Pablo Torre Finds Out

The billionaire tennis fan, banished by Trump to run for governor in Ohio, was already a loser. But when independent journalist D.J. Byrnes uncovered a heinous campaign ad, he found it part of a "pathological" pattern. The Rooster returns to make sense of an embellished athletic legend, Wikipedia edits, private jets, libertarian rap... and that picture of Shrek. UPDATE: On October 28, the day after we recorded this episode, a Wikipedia editor with the handle “NapoliRoma” removed the phrase “according to himself” before the claim, “in high school, Ramaswamy was a nationally ranked junior tennis player." This, according to Wikipedia’s open source editing history. UPDATE: According to multiple sources, the Amy Acton ad featuring her mother, Donna Arthur, is no longer airing. When asked on Oct 29 if his campaign had pulled the ad, Ramaswamy responded: “It ran to completion and we put up four other ads.” Thank you!! Further reading: • "Vivek Ramaswamy hits disgusting new low with 'October Surprise' on Dr. Acton" (The Rooster) Previously on PTFO: • The Christian Nationalist Surge at Ohio State, with D.J. Byrnes • The Goalie Who Went to Hell and Back • What Vivek Ramasawamy Was Like in College More Pablo: • Send us your confidential tips • Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube (Pablo Torre Finds Out is independently produced by Meadowlark Media and distributed by The Athletic. The views, research and reporting expressed in this episode are solely those of Pablo Torre Finds Out and do not reflect the work or editorial input of The Athletic or its journalists.) (Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if Steve Kerr met his viral look-alike? Are we safe from the bizarro world? What if David Letterman re-named this podcast? And is our curse on A.I. actually working? Plus: The Rule of the Airplane, Jim Kardashian, Alonzo "Hamburger" Jones... and Molly the Mechanical Bird. • Subscribe to "But Also" with Michael Cruz Kayne • Subscribe to "Casuals" with Katie Nolan • Previously on PTFO: We Cast Spells with a Real-Life Witch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is LeBron a better role model than Trump? Are the attacks on trans athletes working? And could Stephen A. Smith stop Democrats from taking back the White House? Pablo teams up with Tim Miller and Sam Stein of The Bulwark for a survey of "the sports election" — and some eye-opening data about furries. • Read more takeaways from our poll at The Bulwark • Subscribe to The Bulwark Daily • Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube • Full poll results from YouGov ytghn (Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Its Hall-of-Fame speakers may be vanishing, but this alleged "scam" defiantly continues to pitch financial salvation for vulnerable Christians — with a former SportsCenter anchor and house-flipping HGTV twins in tow. Kiera Butler of Mother Jones returns to investigate the trail of upsell transactions, Google reviews and financial documents, uncovering how Life Surge might outlast its disrupted funnel. • Read the latest article from Mother Jones • Read the September 18 statement from Life Surge • Previously on PTFO: We Investigated the Christian "Scam" Fronted by Tim Tebow • Plus: Submit your confidential tips to Pablo (Pablo Torre Finds Out is independently produced by Meadowlark Media and distributed by The Athletic. The views, research and reporting expressed in this episode are solely those of Pablo Torre Finds Out and Mother Jones and do not reflect the work or editorial input of The Athletic or its journalists.) (Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nathan Fielder's new film has been presented as a documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of notorious Silicon Valley scam Theranos. But this doesn't begin to describe the strategies and structure that make Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's collaboration so artistically wondrous (and journalistically frustrating). Wesley Morris — The New York Times ' Pulitzer Prize-winning critic-at-large — helps us dissect (and SPOIL!) the most "culturally destabilizing" movie of the year. • Previously on PTFO: The Secrets of Nathan Fielder and Sportswriting, with Mina Kimes • Plus: Submit your confidential tips to Pablo (Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He is a Clippers legend — and an off-the-court pioneer. On the eve of his new late-night show, the Prime Video analyst sits down with Pablo (plus a few surprises) about why he didn't shake Steve Ballmer's hand, how much influence journalists should have on NBA democracy, where to get your Osama bin Laden rookie card autographed and, of course, Kelly Clarkson. • AUCTION: Bid on Autographed Hats for Charity • Watch "The Stepback with Blake Griffin" (Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The most expensive album in music history is a controversial, 1-of-1 work of art, owned by "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli, then the feds... and now a mysterious digital art collective named pleasrDAO. But, in no small part because the album's NFT-style circus began to fracture their team, Wu-Tang Clan's most famous member had never actually heard "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin." Until now. • Learn more about pleasrDAO and the album PREVIOUSLY ON PTFO: • Share & Wu & Tell with Method Man and Dan Le Batard • We Found the Knicks' Top-Secret Tapes for Kawhi, Kyrie and KD (feat. Wu-Tang) • Plus: Is Wu-Tang Really That Good at Chess? MORE PABLO: • Send us your confidential tips • Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube (Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Domonique Foxworth and David Samson lay down the law in a rule-bending moment for sports business: Did the Sixers land King James because of a backroom helicopter upgrade from Fanatics? Why are colleges and conferences running an end-around to control student-athletes? And could all this lobbying backfire into an NCAA super-union? Plus: vanity tail numbers, dignity and/or pride... and Pablo Bingo. • Subscribe to "The Domonique Foxworth Show" • Subscribe to "Nothing Personal with David Samson" • Plus: Submit your confidential tips to Pablo (Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A beloved celebrity walks into a Brooklyn boutique, asks about a $15,000 mechanical bird, then riles millions of fans into a social-media frenzy. But since she's been gone, Pablo has obtained security footage — and more. Wyatt Cenac and Amin Elhassan take stock of a viral morality play at the intersection of class, discrimination and how to get what you want. BID IN THE AUCTION: • Win Kelly Clarkson's backup bird — and help cure glioblastoma MORE PABLO: • Send us your confidential news tips • Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube for breaking news, greatest hits and live premieres PREVIOUSLY ON PTFO: • Debunking the "Magic" of Mentalist Oz Pearlman • The Agony and the Ecstasy of Competitive Bird-Watching (Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sovereign wealth funds. Prime ministers. Fake money. Fake excuses. Fake people? If you thought the Clippers were bad, wait until you comprehend the depths of cheating that have thrown the Premier League into chaos. The Athletic's Adam Crafton explains how "sham" deals, sportswashing and one hacker's email led to a devastating verdict — and why the aftermath of Man City's "festering stain" could extend beyond historic punishments... to world history. • Subscribe to The Athletic • Subscribe to The Athletic FC Podcast • Plus: Submit your confidential tips to Pablo (Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a crumbling empire of ludicrous wealth and slop, filmmaker John Wilson keeps showing us what it means to be human — even (and especially) when that involves poop and/or circumcision. The director of "The History of Concrete" sits down with Pablo to contemplate how A.I. is forcing Hollywood's hand, what Nathan Fielder (and the Hallmark Channel) taught him about storytelling, and why art can live in peaceful conflict with the demands of reality and journalism. Plus: Tim Tebow in the Philippines, Dwyane Wade in an elevator... and balloon fetishists. • See "The History of Concrete" (Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris Nowinski was a WWE heel. Then he got in on a secret the NFL allegedly has been trying to hide for more than a decade: There may be nothing worse you can do to your brain than play tackle football. In the wake of a landmark study of CTE, the neuroscientist sits down with Pablo about his war with the league, the effectiveness of the Guardian Cap, the last word on O.J. Simpson's brain and, yes, some good news on the horizon. Further content: • "Study's Alarming Finding: At Least 1 in 4 N.F.L. Players Gets Brain Disease" (The New York Times) • "The Life and Death of Chris Eitzmann" (The Athletic) • Previously on PTFO: How We Forgot About CTE, with Domonique Foxworth • Plus: Submit your confidential tips to Pablo (If you're dealing with a recent concussion, symptoms or concerns about CTE, contact the Concussion & CTE Foundation's help line .) (Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When candidates cosplay as football fans and QBs become a passport to the hearts and wallets of vulnerable Americans, the wrong people can get rich and powerful off sports. Electrician turned independent journalist D.J. Byrnes has pranked Buckeyes "fan" Vivek Ramaswamy, caught Urban Meyer in a lap-dance scandal and will go to trial over Shrek's private parts in the name of free speech. But nothing shocked Ohio's muckraker-in-chief quite like watching a college-football powerhouse combine the enterprises of church and state. • Subscribe to D.J. Byrnes' Substack, "The Rooster" • Leak to us: Submit your confidential tips to Pablo • Previously on PTFO: We Investigated the Christian "Scam" Fronted by Tim Tebow (Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.) (Pablo Torre Finds Out is independently produced by Meadowlark Media and distributed by The Athletic. The views, research and reporting expressed in this episode are solely those of Pablo Torre Finds Out and do not reflect the work or editorial input of The Athletic or its journalists.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A.I. valuations make sports franchise valuations look like chump change and the disconnect between American voters and the tech billionaires with a batphone to the White House, has gotten scary. Yet the plugged-in MS-NOW host Stephanie Ruhle remains hopeful. Can we summon the power to say "no"? Who will expose the cruelest of scams, even and especially if they involve Tim Tebow? And what was Pablo talking about with Adam Silver at that party? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Kawhi Leonard distances himself from scandal, Pablo uncovers internal financials, government records and new sources on the "no-show job" that the silent superstar... actually showed up for. Amin Elhassan and David Samson enter a captive portal of multi-million-dollar promises, while Hunterbrook Media's Sam Koppelman explains how the feds could haul in Steve Ballmer and his banned lieutenants. • Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube for breaking news, greatest hits and live premieres with Pablo Previously on PTFO: • Part I: The Silent Superstar and the Rotten Apple Tree • Part II: An Argument with Mark Cuban • Part III: The Mystery Investor, the No-Show Payday and the "Smoking Gun" • Part IV: Steve Ballmer, the Other Cuban and the $118 Million Infusion • Part V: Steve Ballmer's "Inconceivable" Donation, the $20 Million Guarantee and a Head on a Spike • Part VI: An IRL Showdown with Mark Cuban • Part VII: The Briefcase, Ballmer's Social Network and Aspiration's House of Cards • Part VIII: Uncle Dennis, Ballmer's $50 Million Sprint and the Side Deal That Wouldn't Die • Part IX: Ballmer's Tree Money, the Whistle-Blowers and the Document You've Been Waiting For • Part X: Steve Ballmer's Victim Impact, the Man Who Prosecuted Aspiration and the Abacus of Incarceration • Part XI: Ballmer's Secret I.O.U., Aspiration's "Web of Lies" and the Zenith of Fraud • Part XII: RIFC, the Impossible Deal and Life After Aspiration • Part XIII: The Halo, Ballmer's Bowl and a New Crisis in the Super-System • Part XIV: The Jumbotron Emails, the Courtside Cabana and Ballmer's "Highest Integrity" • Part XV: Clippers Judgment Day, the NBA's Hammer and the Investigation That Never Ends • Part XVI: Steve Ballmer's Sword, the DOJ's Probe and a "Road to Jail Time" (Pablo Torre Finds Out is brought to you by Apple Card.) (Pablo Torre Finds Out is independently produced by Meadowlark Media and distributed by The Athletic. The views, research and reporting expressed in this episode are solely those of Pablo Torre Finds Out and Hunterbrook Media and do not reflect the work or editorial input of The Athletic or its journalists.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did the trans-athlete debate rear its oligarchic head in Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding? What messes up young athletes more: private equity... or being on a Kardashian reality show? And are you the maestro of your own body? Plus: non-suntans, Harambe and how to win a Poo-litzer. • Subscribe to "But Also" with Michael Cruz Kayne • Subscribe to "Casuals" with Katie Nolan Further content: • "Donald Trump Jr.'s Bahamas Wedding Was Secretly Bankrolled by Russian Oligarch Close to Putin" (ProPublica) • "Kim Kardashian's Team Moms highlights the ridiculous excess of the US youth-sports industry" (The Guardian) • "The Pay-to-Play Childhood" (New York) • Previously on PTFO: The Harambe Tapes, Revealed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Tebow is one of the most trusted voices in America. But the former star quarterback is also the face of a Christian roadshow that is accused of preying upon their followers' faith and financial insecurity. Kiera Butler of Mother Jones joins PTFO to investigate Life Surge and its celebrity-athlete "bait" — going inside the room, listening to victims of the "hard sell" and unearthing complaints to the government — to discover the hidden cost of doing business with a higher power. (Additional reporting from Byard Duncan and Thomas Darro) • Read the full article at Mother Jones • Read the full statement from Life Surge (Pablo Torre Finds Out is independently produced by Meadowlark Media and distributed by The Athletic. The views, research and reporting expressed in this episode are solely those of Pablo Torre Finds Out and Mother Jones and do not reflect the work or editorial input of The Athletic or its journalists.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The comedian has been living rent-free in Pablo's head for a year — and now he's got folders of his own, while asking questions on behalf of Clipper Nation: Who knew the truth on the inside? Could Steve Ballmer have vaporized this scandal from the jump? How did Kawhi Leonard get off with a slap on the wrist? Has he really excommunicated Uncle Dennis? Why is Bill Simmons so upset? And have fans become collateral damage in the NBA's message to Shakespearean billionaires? • Subscribe to "How Did This Get Made?" and "Unspooled" with Paul Scheer • Previously on PTFO: Steve Ballmer's Sword, the DOJ's Probe and a "Road to Jail Time" (Pablo Torre Finds Out is independently produced by Meadowlark Media and distributed by The Athletic. The views, research and reporting expressed in this episode are solely those of Pablo Torre Finds Out and do not reflect the work or editorial input of The Athletic or its journalists.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do football and social media combust into the mainstreaming of old-school racism? Is sports media worse for women than ever? And should our brains go on strike? Plus: woke Karl Rove, MrBeast as Scorsese, a plea to Aaron Rodgers, sympathy for Vivek... and the Disney tour-guide celebrity draft board. • Subscribe to "The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny" • "I've Been an American My Entire Life" (The Dallas Morning News) • "Did Arch Manning, Steve Sarkisian and Cackling Reporters Act This Way? It Can't Be Real" (The Athletic) • "The Truth About Brain Rot: It's a Cry for Help" (The New York Times) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the Clippers accept the NBA's historic punishment, a "criminal dimension" looms over the fallout. Pablo talks to owners, league officials and the commissioner himself, then asks former federal prosecutors how the government would build a case against one of the richest men alive. Amin Elhassan and David Samson help follow the money — and the Trump of it all — from "podcast court" to the Department of Justice. • Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube for breaking news, greatest hits and live premieres with Pablo Previously on PTFO: • Part I: The Silent Superstar and the Rotten Apple Tree • Part II: An Argument with Mark Cuban • Part III: The Mystery Investor, the No-Show Payday and the "Smoking Gun" • Part IV: Steve Ballmer, the Other Cuban and the $118 Million Infusion • Part V: Steve Ballmer's "Inconceivable" Donation, the $20 Million Guarantee and a Head on a Spike • Part VI: An IRL Showdown with Mark Cuban • Part VII: The Briefcase, Ballmer's Social Network and Aspiration's House of Cards • Part VIII: Uncle Dennis, Ballmer's $50 Million Sprint and the Side Deal That Wouldn't Die • Part IX: Ballmer's Tree Money, the Whistle-Blowers and the Document You've Been Waiting For • Part X: Steve Ballmer's Victim Impact, the Man Who Prosecuted Aspiration and the Abacus of Incarceration • Part XI: Ballmer's Secret I.O.U., Aspiration's "Web of Lies" and the Zenith of Fraud • Part XII: RIFC, the Impossible Deal and Life After Aspiration • Part XIII: The Halo, Ballmer's Bowl and a New Crisis in the Super-System • Part XIV: The Jumbotron Emails, the Courtside Cabana and Ballmer's "Highest Integrity" • Part XV: Clippers Judgment Day, the NBA's Hammer and the Investigation That Never Ends (Pablo Torre Finds Out is independently produced by Meadowlark Media and distributed by The Athletic. The views, research and reporting expressed in this episode are solely those of Pablo Torre Finds Out and do not reflect the work or editorial input of The Athletic or its journalists.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.