Hoax! — Episode Summary

Podcast: Hoax!

Hosts: Dana Schwartz & Lizzie Logan
Episode: "Joice Heth"
Date: February 16, 2026
Main Theme:
This episode dives deep into one of P.T. Barnum's earliest—and darkest—hoaxes: the exhibition of Joice Heth, an elderly enslaved Black woman fraudulently billed as the 161-year-old nurse of George Washington. Co-hosts Dana Schwartz and Lizzie Logan examine the mechanics of the hoax, its deep entanglement with American racism, Barnum's showbiz strategies, and the broader question of why people are so eager to be fooled. The conversation is candid, researched, and unflinching about the exploitation at the heart of Barnum's success.

Episode Structure & Key Insights

1. Introduction — A Candid, Script-less Start

• The hosts joke about doing the episode “blind” without a script, showcasing their natural banter and pacing.
• “We thought we had memorized it, and we mostly did.” (Lizzie, 03:18)
• Dana reveals “very, very exciting news” that today’s episode covers P.T. Barnum himself, the “hoaxer of all hoaxers.” (03:31–03:46)

2. Pop Culture vs. Reality: Barnum in The Greatest Showman

• Discussion on the inaccuracy and sanitized depiction of Barnum in pop culture.
• “I think I already knew too much about P.T. Barnum that I couldn’t, like, do the suspension of disbelief.” (Dana, 04:22–04:40)
• The hosts’ ambivalence toward historically inaccurate adaptations—enjoyable as fiction, but problematic when real people’s reputations are laundered.

3. Warning & Context — Racism and Exploitation

• Dana issues a clear warning: “This episode is going to feature a lot of historical racism and very uncomfortable racism sometimes.” (05:58–06:17)
• Clarifies the focus is not a Barnum overview, but an in-depth look at his first big hoax, and its roots in slavery (06:27–06:42).

4. Setting the Stage: P.T. Barnum’s Early Life

• In 1835, Barnum is a struggling 25-year-old in New York who learns about Joice Heth—a Black woman claimed to be 161 years old and George Washington’s former nurse—being exhibited for profit. (06:56–08:52)
• The “bootstrap” mythos of Barnum: “He dreamed himself into — I’m gonna say greatness...without any moral judgment.” (Dana, 07:43)

5. Introducing Joice Heth (08:52–10:04)

• Heth is displayed as a near-mythic figure, reinforcing nostalgia for the Founding Fathers and appealing to Americans’ desire for proximity to historical “greatness.”
• The show mixes credulity (“freak show” spectacle) with patriotic sentiment.

Quote:
“She’s a specimen in and of herself.” (Dana, 09:00)

6. The Mechanics of the Hoax

• Exhibition details: Heth, an elderly, semi-paralyzed, blind, Black woman with extreme physical features, is displayed as Washington’s wet nurse (10:12–10:51).
• The “proof” — a suspicious bill of sale dated 1727; biological impossibilities in the narrative (e.g. nursing George Washington at age 59) (12:12–13:31).
• Barnum as manipulator: “A lot of our sources on this are Barnum’s own writings, which changed multiple times throughout his life.” (Dana, 14:07)

7. Commercialization and Spectacle

• Barnum leases Heth using a “loophole,” as slavery is outlawed in New York but not in practice. (14:36–15:41)
• Promotional techniques emphasized her extreme age and her supposed personal connection to Washington, exploiting both “freak show” and patriotic impulses (16:12–17:34).

8. Audience Reactions & Moral Controversy

• Heth is objectified as both “national curiosity” and a “freak.”
• $0.25 admission (children half price); she is unpaid, working 10–12 hour days. (22:00–23:12)
• Mixed responses: Many are enthralled or find her “mummy-like,” while some abolitionists and moralists criticize her exploitation, though often in self-serving or racist terms. (24:06–25:14)
  Quote:
  “Why she who nursed the father of our country... should at the close of her life be exhibited as our rarer monsters are.. Is there not philanthropy enough... to take care of her, although her skin be black?” — Henry Cole (24:13)

9. Barnum’s Showbiz Tactics: Manipulating the Narrative

• Adjusting the pitch: In areas hostile to slavery, Barnum claims proceeds go to anti-slavery causes (untrue) (23:52–24:10).
• When interest wanes, he promotes conspiracies (e.g. that Heth is a “mechanical automaton”) to reignite public fascination. (30:55–31:44) Quote:
  “It’s like, the fastest way to get a right answer on the Internet is, like, say the wrong thing.” — Dana (31:21)

10. The Grisly Climax: Public Autopsy

• Upon Heth’s death, Barnum stages a public autopsy (charging double the usual price) as a last spectacle, where a surgeon reveals she was likely not older than 80. (33:36–34:08) Quote:
  “Let the woman rest in peace. Like, she had no dignity in life, and now she will have no dignity in death.” — Lizzie (32:22)

• Even afterwards, Barnum spreads rumors to keep the story in the press (e.g. Heth’s “ashes are going on tour of Europe”) (34:52–35:13)

11. Barnum’s Later Justifications and Reinventions

• In his 1841 semi-autobiographical work "Adventures of an Adventurer," Barnum recasts himself as the clever trickster who creates the hoax, even claiming he pulled out Heth’s teeth to make her appear older—an embellishment/later invention. (41:28–42:24) Quote:
  “I think it’s interesting that in this 1841 semi-autobiographical version, he thinks that makes him look the best.” — Dana (42:49)

• After the Civil War and a switch to Republican (Lincoln-era) politics, Barnum positions himself as remorseful for his slavery ties, while still obscuring full responsibility. (46:33–48:34)
  Quote:
  “He claims that he did not understand that Joyce Heth was an imposter... I guess we’ll never know.” — Dana (48:14)

12. Wider Patterns: Barnum’s Career of Racial Exploitation

• The Heth hoax is the beginning of a career built on “othering” people, especially along racial lines. (44:04–46:01)
• Other “exhibits”: Black people as “African freaks,” real and fake; manipulation of non-white, disabled, and otherwise marginalized people.

13. Modern Reassessment: Truth, Nostalgia, and American Identity

• The episode concludes with reflection on why audiences wanted to believe the Heth hoax: patriotic nostalgia, desire for proximity to greatness, and the comforting fiction of “happy” slavery.
• Even criticisms of Heth’s exploitation rarely centered her humanity; instead, concern centered on the moral health or patriotic feelings of white audiences (53:59).
• “It is worth us as modern day citizens recognizing the ways in which someone like Joyce Heth was a mass pop cultural attraction and why people wanted to go see her.” — Dana (53:07)
• “America was built on the legend of George Washington and exploited labor.” — Dana (54:52)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the myth of American self-making:
  “He dreamed himself into, I’m gonna say greatness...without any moral judgment.” (Dana, 07:43)
• On the audience’s complicity:
  “You could also pat themselves on the back because they’re like, ah, George Washington. And... get to feel superior to a very, very old black woman.” (Dana, 26:06)
• On Tuned Morality:
  “Even criticisms of her on display isn’t because she’s a Black person that P.T. Barnum purchased and is displaying. Like that letter from Henry Cole. It’s like ‘this woman raised George Washington, even though she’s black, can’t we find our kindness in our hearts for more dignity here?’” (Dana, 28:14)
• On the public autopsy:
  “Let the woman rest in peace. Like, she had no dignity in life, and now she will have no dignity in death.” (Lizzie, 32:22)
• Summing up the American-ness of the hoax:
  “America was built on. A guy trying to get rich. The idealized vision of George Washington and exploited labor.” (Dana, 54:52)

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------| | 03:31 | Announcement: P.T. Barnum-focused episode | | 05:58 | Content warning about historical racism | | 06:56 | Intro to P.T. Barnum and early background | | 08:52 | The Joice Heth show—setup and premise | | 10:28 | Appearance and dehumanizing descriptions of Heth | | 12:12 | The mechanics of the hoax, documentary “proof” | | 14:36 | Leasing Heth, legal and financial details | | 16:12 | How Barnum marketed and sensationalized the exhibition | | 23:50 | Shifting strategies for different audiences | | 30:55 | Planting “automaton” rumors to gin up interest | | 33:36 | Heth’s death and public autopsy spectacle | | 38:34 | Barnum’s “afterlife” narratives for Heth | | 41:28 | 1841 novella: Barnum’s self-serving fictionalization | | 46:33 | Later-life remorse and shifting political narrative | | 53:07 | Reflection: why people wanted to believe | | 54:52 | Final insight: What America was built on |

Tone & Language

The hosts maintain a mix of scholarly rigor and irreverence, never shying away from the disturbing realities of the story. They interject humor, pop culture references, and direct address (“This is bad!”) to keep the episode engaging and critical.

Takeaway

The Joice Heth episode exposes both the roots of American hoax culture and the deep currents of racism and exploitation masked by spectacle. Barnum’s showmanship, and the public’s appetite for deception, reveal how entertainment, patriotism, and bigotry were—and are—intertwined. The hosts challenge listeners to look past myth and nostalgia, urging critical engagement with both the stories we inherit and those who have been silenced by history.

For more, follow the hosts at @hoaxpodcast and listen to future episodes wherever you get your podcasts.