Bad Elizabeth co-hosts Kathy Egan-Taylor and Gideon Evans look into the life of Queen Isabella of Castile, known to many as Queen Isabel of Spain. And, yes, "Isabel/Isabella" is a legit variation of the name Elizabeth.

The show is as much fun as you can have while also discussing some very dark subjects including The Spanish Inquisition, Torture, and Colonization. If you don't laugh you cry, right?

Kathy and Gideon talk about how Isabel and her husband Ferdinand had an equal partnership in ruling the land that would become Spain. And we are joined by special guest, writer, actress, and expert podcaster Julie Klausner. Julie weighs in on Isabella, and advises us on the rules of podcasting with an equal co-host (apparently we are allowed to cut one another off - it just means we're excited).

We also talk to Julie about her amazing career. Along with hosting the podcasts How was Your Week? and Double Threat (with Tom Sharpling) she also created, wrote and produced the very funny Hulu series Difficult People. We also discuss Julie's love of musical theater, which culminated with her work on the Broadway send-up Schmigadoon. Apparently there was a third season of the Apple TV series that was written, but never filmed. Learn all about Julie's plan to "Free Schmigadoon Season 3" in her interview.

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Jett Road Studios - Website - YouTube - Instagram - Substack

Bad Elizabeth - Instagram - YouTube - Substack

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SOURCES:

Isabella of Castile

Europe's First Great Queen

Giles Tremlett

https://a.co/d/06E9hrh2

Isabella of Castile part one

The History Chicks

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/isabella-of-castile-part-1/id415983183?i=1000446257098

Isabella of Castile part two

The History Chicks

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/isabella-of-castile-part-2/id415983183?i=1000447312094

How Was Your Week? with Julie Klausner

https://www.patreon.com/cw/HowWasYourWeek

Double Threat with Julie Klausner and Tom Scharpling

https://www.patreon.com/cw/DoubleThreatPod

Schmigadoon!

https://tv.apple.com/us/show/schmigadoon/umc.cmc.1tqmf2znhr4oui4vo69ircyui?ctx_brand=tvs.sbd.4000

Difficult People

https://www.hulu.com/series/d865868f-0a63-4595-b48d-d651e7f67f7b

This week on Bad Elizabeth we double the intrigue and mystery with a sensational story about twin sisters accused of murder.

In 1992, Betty Wilson and her twin sister Peggy Lowe were both put on trial for murder, accused of plotting to kill Peggy's opthalmologist husband Dr. Jack Wilson, who was found in a puddle of blood on the landing in his house, with an aluminum bat next to his body.

This case was front-page news in Alabama, where the crime was committed, and became a sensation nationally as well, even becoming the Made-For-TV movie Separated by Murder, starring Sharon Gless - of Cagney & Lacey fame - playing both twins.

The case has twists and turns galore. One suspect was an alcoholic swinger, who referred to her husband a "shitbag," and the other was a choir teacher at church who was married to a minister. The story also involves a particularly inept, extremely addled hitman. Were both sisters involved in the plot? Was only one of them? Or did the hitman commit the crime on his own. Both twins were charged with the same crime, yet they had two separate trials. Only one went to jail.

After Kathy and Gideon dig through the details of the case, they welcome Emmy-winning actress Sharon Gless who talks about the challenges of playing twins in the Made-for-TV movie, her on-screen kiss with Rosie O'Donnell in Queer as Folk, and how her producer husband Barney Rosenzweig saved Cagney & Lacey from being pulled off the air. Gless also tells the story behind the famous McCarthy Chopped Salad at the Polo Lounge, named after her powerful lawyer, polo-loving Grandfather.

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Jett Road Studios - Website - YouTube - Instagram - Substack

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This episode is a little different, we have a theme going on here - Bank Robberies. We will feature not one, but two Elizabeths from different historical periods, with bank robberies in common.

Part One is about a Gilded Age con woman named Elizabeth Bigley, but she used many different names and personas in order to accomplish some pretty impressive scams. Many scammers take money from regular folk, but Bigley set her sights on tougher targets like Lawyers and Bank Presidents. Bigley's biggest scam was pretending she was the illegitimate daughter of Steel magnate and extremely rich guy, Andrew Carnegie.

If you hate banks and extremely rich people, you will love Elizabeth Bigley, a/k/a Cassie Chadwick, a/k/a Madame Lydia DeVere, a/k/a Madame Marie LaRose.

Part Two of this episode involves a bank robbery and an Elizabeth, but she didn't commit the crime, she inspired it. In 1973, John Wojtowicz, a Viet Nam veteran, attempted to rob a Chase bank in Gravesend, Brooklyn. The robbery went completely off the rails, and turned into a hostage stand-off that lasted hours and became a mass media event. The reason Wojtowicz robbed the bank - he needed the money to pay for his lover's gender reassignment surgery. His lover, Ernest Aron, later became Elizabeth Debbie Eden.

If this story sounds familiar, that's because it was later turned into the blockbuster film "Dog Day Afternoon" starring Al Pacino, John Cazale, and Chris Sarandon. Sarandon - who was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as Al Pacino's love interest - joins Kathy & Gideon as our special guest.

Sarandon tells us what advice director Sidney Lumet gave to him that helped portray this unprecedented - at the time - character for a mainstream film. We also talk to Sarandon about some of his other amazing roles and film experiences, including working with the late Rob Reiner making "The Princess Bride." Sarandon has played so many great roles including the lead of the beloved vampire film "Fright Night," and voicing the character of Jack Skellington for the Tim Burton holiday classic, "The Nightmare Before Christmas."

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Jett Road Studios - Website - YouTube - Instagram - Substack

Bad Elizabeth - Instagram - YouTube - Substack

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SOURCES:

The Imposter Heiress: Cassie Chadwick, the Greatest Grifter of the Gilded Age by Annie Reed

https://a.co/d/0hzudhMF

The High Priestess of Fraudulent Finance by Abbot Kahler

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-high-priestess-of-fraudulent-finance-45/

Dog Day Afternoon

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B000GOXGO2/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

The Dog (documentary)

https://youtu.be/npe6yTYmTiM?si=nSD4vfIdhxQQd9jA

The Princess Bride

https://youtu.be/JtVRCmWm2lA?si=kdEwlvha6acPqZ5d

Fright Night

https://youtu.be/JtVRCmWm2lA?si=kdEwlvha6acPqZ5d

Nightmare Before Christmas

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107688/

Jump cut - Real Dog Day hero tells his story

https://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC15folder/RealDogDay.html

The Center - Liz Eden Papers

https://archives.gaycenter.org/repositories/2/resources/18

The "Bad Elizabeth" podcast series with Gideon Evans and Kathy Egan has a rather simple concept, each episode is about a different person named Elizabeth (or variation of that name, like Liz, Betty, or Beth) who is notorious. These folks can be figures from history or true crime, or they might just be a big ol' a-hole.

We are happy to report that more bad Elizabeths are headed your way shortly. We think you are going to love them...I mean, hate them. I mean, find their stories fascinating and entertaining.

But before we turn to our new episodes in 2026, we thought it would be fun to make a trailer that looks back at the episodes we dropped in 2025. We had some really fun/scary/nasty Elizabeths like cancer-faker Elisabeth Finch, alleged axe wielder Lizzie Borden, bear baiting fangirl and monarch Queen Elizabeth I, Hungarian blood countess Erzsebet Bathory, Steve Jobs wannabe Elizabeth Holmes and many others.

We also welcomed a gaggle of whip-smart, amazing special guests like Julie Delpy, E. Jean Carroll, Griffin Matthews, Charles Graeber, Ric Rebello, Alice Loxton, Michael Musto, and Jane Borden. Thanks to all of them for helping make our show awesome.

We weren't able to include everyone in a two minute trailer, but we hope you like it, and it gets you excited for more episodes coming up in short order.

Thanks also to others who helped put our show on the map likeThe Guardian who named it one of the "Best Podcasts of the Week" and Hysterical host Dan Taberksi who called our show "The funniest idea for a podcast, ever." And Apple who named it a podcast that "We're Loving" and Spotify who also promoted the series. We appreciate all of you and hope you will continue to listen and spread the word.

And of course continue to like, follow, and review the show (I know some of you still haven't done it). It really helps so we'd love it if you give us a bunch of five star ratings and glowing reviews as we roll out more episodes. Enjoy!

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Jett Road Studios - Website - YouTube - Instagram - Substack

Bad Elizabeth - Instagram - YouTube - Substack

There will be more Bad Elizabeths in the new year, but right now we bring you a recommendation from Kathy Egan-Taylor and Gideon Evans:

"Origin Stories", a podcast from Campside Media hosted by Matthew Shaer, is a terrific deep dive into how great projects begin. Matthew hosts many fascinating guests from Mitch Albom, to Dan Taberski, to Evan Ratliff, to Stephanie Foo. In this clip we hear from stand-up comedian and former "Daily Show" correspondent Roy Wood Jr. - author of the new book "The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir" - as he breaks down the difference between writing for stand-up comedy, and writing a book. You can find "Origin Stories" wherever you get your podcasts.

"Origin Stories" with Matthew Shaer and guest Roy Wood Jr.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/roy-wood-jr-on-the-man-of-many-fathers/id1833077585?i=1000735355722

In this episode, Gideon and Kathy delve into the sordid, gory story of Countess Erzsebet (the Hungarian variation of Elizabeth) Bathory, a/k/a “The Blood Countess.” Born into an aristocratic family with lots of in-breeding in 1560 in the Kingdom of Hungary (an area that is part of Slovakia today), Bathory came to believe that blood was the tonic that could help her achieve eternal youth, and she ended up torturing and killing up to 650 young maidens, in hopes of preserving her smooth, alabaster skin. She used many methods of luring maidens to the castle, and even more methods of extracting the young women's blood - including torture devices like the Iron Maiden. She drank blood, bathed in blood, and even forced a few women to eat their own flesh. Apart from these horrific acts, Bathory was very adept at running and defending her massive estate, and even indulged in meaningful philanthropy. The story of Bathory was an inspiration of Bram Stoker when he wrote "Dracula" (in addition to the Romanian Vlad the Impaler). Bathory was also a model for many characters in literature and film, including the Queen in Snow White. It may not be a surprise that Bathory is also a muse for several heavy metal bands from around the world.

Is Erszebet Bathory the Baddest of all of our Bad Elizabeths so far? Does mental illness mitigate how bad she was, or was she simply misunderstood?

Later, Actress, director, writer, composer, and polyglot, Julie Delpy joins the discussion. You may know her from many things, notably for acting in Linklaters beloved films “Before Sunrise," “Before Sunset” and “Before Midnight”, she even earned Oscar nominations for Best Screenplay for the latter two. Gideon and Kathy talk to Julie about her 2009 film “The Countess,” which tells Bathory’s story. Delpy talks about her first encounter with a real life Bathory when she was young, shooting in the actual castles where torture took place, AND the challenges of acting and directing while wearing a very restrictive corset. Julie Delpy can currently be seen on the Netflix series, “Hostage,” and soon in director Rucen Ostlund’s latest black comedy, “The Entertainment System is Down” alongside actors Keanu Reeves, Kristen Dunst and Delpy's “Countess” co-star, Daniel Bruhl.

This is the last episode of "Bad Elizabeth" of 2025, thanks to all who helped us make this series a success including - and especially - the listeners! We are taking a short hiatus, and will have more episodes in the new year, featuring more questionable Elizabeths. Exciting things ahead, please continue to give us those five star reviews, and spread the word! We really appreciate it.

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Hosted by Gideon Evans & Kathy Egan-Taylor

Producer & Engineer: Will Becton / Executive Producer: Amber Becton

Theme Song Composed by Alexis Cuadrado & Danny Gray

Recorded @ Jett Road Studios

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Sources:

Bathory

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/blood-countess-elizabeth-bathory-slovakia-serial-killer-new-theory/

Countess Elizabeth Bathory: The Life and Legacy of History's Most Prolific Female Serial Killer

Charles River Editors

https://a.co/d/3uSadXd

Infamous Lady: The True Story of Countess Erzsebet Bathory by Kimberly L Kraft

https://a.co/d/dHnLGdM

The Countess:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0496634/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B005DD7GE2/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

This episode Kathy and Gideon look at Elizabeth "Betty" Broderick whose case was chewed over by Daytime Television hosts of the 1980s like Oprah Winfrey and supermarket tabloids. Elizabeth and Dan Broderick were the couple who seemed to have it all, but once infidelity became an issue in the marriage, all hell broke loose. Betty stalked and terrorized Dan and his new girlfriend including driving her car into a house. It all ended in violence and America became obsessed with the case and consumed multiple television series and podcasts for decades after it all occurred. What is it about this case that fascinates Americans, is there something relatable or universal about the players or do Americans just love to see rich, good looking, people go down.

Our special guest is Griffin Matthews (the Flight Attendant, You, Dear White People), joining us from Madrid. His experience playing a Flight Attendant gives him special insight into that world, which is pertinent, since one of the victims was a Delta Flight Attendant. In dissecting the particulars, Griffin brings up another famous Elizabeth: Elizabeth Edwards, who took credit for building her husbands career. We also discuss with Griffin what it's like being an American transplant in Europe as well as acting in Spinal Tap 2.

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Hosted by Gideon Evans & Kathy Egan-Taylor

Producer & Engineer: Will Becton / Executive Producer: Amber Becton

Theme Song Composed by Alexis Cuadrado & Danny Gray

Recorded @ Jett Road Studios

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Sources:

Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story

https://www.netflix.com/title/80241855

It Was Simple: The Betty Broderick Murders

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/it-was-simple-the-betty-broderick-murders/id1513430448

Dirty John: Betty: The Betty Broderick Story (podcast)

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirty-john-season-2-the-podcast/id1513500047

The Betty Broderick Story: A Woman Scorned

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirty-john-season-2-the-podcast/id1513500047

Telling On Myself by Betty Broderick

https://a.co/d/9QOp9sC

Oprah interviews Betty Broderick

https://a.co/d/9QOp9sC

Fatal Attraction

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0B8SWV9Q3/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

One Angry Betty - LA Magazine

https://lamag.com/crimeinla/one-angry-betty1/

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Jett Road Studios - Website - YouTube - Instagram - Substack

Bad Elizabeth - Instagram - YouTube - Substack

Kathy and Gideon talk about the woman many consider the worst Canadian serial killer - Elizabeth "Bethe" Wettlaufer. Wettlaufer, who grew up near Woodstock, Ontario, fits into the True Crime sub-genre of Nurses Who Kill. She worked at various rehab and medical facilities and administered deadly doses of insulin to many of her older patients, but the horrible things she did didn't come to light until much later. After admitting her crimes to various people, nothing happened to her. Was this an example of "Canadian nice" or was it just that Wettlaufer didn't "look" like a killer, and therefor nobody could believe it.

We also welcome to the show, Charles Graeber, author of the best selling book "The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder" which was made into an award-winning film starring Eddie Redmayne as American Nurse Killer Charles Cullen. Graeber explains how the hospitals ignored whistleblowers, and allowed Cullen to get jobs at other facilities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania where he continued murdering patients. Cullen was quite possibly responsible for as many as 400 killings. And while Cullen did end up behind bars, the hospital administrators were never held accountable. Perhaps there's more than one villain in these stories...

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Hosted by Gideon Evans & Kathy Egan-Taylor

Producer & Engineer: Will Becton / Executive Producer: Amber Becton

Theme Song Composed by Alexis Cuadrado & Danny Gray

Recorded @ Jett Road Studios

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SOURCES:

The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber

https://a.co/d/81TLJmc

The Good Nurse (film)

https://www.netflix.com/title/81260083

"Living with a Serial Killer: Elizabeth Wettlaufer"

https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/living-with-a-serial-killer/8729766680284507112/seasons/2/episodes/elizabeth-wettlaufer-episode-6/06fc97a9-48ee-3cb8-a292-ad141236f59b

"Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer: Elizabeth Wettlaufer"

https://www.primevideo.com/region/na/detail/0SX2ANK3N5DM7AY19FW6I6YXRR?ref_=atv_dp_pb_core

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Jett Road Studios - Website - YouTube - Instagram - Substack

Bad Elizabeth - Instagram - YouTube - Substack