Podcast
United States of Kennedy
United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts George Civeris and Julia Claire go into one aspect of the Kennedy story.
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Catalog
Episodes
- Finale: What We’ve Learned About the KennedysApr 13, 2026 · 57 minOver the last 10 months, we’ve explored family drama, political scandal, unsolved mysteries, forgotten and misunderstood historical figures, and countless conspiracy theories. In the final episode of United States of Kennedy, we take stock of everything we’ve learned and attempt to answer the questions we still have about the most infamous American dynasty.
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- The Patriarch, Joseph P. KennedyApr 6, 2026 · 1 hr 6 minWe’re finally going back to where it all began. Joe Kennedy — father to the nine Kennedy children — was a banker, a real estate baron, a liquor magnate, a Hollywood producer, a Washington insider, the first ever chair of the SEC, and the disgraced ambassador to the UK during World War II. We dive into his not-so-humble beginnings, his monumental successes in business and finance, and his complicated legacy as a political figure and patriarch of one of the most prominent families in American history.
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- The Rise of RFK Jr.Mar 30, 2026 · 1 hr 4 minRFK Jr., currently the Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Trump, has come up repeatedly on the podcast over the last year. We finally do a deep dive into his origin story and pre-Trump past, from family tragedy to environmental law to his turbulent personal life to his habit of… collecting roadkill? Plus: We check in on Jack Schlossberg’s congressional run.
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- Eunice Kennedy’s Lasting LegacyMar 23, 2026 · 1 hr 6 minEunice was the fifth of Joseph and Rose Kennedy’s nine children. While she’s perhaps best known as the founder of the Special Olympics, that was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of her lifelong commitment to public service and disability rights. To unpack Eunice’s life and legacy, we’re joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of Eunice: The Kennedy Who Changed the World, Eileen McNamara.
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- ‘Love Story: JFK Jr. & Carolyn Bessette’: Part TwoMar 16, 2026 · 49 minSince we recapped the first three episodes of Ryan Murphy’s ‘Love Story’, it has become the most streamed limited series on FX — and TikTok’s favorite show to argue about. We discuss what’s behind the overwhelming popularity of the show, Daryl Hannah’s searing New York Times op-ed about her portrayal, past guest Glynnis MacNichol’s new essay about Carolyn Bessette’s New York, and what it all means for the Kennedy brand.
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- Trump’s Takeover of the Kennedy CenterMar 9, 2026 · 51 minThe John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was a bipartisan project for the advancement of the performing arts conceptualized during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations. When JFK was assassinated in 1964, it was established as a “living memorial” in his honor. For decades, the Center was an American cultural stalwart. Then, last year, President Trump dismissed its entire board of trustees, took over as chairman, and changed its name to the Trump Kennedy Center. We’re joined by New Yorker staff writer Katy Waldman to dive into the Center’s legacy and Trumpian transformation.
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- Film of the Month: Blonde (2022)Mar 2, 2026 · 51 minInspired by our recent episode about Marilyn Monroe’s relationship with the Kennedy family, we watched the most recent fictionalized account of Marilyn’s life to make a splash: Andrew Dominik’s 2022 Netflix film ‘Blonde,’ starring Ana de Armas and based on the 2001 Joyce Carol Oates novel of the same name. We’re joined by film writer Esther Zuckerman to talk about the film’s divisive legacy, recognition by both the Oscars and the Razzies — and the infamous JFK scene that gave it its NC-17 rating. A content warning for our listeners: This episode discusses sexual assault.
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- Ryan Murphy’s ‘Love Story: JFK Jr. & Carolyn Bessette’Feb 23, 2026 · 49 minWe discuss the buzzy new FX series ‘Love Story: JFK Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.’
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- The Murder of JFK’s Mistress Mary Pinchot MeyerFeb 16, 2026 · 42 minMary Pinchot Meyer was a D.C. socialite, artist, and mistress of President John F. Kennedy. While walking near her studio on October 12, 1964, she was murdered in broad daylight. The man initially accused of shooting her was acquitted, and the case has been unsolved ever since. To this day, conspiracy theories about her death abound. We’re joined by journalist Nina Burleigh, author of A Very Private Woman: The Life and Unsolved Murder of Presidential Mistress Mary Meyer, to talk about Meyer’s life and the many unanswered questions of her death.
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- Marilyn Monroe and the KennedysFeb 9, 2026 · 54 minMarilyn Monroe has been associated with the Kennedy family for decades, from her memorable rendition of “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to enduring rumors about a full-fledged affair with his brother Bobby. Most disturbingly, Kennedy-related conspiracy theories persist surrounding Monroe’s untimely death in 1962. Today we’re taking a look at how those theories relate to everything from the FBI to Norman Mailer. Lastly, we discuss the 2022 Netflix documentary “The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes,” and whether or not it complicates or clarifies the narrative.
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- UpdateFeb 2, 2026 · 1 minWe’re taking a break this week, but here’s a sneak peek of what’s to come in the next ten episodes.
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- RFK's AssassinationJan 26, 2026 · 40 minOn June 5, 1968, the day after winning the California Democratic primary for President, Robert F. Kennedy was shot and killed by a man named Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. As with most Kennedy tragedies, some people don’t buy the official narrative of how the events unfolded. Crimetown co-creator Zac Stuart-Pontier joins us to chat about going down the rabbit hole of RFK conspiracy theories for his acclaimed 2018 documentary series The RFK Tapes.
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- Film of the Month: Thirteen Days (2001) and the Cuban Missile CrisisJan 19, 2026 · 34 min“You’ll never believe how close we came.” That’s the tagline for this month’s film, the 2001 historical political thriller Thirteen Days. Kevin Costner stars as White House assistant Kenneth O’Donnell during the 1962 diplomatic standoff between the U.S. and the Soviet Union that became known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. The 2.5-hour slogfest has it all: unexamined Kennedy mythology, confounding music choices, dramatic black-and-white vignettes, and montages of atomic bomb explosions at seemingly random times. We discuss it all with open hearts and minds… sort of.
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- Catholicism and the KennedysJan 12, 2026 · 1 hr 4 minThe Kennedys are the most famous Catholic family in America, and their religious background shaped both their personal lives and their careers in politics. We’re joined by Matthew Sitman, co-host of the podcast Know Your Enemy, to chat about Joe Kennedy’s complicated relationship with the Catholic Church, anti-Catholic sentiment during JFK’s election, a Gary Wills book on the Kennedys we’ve been devouring, and more.
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- The Myths of the JFK-Nixon DebateJan 5, 2026 · 39 minThe first televised presidential debate in U.S. history took place in 1960 between then-Vice President Richard Nixon and a young, charismatic Senator named John F. Kennedy. You may have learned in high school that audiences who watched the debate on television thought JFK won, and audiences who listened on the radio thought Nixon won. But the truth is not quite that simple. To separate fact from fiction and chat about the legacy of the JFK-Nixon debate in U.S. politics, we’re joined by Craig LaMay, professor of U.S. and comparative media law at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and co-author of Inside the Presidential Debates: Their Improbable Past and Promising Future.
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- Kennedy Year in ReviewDec 29, 2025 · 45 minTo ring in the new year, we count down the 10 most important Kennedy moments of 2025, from government corruption to media scandals to tell-all memoirs to family feuds. Happy holidays!
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- The Kennedy CompoundDec 22, 2025 · 39 minToday, we welcome back Rolling Stone features director Kate Storey to chat about her 2023 book White House by the Sea, a sprawling and meticulously researched history of the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, MA. Kate walks us through the major historical moments, family events, and celebrity visits that took place in the Kennedys’ infamous vacation property, where they could be “the people we are when no one but the neighbors is looking.”
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- Carolyn Bessette-KennedyDec 15, 2025 · 1 hr 7 minAmerica’s prince JFK Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy were ubiquitous in ’90s New York until their tragic death in a plane crash in the summer of 1999. “In the pages of the city tabloids during those few short years, Bessette was a daily soap opera, forced into the multitude of unforgiving tropes for public women. The scheming girlfriend; the coked-up vixen; the miserable spouse,” writes journalist and author Glynnis MacNicol in Town & Country. But little is known about what Carolyn was actually like. We’re joined by MacNicol to separate fact from fiction. NOTE: This episode originally aired July 14, 2025.
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- Kennedy FashionDec 8, 2025 · 50 minFrom JFK’s allegedly hat-less inauguration to Jackie’s pillbox hats, the Kennedys have always had a distinct style. But the type of fashion they’re most known for is the “classic” New England look you’re already picturing. In a word: Preppiness. We’re joined by Avery Trufelman, the host of the podcast ‘Articles of Interest’ whose 2022 series ‘American Ivy’ explored the history of preppy fashion, to investigate.
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- Jack Schlossberg’s Congressional RunDec 1, 2025 · 40 minToday we’re taking a break from our regularly scheduled programming to talk about something in the news that caught our eye: JFK’s grandson Jack Schlossberg is running for congress in New York. Does he have what it takes to make an impact in an incredibly crowded race? And can he pivot from controversial social media star to respectable politician? Does he even want to? We’re joined by Washington Post political features writer Kara Voght to break it all down.
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- Film of the month: The House of Yes (1997)Nov 24, 2025 · 32 minAfter a string of serious episodes, we’re taking a movie break with something light… kind of. The House of Yes is a 1997 pitch-black Sundance comedy-turned-cult classic starring a who’s who of late-90s stars including Parker Posey, Freddie Prinze Jr, Tori Spelling, and Rachel Leigh Cook. We get into the movie’s iconic poster featuring Parker Posey in Jackie O’s pink Chanel suit, Tori Spelling’s acting chops, the role of the Kennedy assassination in pop culture, and why Entertainment Weekly called the film “a knowingly overripe… kitsch melodrama that dares to make incest sexy.”
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- The Bay of PigsNov 17, 2025 · 1 hr 3 minThe Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961 was a covert plot to remove Fidel Castro from power in Cuba using a ragtag band of American-trained Cuban defectors. It ended up becoming one of the most humiliating episodes in American history — and a black eye for the Kennedy administration just four months into JFK’s presidency. We’re joined by Dr. Stephen Wilkinson, Chairman of the International Institute for the Study of Cuba at the University of Buckingham, to dive into how a plot dreamed up by the CIA and approved by two presidents failed so spectacularly, what it meant for JFK’s legacy, and how its impact reverberates in U.S.-Cuba relations to this day.
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- The Murder of Martha MoxleyNov 10, 2025 · 46 minOn October 31, 1975, 15-year-old Martha Moxley’s body was found under a tree in her family’s backyard in a wealthy enclave of Greenwich, CT. Nearly 25 years later, after countless false starts, someone was finally charged with Moxley’s murder: Michael Skakel, a former neighbor and classmate of Martha’s — and Bobby Kennedy’s nephew. The story only gets weirder from there. And with new revelations coming to light just last week, it’s still not over.
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- Kathleen “Kick” KennedyNov 3, 2025 · 53 minKathleen “Kick” Kennedy was the fourth child and second daughter of Joseph and Rose Kennedy. Always her father’s favorite, Kick spent her adolescence in London while he served as Ambassador to the United Kingdom. She quickly became a society it-girl and eventually married one of the most eligible bachelors in England — much to the chagrin of her very Catholic mother. We’re joined by Paula Byrne, author of Kick: The True Story of JFK's Sister and the Heir to Chatsworth, to discuss Kick’s life and tragic death, her twin-like relationship with JFK, and her complicated legacy.
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- Film of the month: Bobby (2006)Oct 27, 2025 · 43 minOn June 5, 1968, the day after winning the California Democratic primary for President, Robert F. Kennedy was shot and killed by a man named Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. The 2006 film Bobby, written and directed by Emilio Estevez, tells the interconnected stories of a group of fictional characters staying at the Ambassador Hotel the day Bobby was shot. The star-studded ensemble cast includes everyone from Anthony Hopkins and Demi Moore to Lindsay Lohan and Nick Cannon. We’re joined by comedian, Crooked Media writer, and Bobby Kennedy aficionado Julia Claire to discuss the highs and lows of one of the most confounding wannabe Oscar movies of the aughts.
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- Lee Harvey OswaldOct 20, 2025 · 45 min60 years after he was arrested for killing President John F. Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald remains one of the most enigmatic figures of the 20th century — and a lightning rod for conspiracy theorists everywhere. Today, we’re joined by Peter Savodnik, author of the book The Interloper: Lee Harvey Oswald Inside of the Soviet Union, to unpack Oswald’s tumultuous life and legacy.
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- Film of the Month: Grey GardensOct 13, 2025 · 50 min“A gothic tale of wealth and rebellion in East Hampton.” That’s how New York magazine described the plight of Jackie O’s aunt Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter Little Edie Bouvier Beale in a 1972 cover story about their life together in a dilapidated mansion on Long Island. Four years later, Big Edie and Little Edie were immortalized on the big screen in the cult classic documentary Grey Gardens. Olivia Aylmer, senior editor at The Slowdown (slowdown.media), joins us to break down Big Edie and Little Edie’s enduring appeal — and to give us an on-the-ground report of this month’s 50th-anniversary screening of the film at New York’s Paris Theater featuring Julia Fox.
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- RFK vs. Jimmy HoffaOct 6, 2025 · 43 minAs a senator and later as JFK’s attorney general, one of Bobby Kennedy’s signature causes was taking on organized crime. And his Public Enemy No. 1 was always Teamster President Jimmy Hoffa. But the years-long feud between Kennedy and Hoffa was not just about politics — it was personal. And it haunted the Kennedys for decades. To help us unpack it all, we’re joined by Dan O’Sullivan, co-host of The Outfit, a podcast about the mafia’s surprising role in our society.
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- RFK Jr.’s “Autism Announcement”Sep 29, 2025 · 41 minSince we started this podcast, one member of the Kennedy family has been in the news most consistently. Trump’s Secretary of Health & Human Services, RFK Jr., has been the elephant in the room during any conversation we’ve had about the Kennedy family. Today, we take a break from our regularly scheduled programming to chat with Julie Rovner, Chief Washington Correspondent for KFF Health News, about RFK and Trump’s much-covered “autism announcement” last week and RFK’s role in the anti-vax movement.
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- William Kennedy Smith's criminal trial and the birth of CourtTVSep 22, 2025 · 54 minIn 1991, JFK’s 30-year-old nephew, William Kennedy Smith, was accused of raping a woman named Patricia Bowman at the Kennedy estate in Palm Beach. The ensuing trial coincided with the birth of CourtTV, and its “gavel-to-gavel” television coverage changed the media landscape forever. We’re joined by Dr. Paul Thaler, author of The Watchful Eye: American Justice in the Age of the Television Trial and The Spectacle: Media and the Making of the OJ Simpson Story, to talk about the ethics of cameras in the courtroom, the legacy of the William Kennedy Smith trial, and our current true crime landscape.
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- Film of the month: Chappaquiddick (2018)Sep 15, 2025 · 39 minIn 1969, a young Ted Kennedy drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts, leading to the death of a young woman in the passenger seat named Mary Jo Kopechne. For this month’s Kennedy movie episode, we’re joined by Jason Concepcion, co-host of the X-Ray Vision podcast, to talk about the baffling 2018 film ‘Chappaquiddick,’ which attempts to depict the infamous incident and its aftermath — with mixed results.
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- Carole RadziwillSep 8, 2025 · 49 minBravo fanatics know Carole Radziwill as the “voice of reason” during her time on the Real Housewives of New York. But before answering that call from Andy Cohen, Radziwill was an Emmy-winning journalist and a New York Times bestselling author. She was also married to Jackie O’s nephew Anthony Radziwill and was close friends with his cousin JFK Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette. We’re joined by Vulture writer and Real Housewives anthropologist Brian Moylan to break down Carole’s Kennedy connections and chat about her triumphant years in the Real Housewives universe.
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- George MagazineSep 1, 2025 · 37 minIn 1995, JFK Jr. and PR executive Michael Berman started a new magazine focused on the intersection of politics and culture. Today we’re joined by Rolling Stone features editor Kate Storey to talk about her 2019 Esquire article about the history of George Magazine, from infamous covers to notable contributors including Al Franken and Kellyanne Conway. As Storey writes, George Magazine “covered politics like it was pop culture. Was it folly — or a glimpse of the Trumpian future?”
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- Taylor Swift and Conor KennedyAug 25, 2025 · 39 minTaylor Swift’s fascination with the Kennedys is well documented, but it really reached a fever pitch in the summer of 2012 when she briefly dated RFK Jr’s son Conor Kennedy. Today, we’re joined by Vulture staff writer and Taylor Swift historian Fran Hoepfner to break down Taylor’s top Kennedy moments, from an infamous paparazzi scandal to a mysterious real estate purchase.
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- Film of the month: Jackie (2016)Aug 18, 2025 · 49 minPablo Larrain’s ‘Jackie’ stars Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy in the moments before, during, and after her husband’s assassination. The film landed Portman an Oscar nomination and jumpstarted Larrain’s trilogy of films about misunderstood 20th-century women. We’re joined by ‘Jackie’ superfan Hunter Harris to chat about the film’s depiction of grief, how Larrain subverts biopic tropes, and which actors’ Boston accents could have used a bit more work.
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- Jack SchlossbergAug 11, 2025 · 50 minYou may have seen JFK’s 32-year-old grandson Jack Schlossberg command a crowd at the DNC or present the JFK Profile in Courage Award. You may also have seen him on your feed dancing shirtless while singing “Ticket to Ride” or railing about his hatred of restaurants. We’re joined by William Cohan, co-founder of Puck and author of the Town & Country article “You Don’t Know Jack,” to explore the most famous millennial Kennedy’s unlikely path to social media stardom.
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- Jackie After JFKAug 4, 2025 · 45 minJackie Kennedy was only 34 years old when JFK was assassinated. She was suddenly a single mother of two — and one of the most famous women in the world. We’re joined by J. Randy Taraborrelli, author of the bestselling biography ‘Jackie: Public, Private, Secret’ and the just-released ‘JFK: Public, Private, Secret’, to talk about the relationships that defined Jackie’s post-White House life.
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- Rosemary KennedyJul 28, 2025 · 56 minIn 1918, Joe and Rose Kennedy had their first daughter, Rosemary. She experienced developmental difficulties as a child and had trouble keeping up in school. When she was 23, her father arranged for her to undergo a lobotomy, which left her profoundly handicapped for the rest of her life. The truth about Rosemary was kept hidden for decades. We’re joined by historian Kate Clifford Larson, author of the New York Times bestseller ‘Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter,’ to discuss Rosemary’s life and legacy.
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- Film of the Month: JFK (1991)Jul 21, 2025 · 44 minFor our first edition of Kennedy Film of the Month, we dive into Oliver Stone’s 1991 political thriller opus ‘JFK’. While nominated for 8 Oscars including Best Picture, it was also roundly condemned in the press for popularizing the theory that there was a government conspiracy to assassinate JFK. Los Angeles Times film critic and co-host of the Unspooled podcast, Amy Nicholson, joins us to unpack the film’s legacy.
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- Carolyn Bessette-KennedyJul 14, 2025 · 1 hr 7 minAmerica’s prince JFK Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy were ubiquitous in ’90s New York until their tragic death in a plane crash in the summer of 1999. “In the pages of the city tabloids during those few short years, Bessette was a daily soap opera, forced into the multitude of unforgiving tropes for public women. The scheming girlfriend; the coked-up vixen; the miserable spouse,” writes journalist and author Glynnis MacNicol in Town & Country. But little is known about what Carolyn was actually like. We’re joined by MacNicol to separate fact from fiction.
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- ChappaquiddickJul 7, 2025 · 41 minIn 1969, a young Ted Kennedy drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts. He managed to get out of the car and survive, but the 28-year-old woman in the passenger seat did not. Kennedy fled the scene and didn’t report the incident until the following morning. As with all Kennedy scandals, conflicting reports of what exactly happened led to enduring conspiracy theories. We’re joined by Liz McNeil, editor-at-large at PEOPLE, author of JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography, and host of the Chappaquiddick podcast COVER-UP, to discuss what we know about that night — and what we don’t.
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- The Family TreeJun 30, 2025 · 29 minJoe Kennedy, the patriarch of the Kennedy family, lived out the American dream. He amassed a fortune and gave his children a launching pad to political and cultural dominance. Lyra and George introduce themselves, the show, and the cast of characters who will be featured throughout.
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- Introducing: United States of KennedyJun 23, 2025 · 2 minSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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