In our society, many of us are naturally drawn to and entertained by true crime stories and mysteries. Whether it’s getting into the minds of criminals or learning how to protect yourself, there are many reasons why people love true crime content. Therefore, in the world of podcasts, it’s not surprising that true crime is one of the most popular genres.

Hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, the My Favorite Murder podcast is based on true-crime stories and mysteries that will leave you on the edge of your seat. From hometown stories sent in by fans to 2-hour-long true crime mysteries, this podcast is packed with well-told, binge-worthy stories.

Let’s talk more about what the My Favorite Murder podcast entails and what you can expect to hear on the show! 

Hosts Behind My Favorite Murder

The My Favorite Murder podcast is hosted by Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff. They initially created My Favorite Murder back in January 2016, and it has become one of the most popular true crime podcasts today. Additionally, they call the listeners and fans of their show “murderinos.”

In 2018, Georgia and Karen founded the podcast network Exactly Right Media, which is still hosting the podcast today. Since then, they’ve grown the network to host 15 podcasts (both new and acquired). After the podcast gained so much popularity and attention, they went on a live My Favorite Murder tour where they filmed episodes with a live audience. 

Themes and Topics Covered on the Show

Each episode of My Favorite Murder is centered around at least one true crime story or mystery. The stories can range from hometown stories sent in by fans to infamous cold cases. Additionally, when talking about a mystery, Georgia and Karen also dive into theories about what could have happened. Here are three examples of episodes you can expect to hear on the show.

357 – The Big Exhale

In this episode that was released recently in December 2022, Georgia dives into the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. They talk about how the plane went untracked leaving people with no answers as to where the plane is located.

They talk about how the plane is suspected to have landed somewhere in the Indian Ocean. Then, a year after the plane’s disappearance, pieces from the airplane’s wings have been washed to shore hours away from where the plane took off in Malaysia. 

Georgia and Karen go into conspiracy theories about the plane’s disappearance including the plane being held at a military base and sightings of the captain from the plane.

Listen to The Big Exhale episode here.

Minisode 238 – Attempted Kidnappings

This minisode aired in August 2021, and it’s a short episode of Georgia and Karen telling hometown stories of attempted kidnappings. The first story they tell is a humorous but slightly concerning story of someone’s dad almost accidentally test-driving a vehicle with someone else’s toddler in the back seat.

They go on to tell another story about someone’s grandmother getting into her car to find a kidnapper in her backseat telling her to drive. It was revealed that the kidnapper was someone who broke out of an insane asylum and still isn’t found to this day.

The last story they tell is a childhood story about someone’s mom who let two strangers into their home and promised to replace their electronics with better devices. They proceeded to take all of their electronics and even asked if they could take the younger brother who was a baby at the time, and they never came back with replacements. 

Listen to the Attempted Kidnappings minisode here.

226 – 50 Hour Days

This episode aired in June 2020 and tells the story of the Hart family murder/suicide and the murder of Stephen Lawrence. Before getting into the stories, they begin the episode by talking a little bit about the current events of the time with the protests.

They dive into the story of the Hart family murder/suicide. The Hart family is seemingly perfect and preaches peace and love, but the children are actually being abused by the family. Just before child protection services showed up at their door, Jen made the decision to put all of her family into the car and drive it off of a cliff, killing everyone involved.

They then pivot to the story of the murder of Stephen Lawrence. He and his friend Dwayne were physically attacked by a gang based on racial injustice. They were able to escape the attack, and as they were running away, Stephen collapses. Once an ambulance finally arrives, they bring Stephen to the hospital where he later that night passed away.

Listen to the 50 Hour Days episode here.

Podcast Reach

The My Favorite Murder podcast has 947K followers on Instagram and receives around 35 million listens per month.

As of February 2023, My Favorite Murder was ranked number 40 on Apple Music.

Based on this analysis we estimated that the My Favorite Murder receives [Net Influencer Editorial team will this out] listens each time an episode goes out across Apple, Google, Youtube, and Spotify podcast networks.

Structure and Formatting of the Podcast

Every episode of My Favorite Murder focuses on a specific true crime-related story or mystery, but the length of the episodes varies. In addition to hour-long true-crime episodes, they also create minisodes (mini episodes) for people who want a quick listen.

In some of their minisodes, they often feature a compilation of the show’s listener’s hometown true-crime stories which can range in subject matter and seriousness.

Guests on the Show

While the majority of the show is solely hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, they do occasionally invite guests onto the show. Some of the guests that have appeared on the podcast include:

• Conan O’Brien (Talk Show Host)
• Kara Robinson Chamberlain (Survivor and Activist)
• Jerri Williams (Former FBI Special Agent)

The show has also collaborated with other podcasts several times, some of those including:

• The Cracked Podcast
• Unqualified with Anna Faris
• The Dollop

Overview

If you’re a true-crime junkie who loves listening to new, never-heard-before stories and mysteries, the My Favorite Murder podcast is definitely worth the listen. With episodes ranging from 20 minutes to 2 hours, you can easily fit this podcast into your day-to-day content consumption. You can listen to the podcast using the links down below.

Listen to My Favorite Murder on Spotify here.
Listen to My Favorite Murder on Apple Music here.