The Ides of April Podcast

In the world of podcasts, there are many episodes and series about the Lincoln assassination. I’ve been a guest on a few podcasts talking about this history. My favorite has been the series of Vanished episodes that dealt with the Booth escaped justice theory. Admittedly, part of what makes it my favorite is that it is how I met my wife, Jen, who is one of the podcast’s co-hosts. But we also spent a lot of time diving into the history of the Finis Bates story and ripping it to pieces, which was cathartic in the same way reading Frank Gorman’s recent book is. I’ve also enjoyed speaking with the duo of Mary and Darin on The Civil War Breakfast Club podcast about all things Lincoln assassination.

While these are examples of good podcasts that work hard to present accurate history, not all podcasts are created equal. The format is open to anyone with a microphone and the ability to upload their audio file to the internet. Because of this, there is a wide range of quality in podcasts that suit different tastes and levels of knowledge. Not too long ago, a somewhat “known” podcast did a series on the Lincoln assassination that received a lot of exposure. Though I don’t listen to many podcasts myself, I decided to give it a listen. After 10 minutes, I had to turn it off. It was the format of one guy essentially reading Wikipedia about the Lincoln assassination and his “bros” cracking jokes about it in a crass manner. Definitely not a style for me.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I saw this announcement from Variety that actor Alec Baldwin would soon be hosting an eight-part podcast series about the Lincoln assassination and the hunt for John Wilkes Booth. As of this post’s publication, three episodes of the series have been released. It’s called The Ides of April, and while the majority of the narration is done by Baldwin, the show does feature audio clips from historians Harold Holzer, Walter Stahr, and Terry Alford. It was hearing and recognizing Dr. Alford’s voice in the trailer for the podcast that got me interested. As the author of the biography, Fortune’s Fool: The Life of John Wilkes Booth, and a member of the group that defended Green Mount Cemetery in 1995 from conspiracy theorists who wanted to exhume Booth’s body, I’m always interested in what Dr. Alford has to say about Booth and the assassination.

The Ides of April isn’t a perfect podcast. The graphics used for the title and episode cards have that soulless look that all AI-generated art does. The text that Baldwin reads can be a bit repetitive at times and isn’t always historically accurate. The podcast highlights many of the same questionable conclusions that many online sources do, such as Edwin and John Wilkes being bitter rivals. The episode titles, while evocative, are never explained or referenced. With that being said, Alec Baldwin, as a narrator, has a compelling voice that keeps you engaged, and the clips from the historians really help round out the rough spots in the text.

All in all, I’ve been casually enjoying the podcast so far. I don’t think it will break any new ground, but it’s a good-sounding, condensed account of the story we all know, featuring some impressive historians in the Lincoln field like Dr. Alford. If you want something to listen to while driving or doing chores around the house, you might enjoy the show as well. Perhaps you’ll be like me and play the game of “that’s not quite right” as you listen.

The Ides of April can be found wherever you listen to podcasts. They also have a YouTube channel where you can listen to the episodes. Here’s the link to the YouTube playlist of episodes. Remember that the series is still ongoing, with new episodes dropping on Wednesdays until the last one is scheduled to be released on September 3, 2025.