Show overview
Family Secrets has been publishing since 2018, and across the 8 years since has built a catalogue of 251 episodes, alongside 94 trailers or bonus episodes. That works out to roughly 140 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence, with the show now in its 13th season.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 8 min and 50 min — with run-times ranging widely across the catalogue. It is catalogued as a EN-US-language Society & Culture show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 1 weeks ago, with 14 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2019, with 49 episodes published. Published by iHeartPodcasts.
From the publisher
Family Secrets. We all have them. And while the discovery of family secrets can initially be terrifying or traumatic, often these discoveries have the power to liberate, heal, and even uplift us. Join Dani Shapiro, bestselling author of the memoir Inheritance, and her guests as they explore astonishing family secrets and uncover the extraordinary lessons the truth can teach us.
Latest Episodes
View all 251 episodesHave You Seen Her?
Have You Ever Seen a Body Like This?
Making Yourself Up
We Heard Everything
Nobody Liked Their Nickname
Hijacked
Mrs. America
Strangers
Coming Soon: Family Secrets Season 14
A Thank You From Dani for Season 13
bonusA message from Dani, with an update on the next season of Family Secrets.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S13 Ep 11Homeschooled
After being coerced into homeschool by a mother whose love threatens to consume him, Stefan must confront how an isolated childhood shrouded in secrecy will shape his life. Stefan Merrill Block's memoir is titled Homeschooled.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S13 Ep 10Should We Do This?
Marion and Tony are madly, deeply in love. But there are obstacles to their relationship, namely Tony’s sexual preference. When Tony loses his life to AIDS, Marion discovers just how many obstacles there really were. This year is the 30th Anniversary of Marion Winik's memoir, First Comes Love.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S13 Ep 9The Mixed Marriage Project
In his locked study, Dorothy’s father works on his book. For years. And years. And years. But it’s not until after his death that Dorothy uncovers the secrets in between its unfinished pages. Dorothy Roberts is the author of The Mixed Marriage Project: A Memoir of Love, Race, and Family.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S13 Ep 890 Miles
Karen vanishes with her children to escape a violent marriage, erasing a life in order to save it. But eventually, when it’s safe—if it’s safe—she must come out of hiding. Karen Palmer's book, She's Under Here, is out now.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S13 Ep 7All Without Telling Me
In 1998, long before Dani discovered the truth of her biological paternity, she published a story called “The Secret Wife” about the discovery of her father’s second wife, a secret marriage that had been hidden for decades. Today, she reads and reflects on this story—the uncovering of the silent grief and buried histories that shaped her. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S13 Ep 6The Guy Who Knew a Guy
When Francesca sets out to understand her father’s past, she is faced with a world of crime, silence, and denial. But it’s not just his past she must reckon with; it’s her present, her inheritance of a story no one wanted to tell. Francesca Fontana is the author of The Family Snitch.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S13 Ep 5Tangled Up in Blue
Sam grows up without knowing his biological father. As he enters adolescence, he begins to resemble Bob Dylan. A lot. So when Sam learns his mother had a brief relationship with Dylan in the 70s, the cascade of questions begins to flow. Sam Sussman's book, Boy from the North Country, is out now.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S13 Ep 4Baby X
After centuries of ancestral trauma, Julian must listen closely to the stories of his family —stories of survival, memory, myth and generations of erasure—in order to discover the story of himself. Julian Brave NoiseCat's book, We Survived the Night, is out now.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S13 Ep 3They Weren’t Into Consequences
When Amanda’s parents’ eccentricities take a dark turn toward hoarding, scheming, and secret-keeping, the walls begin to literally close in on her. As the chaos and deceit grows in volume around her, she must figure out how to escape. Amanda Uhle's book is titled Destroy This House.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S13 Ep 2In The Backseat of My Body
When Kate begins to recover haunting memories, she must confront a family history shaped by silence and generational harm. What follows is her quest to piece together the truth and reclaim a stolen childhood. Kate Price's book, This Happened to Me: A Reckoning, is out now.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.