The Daily Beast Podcast

Stacey Williams, a Sports Illustrated model who briefly dated Jeffrey Epstein in the early 1990s tells Joanna Coles her story—and her astonishing encounters not just with the pedophile, but through him with Donald Trump. Williams reveals how a much older Epstein made a twisted boast that he had "prized" videos of her naked which she had no idea he had made. And she tells how he took her to Trump's Fifth Avenue office where a "brazen" Trump groped her. Trump's campaign denied her allegation when it was first made. But she tells Coles, "I know there are women who have interacted with them, who haven't come forward, who have anecdotes to share that confirm their behavior and their friendship."

Ghislaine Maxwell is moving jails, the President’s wagging the dog and Trump biographer Michael Wolff joins The Daily Beast’s Joanna Coles to explain the ongoing Epstein scandal and why it matters. Also on the table, Laura Loomer’s inexplicable rise to power and her claims she’s now had 16 people fired. With a potential Maxwell pardon in play and Trump’s lawyers blurring the line between personal fixers and public officials, what’s going on inside the MAGA machine? 

Author Amy Odell joins host Joanna Coles for a sharp, funny, and deeply revealing conversation about the woman who launched a thousand jade eggs—Gwyneth Paltrow. Odell spent three years interviewing over 220 sources for her new biography 'Gwyneth', in which she’s spills everything: from Goop’s rise and questionable wellness claims to Paltrow’s high-profile love life, accidental class war commentary, and surprisingly savvy business instincts. Is Gwyneth Paltrow the original influencer? What does she really believe? And how did a candle turn her into a meme? Coles and Odell unpack the cultural power—and cringe—of a woman who shaped what it means to be a modern celebrity, whether we like it or not.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Julie K. Brown joins Joanna Coles to unpack the latest twist in the Epstein saga—why Trump’s former personal lawyer, Todd Blanch, now number two at the Justice Department, personally visited Ghislaine Maxwell in prison. What did she tell him, and who is on the rumored list of 100 names possibly connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex crime activities? As Epstein’s victims speak out in anger and fear, Brown reveals why Maxwell could now be in danger too—and why the Epstein cover-up still haunts the White House. Coles and Brown also dig into Florida’s ex-AG Pam Bondi, the deleted Elon Musk tweet, and why Epstein may have believed he’d never done anything wrong. With new subpoenas looming and Congress demanding answers, the question remains: what’s in the Epstein files—and who doesn’t want them released?

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to reveal the rising panic inside Trump’s inner circle as the Epstein scandal metastasizes. With Ghislaine Maxwell serving 20 years in prison, Wolff outlines how a meeting between her and Trump’s former lawyer—now the No. 2 at the DOJ—Todd Blanche, is raising serious questions about a possible deal. Wolff details Trump’s decade-long friendship with Epstein, the infamous 50th birthday letter, and how they shared a girlfriend who moved between the two men. He describes a White House gripped by fear as “Epstein intelligence” emerges—emails, photos, and files that could expose just how “bad” Trump’s “bad boy years” really were. MAGA world, Wolff warns, may not survive what Maxwell has to say.

Investigative reporter Tara Palmeri joins Joanna Coles to dig into the twisted saga of Ghislaine Maxwell—her crimes, her secrets, and why the Trump's Justice Department is knocking at her door. As Maxwell serves 20 years in a Florida prison, new signs point to a potential deal with Trump-era officials. Why now—and what does she know? Palmeri shares chilling victim accounts, unsealed evidence Maxwell wants buried, and fresh questions about whether or not she could still reveal long held details to authorities. From Prince Andrew to Alan Dershowitz, the web of powerful men around Maxwell remains tangled. And around MAGA world, a shocking new chant is gaining steam: “Free Ghislaine.”

David Frum joins Joanna Coles to unpack the jaw-dropping scale of Donald Trump’s presidential profiteering—from the $400 million Qatari plane to his so-called ‘presidential library’ money funnel. Frum, Senior Editor of The Atlantic and host of the new podcast The David Frum Show, explains how Trump turned the presidential office into a personal ATM—and why the Republican party let him. He breaks down why Trump’s grift dwarfs anything in U.S. history, how social media fuels both the scam and the silence, and why the real question isn’t what Trump will do next, but what we’ll tolerate.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to unpack Donald Trump’s ever-expanding harem of lookalike aides, surrogates, and “comfort blanket” women inside the presidential bubble. With Melania absent, Trump has surrounded himself with younger clones — from Natalie Harp, the so-called “human printer,” to bikini-clad attorney Alina Habba, to Melania doppelgänger Margo Martin. Wolff, an accomplished Trump biographer who has observed this dynamic firsthand in the West Wing and beyond, explains how Trump’s obsession with appearance, loyalty, and media control manifests in the women around him — many of whom are fighting viciously for his attention. Wolff also reveals how one of these Melania clones controls most of the information that reaches the president and why jurors in Trump’s criminal trial were “creeped out” by his Stepford-like entourage. Wolff explains how Trump’s fixation on TV-ready staff masks a deeper insecurity and clear isolation.

Michael Wolff joins Daily Beast Executive Editor Hugh Dougherty to unpack a new Wall Street Journal report that could spell real trouble for Donald Trump: a 2003 birthday note to Jeffrey Epstein alongside a nude sketch. Wolff clarifies Trump's deep and well documented relationship with Jeffrey Epstein—and why MAGA media, led by Bannon and Tucker Carlson, won’t let it go. As Trump scrambles to distract with bizarre stunts and conspiracy bait, even his allies are rattled. This time, Wolff warns, denial might not save him. Wolff, who’s chronicled Trump’s rise in four bestsellers, describes a man entering his “lame duck phase,” besieged by rivals and a serious newly revealed medical condition.