Advertise on podcast: Obsessed With Death

Rob is joined by David Zarco, creator of Dead Greg's, a social media cooking series that started with a Ziploc bag of handwritten recipes left behind by his roommate's late uncle. David shares how a darkly funny idea turned into a growing community of people preserving the memories of loved ones through food. They discuss David's personal experiences with loss, finding humor in grief, the unexpected things we leave behind, and how something as simple as a recipe can keep someone's legacy alive.

Rob sits down with Patrick from We the Grievers to talk about how losing his mom completely changed his relationship with death and ultimately led him to leave his career and start talking openly about grief online. They discuss complicated grief, the small things that can help someone after a loss, why people are so uncomfortable talking about death, and how sharing grief openly can make it feel a little less isolating.

Rob and Jordan react to the first teaser for Season 3 of The Pitt before diving into the wild story of a father who drove his family off a 250-foot cliff...survived, completed treatment, and was ultimately welcomed back by his wife. They debate whether you could ever forgive a spouse after something so horrific, then reflect on the heartbreaking deaths of Sydney Towle and Hayden Panettiere and the strange experience of grieving someone you only knew through a screen.

Following his appearance as Mort from Bob’s Burgers, Andy Kindler sticks around to talk death. Andy opens up about his lifelong fear of dying, how his beliefs about God and the afterlife have changed with age, near-death experiences, OCD, and the strange comfort he’s found in thinking about mortality. Plus, Rob makes one request: find a way to get Mort to say “I’m obsessed with death” on Bob’s Burgers.

This week, Rob is joined by Mort, funeral director and owner of It’s Your Funeral Home & Crematorium. Mort talks about life in the funeral business, finding humor in death, his thoughts on the paranormal, and the challenges of dating as a funeral director. Plus, Rob pitches Mort a few new business ideas that could change the funeral industry forever. Make sure you support our sponsor: Cre-Mates.net

In this episode of The Final Word, Rob and Jordan discuss the latest Obsessed with Death giveaway with Shampoooty, open up about health anxiety and the mental tricks that come with it and react to some of the week’s strangest stories..including cancer-detecting pigeons and an actress who claims Dennis Hopper’s ghost visited her.

Shampoooty returns to Obsessed With Death one year after his first appearance to catch up on everything that's happened since. Rob and Shampoooty revisit the unexpected impact of their custom urn giveaway, share stories from listeners who found comfort through the project, brainstorm new ideas for future collaborations, and dive into the launch of Shampoooty Medical, his satirical line of medical-inspired collectibles. Be sure to follow us on Instagram so you don't miss details about our next giveaway!

In this episode of The Final Word, Rob and Jordan discuss a tarot card influencer who falsely accused a University of Idaho professor of murder and was hit with a multi-million-dollar defamation verdict. They also react to a hantavirus outbreak linked to a research cruise ship, leading to an absurd and dark conversation about cruise culture and how they would handle a floating public health crisis.

In this episode, Rob speaks with writer and editor Charley Burlock about the rise of AI-powered grief bots. The conversation examines the emotional complexity of using AI as a tool for mourning, the ethical risks of monetizing grief, and the ways this technology could reshape or potentially isolate the human experience of loss.  Read the full article here.

In this episode, Rob speaks with Janelle Ketcher, founder of Postal Service for the Dead, a community art and grief project inviting people to send handwritten letters to those they’ve lost. Janelle shares how her mother’s illness and passing shaped her relationship with death, the origins of the project, and the emotional power of snail mail in a digital world. She also reads part of an unreleased letter, offering a glimpse into the tender, private grief people entrust to the project.

In this episode of The Final Word, Rob and Jordan catch up on life, sobriety milestones, and the documentaries they can’t stop thinking about. They unpack the shocking Elizabeth Smart Netflix documentary and explore how someone survives and rebuilds after unimaginable trauma. The conversation drifts into the psychology of suspects, and why it’s almost impossible to get away with murder today. They also dive deep into their obsession with HBO’s The Pitt, debating binge-watching versus weekly episodes and breaking down favorite characters and hidden details.

In this episode of Obsessed With Death, Rob sits down with educator and Kid Talk creator Katie Plunkett to explore how we talk to children about death and why so many adults struggle to do it. Katie breaks down how kids understand death at different ages, why honesty matters more than protecting them, and how avoiding the conversation can actually create more confusion and fear. Follow Katie’s work at Kid Talk on Substack for more insights on communicating with kids.

In this episode of Obsessed With Death, Rob sits down with psychiatrist and dream researcher Dr. Erik Goodwyn for a deep dive into mortality, ritual, grief, and the strange intelligence of the dreaming mind.

In Episode 19 of The Final Word, Rob and Jordan dive into the strange and unsettling rise of AI “dead relative” apps, debating whether digital avatars of loved ones are a helpful grief tool or a dystopian step too far. They also unpack the bizarre story of a man who disguised himself as his deceased mother to collect her pension and the even darker discovery that followed. Finally, they explore a 23andMe family bombshell involving a $28.8 million malpractice settlement awarded after the sisters’ father died from a misdiagnosed aneurysm and a newly discovered half-sister who later surfaced asking for a share.

In this episode, acclaimed cartoonist and author Anders Nilsen joins to talk about how death and loss have shaped both his life and creative work. He reflects on losing his fiancée, Cheryl Weaver, to cancer and how that experience led to his books Don’t Go Where I Can’t Follow and The End. Anders shares how grief evolved from something deeply personal to a universal artistic theme, how his views on death and the afterlife have shifted over 20 years, and the power of art and music in healing. Learn more about Anders and his work here.