Baffled: Amazing Facts That Are Complete Nonsense

Harry Potter, ABBA and Bugatti Owners

·29 min·2 clips

Jack Nicholson thought his sister was his mother until a Time magazine interview revealed the truth at age 37.

The episode opens with Dan and Conor introducing the show's format of presenting facts for listeners to judge as keepers or nonsense. They mention upcoming topics including Jack Nicholson, Michael J. Fox, and a special phone. Conor starts with a fact about Harry Potter, revealing that Alan Rickman was the only person besides J.K. Rowling who knew Snape was in love with Lily Potter, which informed his performance. The hosts debate whether this knowledge was necessary for Rickman's acting. Dan then shares that Jack Nicholson was raised by his grandparents, believing they were his parents, and only discovered at age 37 that his sister was actually his mother. They discuss the social context of the 1930s and Nicholson's reaction. Conor presents a fact about Nicole Scherzinger singing 95% of the songs on the Pussycat Dolls' first album, leading to a tangent about her ubiquity in early 2010s UK culture and comparisons to One Direction's formation. Dan reveals Michael J. Fox's real name is Michael A. Fox and he changed it to avoid sounding corny. The hosts read an email from Kevin in Louisiana about the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, the longest bridge over water at 24 miles, and promote their merch. Conor shares that the average Bugatti owner also possesses 84 cars, three jets, and a yacht, sparking a discussion on excess and climate impact. The episode concludes with a fact about a red phone in the ABBA Museum in Stockholm that only the band members call, sometimes chatting with visitors. The hosts imagine who they'd want to call them on such a phone, with Conor choosing Jürgen Klopp for motivation. They wrap up by encouraging listeners to visit baffledpod.com.

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