• History education funny — Without trivializing
• Leftist podcast market — Large hungry audience
• Long-form viability — 2-6 part episodes sustainable
• Serious comedy — Humor enhancing learning

Blueprint for political educational podcasting.

Legacy

Inspired wave of:

• Historical comedy podcasts — The Dollop, Lions Led By Donkeys
• Leftist media — Alternative to centrist NPR
• Research-based entertainment — Depth + accessibility
• Activist journalism — Podcasting as organizing tool

Proved politics and humor compatible with rigor.

Sources: iHeartMedia, Cool Zone Media, The Guardian, Evans’ Twitter/journalism