iHeartPodcasts Launches “United States of Kennedy” – A New Podcast Series Examining the Cultural Impact of the Kennedy Family

The weekly series will unpack the defining moments that fueled America's obsession with the Kennedys

Listen to the first episode

WHAT: Launching today, June 30 from iHeartPodcasts, is a new weekly podcast series that will explore our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty and the ways in which one family has continued to shape American life for decades. Each week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris will deep dive into one aspect of the Kennedy story, examining the people and events that have left an enduring imprint on American politics, media, and collective memory. 

Episode one will introduce listeners to the patriarch of the Kennedy family, Joe Kennedy. Living out the American Dream, Joe amassed a huge fortune and gave his children a launching pad to political and cultural dominance. From Ted Kennedy’s infamous car accident in Chappaquiddick, JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s tumultuous relationship and untimely deaths in a plane crash, the numerous conspiracy theories surrounding President Kennedy’s assassination, to RFK Jr.'s unlikely rise in the MAGA era, “United States of Kennedy” will unpack the defining moments that fueled America's obsession with the Kennedys.

WHO: Lyra Smith is an Executive Producer for iHeartPodcasts. She started her career in podcasting with the “This American Life” fellowship, followed by the record-breaking “S-Town,” which was downloaded more than 10 million times in the first 4 days of its release. Since moving to Los Angeles, Lyra has produced shows for KCRW, Earwolf, Marketplace, and Crooked Media.

George Civeris is a comedian and writer based in New York. He was named one of the New Faces of Comedy by the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival and one of Vulture's "Comedians You Should and Will Know in 2024." He has written for projects on Comedy Central, FOX, and the BBC, and recently spent two years as a senior editor at the reboot of Gawker. He co-hosts the comedy podcast StraightioLab, from iHeartMedia and Will Ferrell’s Big Money Players Network, which was named the #1 comedy podcast of 2022 by New York Magazine and one of the best podcasts of the year by Time Magazine, Glamour, and Esquire. 

WHEN + WHERE: The first episode of “United States of Kennedy” will be available today on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard. New episodes will be available on Mondays. 

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About iHeartMedia, Inc.

iHeartMedia, Inc. [Nasdaq: IHRT] is the leading audio media company in America, with 90% of Americans listening to iHeart broadcast radio in every month. iHeart’s broadcast radio assets alone have a larger audience in the U.S. than any other media outlet; twice the size of the next largest broadcast radio company; and over four times the ad-enabled audience of the largest digital only audio service. iHeart is the largest podcast publisher according to Podtrac, with more downloads than the next two podcast publishers combined, has the most recognizable live events across all genres of music, has the number one social footprint among audio players, with seven times more followers than the next audio media brand, and is the only fully integrated audio ad tech solution across broadcast, streaming and podcasts. The company continues to leverage its strong audience connection and unparalleled consumer reach to build new platforms, products and services. Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.