SNAFU with Ed Helms

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<p>Hosted by Ed Helms, SNAFU is a podcast about history's greatest screw-ups. This is Season 3: Formula 6 - how prohibition's war on alcohol went so far off the rails the government poisoned its own people.</p>

  • 47 minutes 21 seconds
    Live at LA Talks with Tig Notaro

    Today is another SNAFU treat from the book tour archives! Tig Notaro joins Ed live on stage at Live Talks Los Angeles, where they break down Ed's book, SNAFU: The Definitive Guide to History's Greatest Screwups. Tig also roasts Ed like a campfire marshmallow, which will indeed leave you asking for "S'more."

    Find your copy of the New York Times Bestseller wherever you get your books, or go to: www.snafu-book.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    25 March 2026, 10:00 am
  • 49 minutes 57 seconds
    Rory Scovel and Arbitrage on Wall Street

    Rory Scovel is a man of opulence. But he won't let greed go to his head like the subject of today's SNAFU. Ed and Rory discuss a modern Wall Street legend: the story of Ivan Boesky, a wall street trader who turned Arbitrage into front page headlines, until it all came crashing down.

    Subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod

    Buy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    18 March 2026, 11:32 am
  • 42 minutes 12 seconds
    Chelsea Handler and The Hindenburg

    Chelsea Handler is a world traveler. Ed and Chelsea discover whether they're cut out for luxury Air Travel of the 1930's; the catch being it's aboard the infamous Hindenburg Zeppelin. Oh the Humanity!

    And watch this week's episode on the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod

    Buy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    11 March 2026, 10:00 am
  • 54 minutes 8 seconds
    Adam Scott and Air Transat Flight 236

    Adam Scott is fearless. Ed and Adam explore a high-flying SNAFU that showcased just how valiant pilots must be when the engines run dry...literally. This is the tale of the Azores Glider; a complimentary mid-flight snack of FEAR at 30,000 feet.

    Subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod

    Buy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    4 March 2026, 11:00 am
  • 50 minutes 3 seconds
    Chris Winterbauer &amp; Lizzie Bassett - Starfish Prime

    Lizzie Bassett and Chris Winterbauer are film afficianados. This week, they help Ed uncover cinematic treasures that just may be synonomous with a very spooky moment in American hubris; the time we decided to literally NUKE SPACE! Find out what "Dr. Strangelove," "The China Syndrome," and "The Iron Giant" all have in common with today's SNAFU built for Cinemascope.

    Subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod

    Buy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    25 February 2026, 11:00 am
  • 38 minutes 36 seconds
    Jake Johnson and the Metric Pirates

    Jake Johnson is an off-the-cuff kinda guy, form-fit for this week's SNAFU when Ed and Jake meet a man who loved taking off his cuffs...and tunic, and trousers. He also happened to be one of the preeminent scientific minds during the French Revolution, and whose ill-fated trip across the Atlantic culminated in a tassle with Caribbean pirates and, potentially, a sunk American metric system. This is the Joseph Dombey Affair.

    Subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod

    Buy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    18 February 2026, 11:00 am
  • 40 minutes 23 seconds
    Former KGB Spy Jack Barsky

    Welcome to another Bonus Episode of SNAFU! Today, sit back and enjoy Ed's conversation with a real, genuine former KGB Spy! Jack Barsky was a Soviet operative who defected, risking his life, and family, to remain in the United States. His story is full of twists and turns, and is truly a unique perspective behind the Cold War curtain. Enjoy Ed's conversation with Jack Barsky and we'll be back with new episodes next Wednesday.

    Subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod

    Buy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    11 February 2026, 11:00 am
  • 45 minutes 40 seconds
    Adam Grant and The OG Ponzi Scheme

    Adam Grant is a thinker. The kind of thinking that makes you think twice. Which is precisely what the victims of a certain financial fraud deployment have been told throughout history. But today, Ed and Adam head to the top of this pyramid, to unveil the origin of the ultimate form of foul play: The Ponzi Scheme.

    Subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod

    Buy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    4 February 2026, 11:00 am
  • 47 minutes 35 seconds
    Kelly Corrigan and Operation Cottage

    Kelly Corrigan is all class. As an award-winning journalist, podcaster, and author, her insights are a breath of fresh air. Today, Ed and Kelly cover Operation Cottage, a screwy attempt by American and Canadian forces to recapture the Aleutian Islands during WWII. But when the Allied soldiers arrived, all was not as it seemed.

    Subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod

    Buy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    28 January 2026, 11:00 am
  • 46 minutes 2 seconds
    Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway and the Palmer Raids

    Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway are two titans of podcasting. Their ever-prescient analyses of today's political, technological, and cultural worlds have set an elevated standard for journalists across the board. Today, they help Ed analyze an event from our past that may feel eerily familiar: The Palmer Raids. Although they took place in 1919, their echoes in modern times may just give you goosebumps. 

    Subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod

    Buy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    21 January 2026, 11:00 am
  • 47 minutes 8 seconds
    Jenny Slate and the Flight to Varennes

    Jenny Slate is a connoisseur of finer things. Ed invites her to revisit an epic failure on the part of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette as they attempt to flee revolution, yet cling to their superfluous lifestyle. Will they make it to the city of Varennes or lose their lavish heads in the process?

    Subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPod

    Buy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    14 January 2026, 11:00 am
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