176: Rage Bait [Dynasty pt.2]
This week we jump right back into the wild world of the Murdock family. Maia takes us from their complicated trust to their questionable business decisions as the family continued to build their media empire from the 2000s to present day. Along the way we watch the Murdochs stumble over some pretty basic questions like: is an incompetent man better than a capable woman? Or, should you help spread white nationalism if it makes you money? The answers won’t surprise you! As the story builds to its dramatic conclusion we are left to wonder if rich incompetence can sustain a global media empire. This episode is about so much more than “Rage Bait”, this week on Well, I Laughed!
Chapters
00:00:00 Catch-Up
00:20:26 Part 1 Recap
00:25:23 Rage Bait: The Trust Part 2
00:30:56 Who Runs the Show?
00:52:41 Dark Arts
01:15:32 Deng Deng Deng
01:30:47 Wheels Keep Turning
01:49:51 Scandal after Scandal
02:05:57 When the Opportunity Arises
02:20:46 A New Bombshell: Streaming
02:34:55 The Secret Meeting
02:42:36 Project Family Harmony: The Trust Part 3
02:47:33 All Will Be Revealed (In Court)
02:55:22 The Trust: Finale
Visuals
Wendi Deng protects Rupert Murdoch from pie - Onlooker UK via YouTube
Sources (used for both Ep 175 and 176)
(Feb 2026) Bonfire of the Murdochs: How the Epic Fight to Control the Last Great Media Dynasty Broke a Family - and the World by Gabriel Sherman
The Family
(May 4 2000) Elisabeth Murdoch quits Sky - BBC
(Jul 29 2005) News Corp on Lachlan Murdoch resignation - NBC News
(Nov 4 2011) Rupert Murdoch Kept a Bust of Lenin in His Oxford Dorm Room - Adam Clark Estes for the Atlantic
(Feb 19 2014) Seduced and Abandoned - Mark Seal for Vanity Fair
(Oct 1 2014) Elisabeth Murdoch set to quit television production company Shine Group - Chris Johnston for The Guardian
(Jan 29 2016) James Murdoch's return as Sky Chair is a major concern, says investor - Mark Sweney for the Guardian
**(Aug 17 2017) Text of James Murdoch's Email Condemning Trump's Response to Charlottesville - The New York Times
(Apr 5 2023) Rupert Murdoch: Timeline of the News Corp billionaire's four marriages - Kate Ng & Ellie Muir for The Independent
(May 29 2023) Rupert Murdoch: how a 22-year-old 'zealous Laborite' turned into a tabloid tzar - Sally Young for The Conversation
(Feb 20 2026) Anna de Peyster, Author and Second Wife of Rupert Murdoch, Dies at 81 - Mike Barnes for The Hollywood Reporter
(Dec 24 2025) Rivalries and rumours: How the new order of the Murdoch dynasty is playing out - Katie Razzall for BBC
How Rupert Murdoch created a media empire - and 'broke' his own family - Sam Fragoso interviewing Gabriel Sherman for NPR's Fresh Air
The Business & The Trust
(Jul 10 2021) News of the World: 10 years since phone-hacking scandal brought down tabloid - Jim Waterson for The Guardian
(Jan 8 2023) The Murdoch family trust: how the scions could battle for control - Alex Barker for the Financial Times
(Jul 24 2024) The Secret Battle for the Future of the Murdoch Empire - Jim Rutenberg and Jonathan Mahler for the New York Times
(Sep 13 2024) Future of Murdoch Empire Comes Down to a Court in Nevada - Jim Rutenberg for the New York Times
(Dec 9 2024) Rupert Murdoch Fails in Bid to Change Family Trust - Jonathan Mahler and Jim Rutenberg for the New York Times
(Dec 19 2024) Rupert Murdoch's Appeal to Alter Family Trust Faces Uphill Battle - Jim Rutenberg and Jonathan Mahler for the New York Times
Misc
(Jan 26 2026) Former Fox News employee sues network, alleging Roger Ailes sexually abused her - Chloe Atkins for NBC News
![175: Media Mayhem [Dynasty pt.1]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3d0acb_bcd56fa5b8ef4c09bca6262cc055a4d8~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_594,h_334,al_c,q_80,enc_avif,quality_auto/3d0acb_bcd56fa5b8ef4c09bca6262cc055a4d8~mv2.jpg)
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