Mission Implausible artwork

Politics · Jon Stern

Mission Implausible

by Jon Stern

Do you want to know the truth behind the world’s wildest conspiracy theories? Former CIA officers John Sipher & Jerry O’Shea try to determine where misinformation is coming from, when we’re being lied to and when a conspiracy theory is an actual real conspiracy. In the world of espionage, they were part of creating conspiracies. Now they and their circle of experts probe what’s true and when we’re being manipulated. New episodes every week. Watch Mission Implausible on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionImplausiblePod Executive Producers: Adam Davidson, John Sipher, Jerry O'Shea & Jonathan Stern. Producer: Rachel HarnerA production of Honorable Mention and Abominable Pictures

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Why Americans Are Such Suckers for Conspiracy Theories (with Jesse Walker)

#40 trending · Politics

The author of The United States of Paranoia and the editor of Reason sees the enemies within, outside, above and below. The true believers and the manipulators. Every rel

Oct 4
46 min

Tulsi Gabbard and The Guru: Inside Her Cult (with Rebecca Saltzburg) - Part Two

Former Science of Identity Foundation insider Rebecca Saltzburg, a source for the Washington Post's investigation into Tulsi Gabbard, goes deeper into how its guru Chris

Sep 27
41 min

Tulsi Gabbard and The Guru: Inside Her Cult (with Rebecca Saltzburg) - Part One

Rebecca Saltzburg spent years living with Tulsi Gabbard’s family, inside the Science of Identity Foundation, and in the inner circle of Chris Butler, the leader of its Ha

Sep 20
35 min

Operation Sparrow: Three Americans Who Wanted to Be Captured by the Nazis (with Jason Bell)

In March 1944, three American OSS officers parachuted into Hungary on a mission to be taken prisoner. A story that was classified for decades, the team — a Dartmouth grad

Sep 13
51 min

When Did We Lose Faith in Our Institutions? (with Garrett Graff) - ENCORE

Our summer holiday is over. All new episodes coming soon. We didn't always assume the government was hiding aliens. The Manhattan Project was a crash course in how to ru

Sep 6
45 min

What the Steele Dossier Got Right—and Why It Still Matters (with Christopher Steele) - ENCORE

 In 2016, former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele produced a series of intelligence memos that were leaked and widely called “The Steel Dossier” containing

Aug 30
1 h 02 min

The Five Eyes: Can It Survive (with Richard Kerbaj)

Investigative journalist and BAFTA-winning filmmaker Richard Kerbaj discusses The Defector, his book on Oleg Lyalin — the KGB officer who walked into a North London polic

Aug 17
49 min

No More Secrets: AI and the Future of Espionage (with Adam Davidson)

Now that Adam Davidson is a national expert on AI, he worries about how it will change worldwide politics, military power and international economic structures. Not just

Aug 9
37 min

The Corruption of American Intelligence (with Julia Curlee)

What's been done to American intelligence and what it costs: the 35 declassified documents that don't say what the president claims they say, analysts fired for accurate

Aug 2
32 min

The National Security Council Purge (with Julia Curlee)

Stephen Miller runs National Security now. Julia Curlee spent over 20 years as a CIA analyst, rising to being Acting Senior Director for Intelligence Programs at the NSC.

Jul 26
32 min

CIA's Best-Kept Secret: It Was Fun (with Paul Kolbe & Doug Wise)

Two of John & Jerry’s old friends and agency colleagues swap war stories and tall tales, starting with their training at The Farm and including their time in Moscow. Some

Jul 19
33 min

Trump’s Presidential Payday (with Adam Davidson)

More on Trump's $2 billion is new money in the past year -- Financial investigative journalist (and Mission Implausible producer) Adam Davidson illuminates Trump's busine

Jul 12
29 min

Did the CIA Poison the World’s Best Goalkeeper at the 1970 World Cup? (with Gabriel Gatehouse) - Part 2

- Journalist Gabriel Gatehouse returns to Mission Implausible with the strange premise behind his podcast Foul Play: the claim that the CIA poisoned England goalkeeper Go

Jul 5
31 min

Did the CIA Poison the World’s Best Goalkeeper at the 1970 World Cup? (with Gabriel Gatehouse) - Part 1

Journalist Gabriel Gatehouse returns to Mission Implausible with the strange premise behind his podcast Foul Play: the claim that the CIA poisoned England goalkeeper Gord

Jun 28
35 min

Inside the Kremlin's Playbook: How Russia Really Works (with Michael Carpenter)

Former OSCE ambassador and Pentagon and NSC official Michael Carpenter argues Russia is weaker than it appears yet keeps being rescued by a West gripped by fear of escala

Jun 21
44 min

What the CIA Knows About Iran That Washington Keeps Getting Wrong (with Mark Fowler)

Former CIA Iran ops officer Mark Fowler joins Jerry and John to explain why Iran is one of the hardest targets on earth. From running agents and sources, Fowler has insig

Jun 14
52 min

Swinging at Curveball: When You Want It Bad, You Get It Bad (with Bob Drogin)

In 2003, a single Iraqi refugee — codenamed Curveball — fabricated stories about Iraqi weapons. The U.S. intelligence community, desperate for sources after 9/11, launder

Jun 7
53 min

How Everyone Else Sees America (with Gabriel Gatehouse) - ENCORE

ENCORE EPISODE - Gabriel Gatehouse is a journalist and broadcaster and author of “The Coming Storm” that looks at Q Anon and the January 6th conspiracies. And he’s Britis

May 31
41 min

The Hawaiian Cult that raised Tulsi Gabbard (with Christine Gralow) - ENCORE

In light of this week's resignation of Tulsi Gabbard, we're re-running our recent very illuminating episode about her. Also, check out John Sipher's timely piece on her i

May 24
37 min

Hunting Weapons of Mass Destruction (with Andy Weber)

Nuclear weapons-usable uranium, biolabs for biological warfare, secret chemical facilities -- In Operation Sapphire, Former Assistant Secretary of Defense Andy Weber foun

May 17
42 min

Chart trend

Position in the Politics chart (US), last 90 days.

#112
all-time peak
50
days in the top 200 since Jun 2026

Chart positions

Where Mission Implausible ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 5, 2026).

#152 ▲ 31 Politics US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

Great pod, but I agree with the person who asked that the background sounds and music be dropped. I don’t need to be lulled into feeling a certain way, what you guys talk about is very interesting. Keep up the great work!

XTardis · Jun 2026

This is one of the best podcasts, and I can’t wait for the new episode every week. However, the background music drowns out the speakers and really detracts from the show. I know it’s being used for effect, but it’s not needed. The stories are rich enough in content and drama on their own and should be the main focus. Great hosts and great guests!

Lolijoi · Jun 2026

Love it! Conspiracy-busting with logic and intelligence. I normally listen to podcasts while falling asleep. This one is like listening to a bunch of guys reminiscing over coffee with interesting stories, characters and tidbits. Brings the stories right down to a human level. Unfortunately this keeps me awake 😃

user789!! · Feb 2025

So underrated. Apparently, lots of folks have been offended by the conspiracy theories they discuss, as they seem to reflect poorly on the right. It doesn’t- it reflects poorly on the ridiculous and the alt-right…because it should. I’m baffled by people who don’t like what they see in the mirror getting angry at the person/people holding it up. They’re generally unbiased and invite interesting, intelligent guests from the right and left to join them in discourse on currently popular conspiracies, as well as discuss their experiences in the field. It is a great show with compelling content and it deserves a much higher overall rating.

Amber DuPree · Oct 2024

I used to really enjoy this podcast. At first, it was both entertaining and insightful, offering great discussions and perspectives on a range of topics. Unfortunately, the show has recently taken a turn for the worse, becoming increasingly one-sided with its political commentary. The balanced conversations I once appreciated have been replaced by a clear bias, making it much harder to listen to. Sadly, I've stopped tuning in altogether. I hope the podcast can return to the well-rounded approach that made it so appealing in the beginning.

"nice app" · Jul 2025

I like the premise of this show, and they have good guests, but it doesn’t go into as much depth as I would like, and the huge number of commercials is annoying.

MusicCityEngineer · Sep 2025

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About Mission Implausible on Reason.fm

Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Mission Implausible, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.

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