Dark History Podcast – Episode 183: The MESSY Life of Ronald Reagan: Snitching, Scandals & DEADLY Decision

Host: Bailey Sarian | Date: September 17, 2025

Main Theme

In this episode, Bailey Sarian delves into the lesser-known, often scandalous side of Ronald Reagan’s life and legacy. Through her trademark blend of dark humor and historical storytelling, Bailey explores Reagan’s ascent from Hollywood outsider to “Great Communicator,” unpacking his time as a snitch for the FBI, a scandal-plagued governor and president, and the deadly impact of his political decisions—especially his response to the AIDS crisis and the Iran-Contra affair. As always, Bailey exposes the untaught and uncomfortable truths hidden in America's past.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reagan’s Early Life and Hollywood Beginnings

Timestamps: 03:41 – 11:00

• Born as Ronald Wilson Reagan in 1911 in Tampico, Illinois. Nicknamed “Dutch.”
• Described as friendly yet aloof, with Henry Kissinger calling him, “the quintessential loner” (06:20).
• Began his career as a radio sports announcer, fabricating play-by-play action from telegraphs (07:05).
• Landed a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers in 1937—not for talent but for his approachable look.
• Marriage to actress Jane Wyman, who was already divorced twice: “She saw Reagan as, quote, true perfect, manhood personified.” (09:50)
• Their marriage was tumultuous, with Jane resorting to drastic measures to get Reagan's attention, including a suicide attempt (10:24).

2. Fumpu Films, Snitching, and the Red Scare

Timestamps: 11:01 – 20:30

• Reagan avoided active combat in WWII due to poor eyesight, instead working at the First Motion Picture Unit (FMPU) making military training and propaganda movies. (11:25)
• “Years later, Reagan would sometimes refer to his military experience as having been overseas… confuse movie reenactments of war with real life.” (12:35)
• The Big Reveal: Reagan Becomes an FBI Informant
  • September 17, 1941: Officially becomes an informant, reporting suspected communists in Hollywood to J. Edgar Hoover.
  • Served on the Screen Actors Guild board, regularly providing information to the FBI throughout the 1940s and ‘50s (15:20).
  • Bailey: “Reagan, Mr. Dutch becomes a snitch, and not just any snitch. He’s reporting directly to J. Edgar Hoover’s bureau about the threat of communist infiltration in Hollywood.” (13:11)

3. Hollywood Relationships, Marital Scandals, and Career Lows

Timestamps: 20:31 – 28:00

• Marriage falls apart as Jane Wyman’s acting career overshadows his; the couple jokes become infamous in Hollywood. (“Jane turned [‘Where’s the rest of me’] into a penis joke... It allegedly became a running gag in Hollywood.”) (24:30)
• Jane's public description of him as having “diarrhea of the mouth” (23:19).
• Divorce finalized under “irreconcilable differences,” rumored to mean Reagan was “terrible in bed.”
• Reagan’s career as an actor hits a dead end.

4. The Power Couple: Nancy Davis (“Throat Goat”) & Hollywood Rumors

Timestamps: 28:01 – 37:45

• Reagan meets Nancy Davis in 1949, an actress with a, ahem, certain reputation.
  • Bailey jokes: “Nancy was known in Hollywood for giving a spectacular blowjob. People called her the throat goat.” (29:25)
• Nancy’s influence seen as pivotal; rumor: she led Reagan towards conservatism, managing everything from his schedule to his image (36:00).
• Reagan becomes president of the Screen Actors Guild. Continued collaboration with the FBI.
• Bailey highlights the abusive Hollywood dynamics: “It was nasty. Giving a blowjob was seen by many as a safer alternative to, I don’t know, being raped or full on sex.” (32:10)

5. Rise to TV Stardom and the American “Cowboy”

Timestamps: 37:46 – 46:00

• Gets a major break hosting General Electric Theater, becoming a household name; visits factories across 39 states.
• Carefully crafts cowboy persona, drawing on old Western roles (41:50).
• Conservative personality William F. Buckley begins “grooming” Reagan for politics, seeing his charisma and likability as assets (44:30).

6. Political Emergence: From Outsider to Governor

Timestamps: 46:01 – 54:15

• Stars with the 1964 “A Time for Choosing” speech for Barry Goldwater, drawing huge attention despite not writing the speech himself.
  • Bailey: “People didn’t even remember Barry Goldwater, but they remembered Reagan’s speech.” (48:50)
• 1966: Runs for and wins Governor of California as the “outsider,” promising to clean up Sacramento (52:10).
• Administration marked by a hardline stance on protests—e.g., the violent crackdown at UC Berkeley’s People’s Park in 1969.
  • “He called in the National Guard to break up protests at UC Berkeley with, like, literal tanks.” (53:10)

7. Presidential Campaigns and Scandalous Strategy

Timestamps: 54:16 – 1:04:25

• 1980: Runs for President with “Let’s Make America Great Again” (recycled decades later by Trump).
• Secret back-channel negotiation with Iran—the “October Surprise”—to delay the release of American hostages until after Reagan’s inauguration for political gain (58:30).
• “Twenty minutes after he is officially made the president, Iran releases all 52 American hostages. Yeah, everyone was like, well, how about that timing, huh?” (1:01:50)
• Investigations into the “secret weapons deal” never produced official proof, though witnesses remained (1:02:40).

8. The Iran-Contra Affair: Illegal War and Cover-Up

Timestamps: 1:04:26 – 1:10:45

• Reagan’s administration secretly sold weapons to Iran to fund Nicaraguan Contras, violating U.S. law.
• “Reagan goes on TV in November of 1986 and…he had no idea this was happening. He’s like, mistakes were made. I blacked out. My bad.” (1:09:55)
• Operations exposed with key figures found destroying evidence; Reagan’s approval rating plummets.

9. The AIDS Epidemic: Deadly Neglect

Timestamps: 1:10:46 – 1:18:59

• The AIDS crisis erupts in 1981, devastating the gay community.
• Reagan does not publicly address the epidemic for years. By 1985, 12,529 had died before his first public acknowledgment; by 1987 when he made a speech, 40,000 had died.
  • Bailey: “He totally ignored it. The numbers were skyrocketing.” (1:12:40)
• Reagan’s administration pushes abstinence education rather than effective prevention.
• Funding for AIDS only increases when Congress steps in, not Reagan (1:16:00).

10. Astrology, the Assassination Attempt & Nancy’s Influence

Timestamps: 1:19:00 – 1:24:30

• 1981 assassination attempt by John Hinckley Jr.—motivated by an obsession with actress Jodie Foster.
• Reagan: “I hope you're all Republicans,” to his surgeons (1:21:29).
• Following assassination attempt, Nancy Reagan becomes obsessed with astrology in presidential scheduling (1:22:35).

11. Reagan’s Lasting Legacy: Trickle-Down Disaster, The War on Drugs

Timestamps: 1:24:31 – 1:32:00

• Bailey recaps the enduring impact of Reaganomics:
  • Huge wealth gap: “By the end of his presidency, the richest 1% owned nearly 40% of the nation’s wealth.” (1:25:30)
  • Massive national debt explosion.
• War on Drugs:
  • “Under Reagan, the prison population doubled—from about 329,000 in 1980 to over 627,000 by 1988.” (1:27:20)
  • Harsh, racist rhetoric and policies—“welfare queens”—deepening systemic racism (1:29:20).
• Reagan did contribute to ending the Cold War peacefully and supporting NASA (1:30:59).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Reagan's Personality:
  “Ronnie was always perfectly nice, but you could never get close to him. He had this polite but locked door energy.” (06:15)

• On Hollywood Scandal:
  “Jane turned [‘Where’s the rest of me’] into a penis joke... It allegedly became a running gag in Hollywood.” (24:30)

• On Snitching:
  “Reagan, Mr. Dutch becomes a snitch, and not just any snitch. He’s reporting directly to J. Edgar Hoover’s bureau about the threat of communist infiltration in Hollywood.” (13:11)

• On Nancy Reagan:
  “Nancy was known in Hollywood for giving a spectacular blowjob. People called her the throat goat.” (29:25)

• On Reagan’s Policy Persona:
  “He was a master at having power without looking like he had power… could walk out of the room having just fired someone and they’d be like, ‘Oh my god, I love that guy!’” (36:55)

• On The Iran Hostage Crisis:
  “Twenty minutes after he is officially made the president, Iran releases all 52 American hostages. Yeah, everyone was like, well, how about that timing, huh?” (1:01:50)

• On Trickle-Down Economics:
  “Maybe you noticed, but it didn’t. There was no trickling happening. Instead, the wealth gap exploded.” (1:25:45)

• On The AIDS Crisis:
  “He totally ignored it. The numbers were skyrocketing.” (1:12:40)
  “When the first cases of what would later be called AIDS appeared in 1981… by 1987, 95% of those diagnosed were dead.” (1:11:00)

• On Mass Incarceration:
  “Under Reagan, the prison population doubled—from about 329,000 in 1980 to over 627,000 by 1988.” (1:27:20)

• Bailey’s Signature Wrap-Up:
  “He’s still hanging around like a big fat stain on the white underpants of America, a stain that just doesn’t come out in the wash.” (1:32:00)

Important Timestamps

• 03:41 Reagan’s early life and Hollywood entry
• 13:11 Becomes FBI snitch during Red Scare
• 24:30 Jane Wyman’s Hollywood running jokes
• 29:25 Rumors around Nancy Reagan and "throat goat" lore
• 36:00 Nancy’s influence over Reagan’s career and politics
• 48:50 “A Time for Choosing” speech turning point
• 53:10 Violent crackdown of UC Berkeley People’s Park
• 58:30 Iran hostage crisis and alleged secret negotiations
• 1:04:26 Unpacking the Iran-Contra Affair
• 1:10:46 The US AIDS crisis and Reagan’s failings
• 1:21:29 Reagan’s quip to surgeons post-assassination effort
• 1:25:45 Critique of trickle-down economics
• 1:27:20 The war on drugs and mass incarceration
• 1:32:00 Bailey’s signature summation of Reagan’s legacy

Tone and Style

Bailey Sarian maintains her signature dark humor, sarcasm, and contemporary references—making heavy historical content accessible and engaging. She balances in-depth research with irreverence and empathy for marginalized groups harmed during Reagan’s career.

Summary

This episode reveals the deeply complicated, controversial life and presidency of Ronald Reagan, moving beyond the whitewashed “great communicator” image to spotlight the dark ripple effects his choices created—from snitching on Hollywood colleagues to deadly political neglect during the AIDS crisis. Bailey lays bare how performative charm, conservative paranoia, and calculated image management shaped not just Reagan himself, but the course of American history, culture, and inequality for decades.