The Last Podcast on the Left

The Last Podcast on the Left is a weekly podcast on the Last Podcast Network featuring podcast producer and researcher Marcus Parks, comedian and actor Henry Zebrowski, and comedian Ed Larson, three longtime friends. Episodes have explored the topics of serial killers, cults, conspiracy theories, UFO sightings, ghosts, cryptids, the occult, and readings of fan-submitted creepypastas. The name is a reference to the 1972 horror movie The Last House on the Left.

Premise
Episodes explore real and imagined horror, with a typical runtime of one to two hours. The show releases two episodes weekly: a main episode and a side story episode.

Main episodes, hosted by Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, and Ed Larson and formerly hosted by Ben Kissel, are focused on a singular topic and multiple episodes may be dedicated to one topic. Side Stories are typically hosted by Larson and Zebrowski (previously only Kissel and Zebrowski) and cover weekly true crime and other unusual news stories, with an additional “Hero of the Week” segment and often a “Listener Emails” segment. Occasionally, guests are invited onto the show for interviews, including Dan Aykroyd.

The opening theme of the podcast features a snippet from serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer who utters the line, "That's when the cannibalism started." It also includes the line and subsequent advertisement transition "Rise from your grave!" uttered by Zeus from the Sega action game Altered Beast. The closing theme is Al Bowlly's "Midnight, the Stars and You", a reference to The Shining.

Several repeat characters are present on the podcast (primarily voiced by Zebrowski) such as "Detective Popcorn" (the semi-erotic food-focused and incompetent police detective); Charles Ng (a notorious serial killer); "Terry the Gnome", "The Bone-Slicer"; and Minnie and Nannie Williams (victims of serial killer H. H. Holmes).

Marcus Parks
Marcus Parks (born January 19, 1983) is an American podcast host best known for his work as a co-host on The Last Podcast on the Left. Parks, from Rochester, Texas, graduated from Texas Tech University, where he studied English and acted as KTXT-FM's station manager for around 4 years.

Along with The Last Podcast on the Left, Parks also co-hosts the music history podcast No Dogs in Space with Carolina Hidalgo, who is also his wife.

Ed Larson
Ed Larson (born October 9, 1981) is an American comedian, writer, actor and podcast host on The Last Podcast Network. Larson began co-hosting The Last Podcast On The Left in late 2023 following Ben Kissel's departure, temporarily filling the third seat. After a while, Larson became a permanent co-host of the show.

Larson also co-hosts another Last Podcast Network show called "The Brighter Side" with Amber Nelson, a show exploring and talking about the brighter side of a topic they choose every week.

Outside of The Last Podcast Network, he performs stand-up comedy, and has released a documentary called "How America Killed My Mother". The documentary explores how the health insurance and banking systems in the United States contributed to his mother's death.

Ben Kissel (formerly)
Ben Kissel (born July 21, 1981) is an American comedian and former politician best known for his work as a former co-host on The Last Podcast on the Left. Kissel was born in Fargo, North Dakota and raised in Steven's Point, Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he received a degree in political science.

After co-creating The Last Podcast on the Left in 2011, Kissel would continue to co-host the show until 2023. In 2017, Kissel ran for Brooklyn borough president as the candidate for the Reform Party but lost with 1.79% (6,017) of the vote. Kissel also co-hosted Abe Lincoln's Top Hat, a political podcast ran under the Last Podcast Network.

On October 4, 2023, it was announced that Kissel would no longer be part of the podcast or the Last Podcast Network. This came following allegations of abuse. (See Co-host abuse allegations)

History
Last Podcast on the Left was launched in 2011 as a conversation between friends who love horror movies. The name was inspired by horror movie The Last House on the Left. The podcast's discussions have delved into topics including aliens, cryptids and other macabre topics.

In 2017, The Last Podcast on the Left received the People's Voice Webby in the Podcasts & Digital Audio (Comedy) category.

In 2018, they filmed their first live show at Thalia Hall in Chicago, IL. In 2019, they filmed their second live show in New Orleans, LA. The hosts have toured extensively in the US and internationally for live events.

On November 19, 2019, it was announced that the show was moving exclusively to Spotify for ad-sponsored episodes. This arrangement was short-lived, ending in October 2021.

In 2020, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt released The Last Book on the Left, written by Kissel, Parks, and Zebrowski, and illustrated by Tom Neely. The book debuted at number three on the New York Times Bestseller List under Hardcover nonfiction.

On September 13, 2023, it was announced that co-host Ben Kissel would be "going into treatment" for his mental and physical health, and would not feature on the podcast until his treatment was completed. This came following accusations of abuse by a former girlfriend, though this was not explicitly stated as a contributing factor for his leave. On October 4, 2023, it was announced that Kissel would no longer be part of the podcast or the Last Podcast Network.

Co-host abuse allegations
On October 12, 2023, Rolling Stone released an article that outlined allegations against former Last Podcast on the Left co-host Ben Kissel, which included multiple alleged instances of sexual misconduct and verbal and physical abuse against women over the span of several years. The article further included testimony of former and current associates of Kissel who allege that he had issues with alcoholism, some of whom claimed that it would lead to drastic changes in his personality. Other individuals contacted by the Rolling Stone went against many of the allegations, such as denying Kissel's personality would drastically change by consuming alcohol or attesting that they had never seen Kissel be abusive towards a woman or violent in any capacity.

Former acquaintances also implied that there may have been a "willful blindness" towards Kissel's alleged behaviour and alcohol abuse among The Last Podcast Network, though this was disputed by individuals close to the network. One person outlined in the article claimed that Kissel's substance abuse was a known issue in the workplace, and lengthy discussions over it had taken place over a "seven year period." They further stated that this had become enough of an issue that discussions were being made to remove Kissel from the show weeks before his eventual departure. Parks and Zebrowski are specifically named as individuals who attempted to discuss and intervene in Kissel's drinking problems. A statement was released on the Last Podcast on the Left Instagram page on October 14, in which it was claimed that they had no knowledge of the alleged abusive behaviour.

In the same article, a statement written by Kissel was published, where he denied all allegations of abuse, but conceded he had been using alcohol to "cope with childhood trauma," and was in rehab to deal with his issues.

Last Stream on the Left
The Last Stream on the Left is a spin-off show originally hosted on the Adult Swim website. The episodes typically consist of commentary of a selection of videos found by the hosts. After 8 seasons on Adult Swim, the Adult Swim streaming platform stopped hosting original content late in 2020. The program moved to Twitch on December 22, 2020; but the first episode was 'very quickly removed' from the network and the account banned. Subsequently, the stream was hosted on the LPOTL Patreon page, with the video uploaded to their YouTube account after the live episode airs. The live stream show aired what was intended to be its final episode on February 18, 2022, but returned once again in February 2023.

Soul Plumber
Soul Plumber is a DC horror comic which includes adaptions of Last Podcast on the Left hosts Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, and former host Ben Kissel. The hosts worked with artist John McCrea of DC Comics on the project. The plot follows Edgar Wiggins, a former seminary student who works at a gas station. Wiggin's left seminary school in disgrace but joins a group called the Soul Plumbers out of the desire to continue saving souls. The comic is a six-issue series.

Open Lines
Open Lines was a live radio talk show available exclusively on Sirius XM's, Faction Talk. The show consists of listeners calling in to tell personal accounts on a previously established topic. Topics are usually related to themes covered in the podcast such as paranormal encounters, cryptozoology, and true crime. The weekly live show aired on Mondays at 7pm ET and listeners can participate by calling 855-355-4741.

Side Stories: Excerpts
Side Stories: Excerpts is a short video series hosted on YouTube. As the name suggests, the videos consist of short excerpts of the full-length Patreon exclusive video. The first Side Stories video recording of their March 8, 2022, episode was uploaded on March 11, 2022. The full-length Patreon exclusive video is uploaded every Wednesday, and the 10-minute YouTube excerpt episodes are uploaded on Fridays.