This week, we're celebrating family stories that seem simple on the surface, but are actually the keys to understanding our entire personalities. Featuring comedians Pat Regan and Gastor Almonte. Listen to Pat's podcast, Seek Treatment, and watch Hacks, the show he writes for, on HBO Max. Find more of Gastor's stories on PBS and Comedy Central, and check out his album, Immigrant Made.

Following the tragic murder of his brother Asher, Mac's family finds disparate ways of re-assembling their shattered lives. Mac’s essay originally appeared in Gawker.

Everyone in Ian's family gets divorced. Now that he's been married for a few years, he wants to know if his relationship is doomed. Listen to the full series of “Forever Is A Long Time” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening to this. And check out our Patreon page for a longer version of Sam and Ian’s conversation from the end of this episode.

"I feel really lucky that Danny is Danny." The conclusion of our miniseries with Jessie Pascarelli. This episode was made possible in part by the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. If you have the means, please consider joining them today for just $5 per month at http://patreon.com/familyghosts.

"You can open up a book and choose a sentence at random, and derive meaning from it." This episode is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits - our community of supporters on Patreon. Please consider joining them for just $5 per month: http://patreon.com/FamilyGhosts.

For the last few months, Sam's been hard at work with John Stamos (yes, that John Stamos) on a top-secret project. In this special bonus episode, you’ll hear a preview of the wild, true story of Barry Keenan, who kidnapped Frank Sinatra, Jr in 1963. Follow “The Grand Scheme: Snatching Sinatra” wherever you listen to podcasts to hear the full story.

Jessie's name is the continuation of her aunt's story. But no one's ever told Jessie the real story of her aunt. This episode is made possible thanks to the generosity of the Kindred Spirits, our community of Patreon supporters. For just $5 per month, Kindred Spirits get ad-free versions of all of our episodes, plus exclusive bonus content you won’t find anywhere else. If you have the means, please consider joining them today: http://patreon.com/familyghosts.

“Saving face would not rescue my mother.” Read more of Jiayang’s writing for The New Yorker here: https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/jiayang-fan. This episode is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. For just $5 per month, Kindred Spirits hear our episodes ad-free, and get access to bonus content that’s not available anywhere else. If you have the means, please consider joining them, at http://patreon.com/familyghosts.

“The two of us became the embodiment of the Chinese phrase xiang yi wei ming - mutual reliance for life." Read more of Jiayang's work here, and find her piece on ghost scams here. This episode is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. If you have the means, please consider joining the Kindred Spirits for just $5 per month at http://patreon.com/familyghosts.

Jim grabs the baton, and Gastor sees the face behind the mask. You can hear more of Jim's work on "Blindspot: The Road to 9/11" at https://www.npr.org/podcasts/908344999/blindspot-the-road-to-9-11, and more of Gastor's on "The War Report" at https://anchor.fm/warreportpod. This episode is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. If you have the means, please consider joining them at http://patreon.com/familyghosts.

Andrew tells the family ghost story behind a Family Ghosts story. Learn more about Andrew and hear more of his work at http://gildedaudio.org. Our work is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community of listeners who commit $5 per month to keeping Family Ghosts in your headphones. If you have the means, please consider joining them at http://patreon.com/familyghosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Louise’s brother Jessie was everyone’s best friend, and so she felt she had to conceal her happiness when he died. Louise tells us about their complicated relationship and the unexpected things that have happened since he passed. This is an episode of a wonderful podcast called "The Secret Room," which you can find and follow wherever you listen to "Family Ghosts," or at http://www.thesecretroompodcast.com. If you're a Patreon supporter, make sure to check out our Kindred Spirits feed, where...

When Erin moves to England, her mother presents her with a life-altering choice. Learn more about Erin at her website, https://www.erinhbarker.com/. Hear more of her work on the Story Collider podcast, and The Moth. This episode is brought to you by the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. For just $5 a month, Kindred Spirits hear our episodes ad-free, get exclusive bonus episodes you won't hear anywhere else, and provide essential support for the work we do here at Family...

Sam receives an unexpected message from the past, delivered by a Spiritualist medium in a mysterious town called Lily Dale. Learn more about Tiffany Hopkins at nobox.us/unseen, and find Steven Cantor's work at https://www.stickfigureproductions.com/. You can stream "No One Dies in Lily Dale" here. This episode is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. If you have the means, please consider joining them at...

While you're waiting for next week's all-new episode of Family Ghosts, Sam invites you to check out "Missing," a show about families wrestling with the psychic weight of their family ghosts in real time. If you like it, search for "Missing" from Crawlspace Media wherever you're listening to this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mary Terrier tells the story of a woman who seems to hold all the keys. Read more Mary Terrier at http://maryterrier.com. This episode is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. Please consider becoming a member today: http://patreon.com/familyghosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kimberly King Parsons tells the story of a mother telling a story about her daughter telling a story. Learn more about Kim and buy "Black Light," her collection of stories, here. Family Ghosts wouldn't be possible without the generosity of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. If you have the means, please consider joining them for just $5 per month at http://patreon.com/familyghosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bradford and Paul come to terms with the people they wish their parents could be - and the people they actually are. Find more of Bradford's stories at http://www.bradfordjordan.com/stories. Find Paul's work with TestifyATX here, and his classes at Merlinworks here. This episode is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. For just $5 per month, Kindred Spirits get early access to our episodes, hear them ad-free, and get bonus...

Sam takes you on a trip to a mysterious boarding house in Mt. Absalom, Ohio - a community riddled with secrets and lost memories. Learn more about Unwell at https://www.unwellpodcast.com. Family Ghosts is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community on Patreon. For just $5 a month, Kindred Spirits get early access to all our episodes, hear them ad-free, and get exclusive content that's not available anywhere else. If you have the means, please consider...

After more than thirty years of following roads to nowhere, Kate carves her own path. This episode is made possible by the generous support of the Kindred Spirits. For just $5 per month, Kindred Spirits get early access to all of our episodes, hear them ad-free, and get exclusive bonus content that's not available anywhere else. If you have the means, please consider becoming a member at http://patreon.com/familyghosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kate flees the haunting silence of Baltimore - but no matter where she goes, Eddy's ghost isn't far behind. After decades of torment, she decides to open her own investigation into her father's disappearance. This episode is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits - our community of supporters on Patreon. For just $5 per month, Kindred Spirits get early access to all of our episodes, hear them ad-free, and enjoy bonus content not available anywhere else. On top of...

When an unnatural disaster befalls her family, Kate's demands answers. But no one's willing to talk. Read David Simon's 1992 article about Kate and her family here. This episode is made possible by the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. For just $5 per month, Kindred Spirits enjoy early access to all of our episodes, and hear them ad-free, and also get exclusive bonus content that's not available here in the main feed. If you have the means,...

Introducing the first episode of our first-ever Family Ghosts spinoff: Fisher Family Ghosts, a companion podcast to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of HBO's "Six Feet Under." Join Sam and co-host Adrien Behn (Strangers Abroad) for weekly discussions and debates about the Fisher family, whose fictional exploits in Alan Ball's classic dramedy inspired Sam to create Family Ghosts. If you like what you hear, please subscribe to Fisher Family Ghosts wherever you're listening to this - you'll...

Sam is joined by fellow audio storytellers Eleanor Hyde and TK Dutes for a conversation about the power and pitfalls of subjective storytelling. Listen to Unwell: A Midwestern Gothic Mystery here, and find more of Eleanor's work here. Find The Weeksville Project here, and more of TK's work here. And don't miss the fourth season of Family Ghosts, coming to your headphones on January 14th, 2021! This episode is made possible by the generosity of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters...

Sam tells the story of how his uncle unwittingly escorted him to the scummy side of the street. Plus: more news about Season 4 of Family Ghosts, coming your way on January 14th, 2021. Learn more about Robin's show Yum's the Word here. This episode is made possible thanks to the generosity of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. For just $5 a month, Kindred Spirits get early, ad-free access to our episodes, bonus content not available here in the main feed, and other...