Last Podcast on the Left – Episode 652: The Du Pont Foxcatcher Murder Part I – The Merchants of Death
Released: February 13, 2026
Host: The Last Podcast Network — Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, Ed Larson

Episode Overview

This episode launches a three-part series on the Du Pont family and the notorious Foxcatcher murder, setting the stage for the 1996 killing of Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz by John E. du Pont. The hosts—Marcus, Henry, and Ed—delve deep into the sordid, far-reaching history of the Du Pont dynasty, exploring their role as “Merchants of Death.” The episode focuses on how the Du Ponts amassed obscene wealth through war profiteering, environmental devastation, and ruthless control, drawing striking parallels to modern billionaire class scandals like the Epstein revelations. The hosts blend dark history, sharp social commentary, and their signature gallows humor, painting the Du Ponts as both architects and avatars of elite American corruption.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction & Framing

• Marcus reveals the Foxcatcher case evolved from a single episode into an in-depth, three-parter due to the immense historical context:

  “This is the DuPont Foxcatcher murder. On January 26, 1996, an Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler named Dave Schultz was murdered on a sprawling estate in Pennsylvania called Foxcatcher Farms... by the farm’s multi-millionaire owner and heir of the DuPont family named John E. du Pont.” (02:24)

• The Du Pont story is positioned as essential context—comparable to the Murdochs in the Southern US but on a national, even global level:

  “The history of the DuPont family, who were nicknamed the ‘merchants of death’ by journalists after World War I...is inextricably linked to the darkest sides of American history.” (03:58)

2. The Du Pont Legacy: “Merchants of Death”

• Du Pont provided munitions and chemical innovations from the War of 1812 through nuclear arms, leaded gasoline, Teflon (C8), and more.

• Marcus outlines their impact, often in chilling terms:

  “Perhaps worst of all, the DuPonts are responsible for Teflon and the proliferation of the Forever Chemical C8, which has been scientifically linked to several forms of cancer. And it currently sits in the bloodstreams of every single person listening to my voice right now. It is in you.” (07:11)

• The family profited from and knew the dangers of their products:

  “The DuPont family knew that leaded gasoline, Teflon and C8 were dangerous and deadly from the get go… They just don’t fucking care.” (08:15)

• The hosts stress the pattern of catastrophic consequences for public health, environmental harm, and societal violence, citing the role of leaded gasoline in crime waves and the ubiquity of Du Pont’s chemicals.

3. Plutocracy, Privilege, and Modern Parallels

• Marcus and Henry compare the Du Pont dynasty to today’s “Epstein class”—a global elite living beyond consequence:

  “All these people care about is the accumulation of wealth and power. Because when you have that much money, laws and morals cease to exist... it proves that there is no war but class war, motherfuckers.” (09:05)

• The lack of accountability, seen also in the recent Epstein file revelations, is cast as an old tradition, not a modern aberration.
• John E. du Pont, the murderer at the heart of the Foxcatcher story, is presented as the “dumbest” incarnation of this class, not the most evil:

  “John E. Dupont, the eventual subject of this series, he is an example of the dumbest that the rich and powerful do. The principles, however, are the same.” (12:00)

4. Power, Influence, and Inbreeding

• The discussion traces the Du Ponts’ rise from the French Revolution, emphasizing their early connections to power (through Thomas Jefferson) and quick accumulation of wealth and slaves upon arrival in America.

• The family’s penchant for marrying within the bloodline is called out repeatedly and humorously:

  “Like the monarchies of old, the Du Pont routinely married their first and second cousins to keep the company entirely within their family… They have been, in the strictest sense of the word, an inbred family since the 1830s…” (53:16)

• Comparisons are made between “old money” legitimacy vs. “nouveau riche” outsiders like Epstein, illustrating anxieties within billionaire culture about lineage and control.

5. The Machinery of American Empire

• The podcast recounts how Du Pont supplied gunpowder for westward expansion, indigenous genocide, and nearly all American conflicts since 1803—"that's 223 military conflicts, all of which made the DuPonts a lot of money.” (45:34)
• The company’s exploitative labor practices are recounted: deadly factory conditions, union-busting with private armies (including the Pinkertons), vote-rigging, and poverty wages.
• The hosts observe with gallows humor how Delaware is still owned by Du Pont:

  “11% of Delaware still works directly for the DuPonts. And when you include businesses that depend on DuPont, that number rises to 60%... People call it Uncle Doopy.” (22:27)

6. Environmental and Societal Fallout

• The toll on workers and the environment is recounted in horrifying detail, with historic examples of deadly exposures and physical destruction—rivers poisoned, cancers rampant, and catastrophic explosions routine.
• Marcus notes:

  “That’s one of thousands bodies of waters that the dupont family has rendered not only useless, but deadly.” (48:34)

7. Shaping (and Warping) American Society

• The hosts describe how Du Pont avoided the philanthropic “monuments” of other robber barons, deliberately staying in the background to maximize unchecked power.

• Efforts to influence American ideology, such as molding the Boy Scouts into a nationalistic, capitalist organization, are recounted:

  “Their goal for the Boy Scouts was not dissimilar from the Hitler Youth… every Boy Scout would swear an oath of unyielding loyalty… to the Boy Scouts’ employer.” (95:15)

• The show contextualizes anti-immigrant and anti-union propaganda as classic scapegoating, with direct lines to playbooks still in use today.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On systemic power:

  “They are the context for why things are the way they are. And… there is no better time than the present to lay out that context in full so we can start to figure out how to finally do something about it.” (16:09)

• On lineage:

  Henry: “It takes family… Vin Diesel knew.”
  Marcus: “Epstein did try making his own family… trying to make a baby factory… but it seems the cum didn’t take.” (14:47-15:16)

• On business and genocide:

  “The DuPonts were, in effect, the sponsors of indigenous genocide across the globe. Them and smallpox.” (57:43)

• On public manipulation:

  “To distract people from the real problem… The United States government used the playbook that the wealthy elites in charge are still using today…” (91:49)

• On industrial violence:

  “Throughout the century, almost 400 people died in Du Pont powder mills, mostly from explosions caused by static electricity.” (66:51)

• On attention-hungry billionaires:

  Henry: “Billionaires were never like this before. In my time growing up… It’s interesting to see how now all of these morons are addicted to the same thing we’re addicted to, which is attention. And you think a billionaire would be past it?” (82:38)

• On history’s monsters:

  “If you want to know how we got here with Epstein, it is essential to know the history of families like the DuPonts here in America.” (12:10)

Important Timestamps

• 03:58 – Why the Du Ponts were nicknamed “Merchants of Death” and their relationship with America’s wars
• 07:11 – The dangers of Du Pont chemicals (leaded gasoline, Teflon, C8) and impact on everyday life
• 16:00 – Rigorous context: why understanding the Du Ponts matters for grasping elite power
• 22:27 – The Du Pont family’s control over Delaware and political influence (including Joe Biden)
• 29:27 – The family’s origins in the French Revolution and their arrival in America
• 45:34 – Du Pont’s role in every American war and its implications
• 48:34 – Environmental destruction: Du Pont’s legacy of ruined and deadly waterways
• 52:47 – Inbreeding and cousin marriages in the Du Pont dynasty
• 66:51 – Lethal working conditions in Du Pont factories
• 95:15 – The Du Ponts’ disturbing influence on the Boy Scouts and youth indoctrination
• 97:32 – Preview of next episode: Du Pont in the 1920s, the atomic bomb, Teflon, and Vietnam

Tone & Presentation

The episode balances exhaustive research and detail with the wild irreverence that defines Last Podcast on the Left. The hosts’ comedic riffing ranges from the absurd (inbred French accents, “Uncle Doopy” jokes, speculative recipes for rat foie gras) to the incisively angry (“If you want to know how we got here with Epstein, it is essential...”). Despite their humor, there’s palpable outrage at the sheer scale of Du Pont-caused suffering, the family's untouchable status, and modern political resonance.

Takeaways for New Listeners

• The Du Pont family exemplifies generational, system-level corruption and violence, with consequences that ripple through American history to present-day scandals.
• Their story is not just one of greed, but of how American elites have systematically avoided consequence—often at lethal costs to workers, societies, and the environment.
• The groundwork for Foxcatcher’s tragic murder is carefully laid by showing how John E. du Pont simply inherited the culture of casual evil, impunity, and delusion cultivated over two centuries.
• The series will continue to expose further monstrosities in the next episode, promising even more revelations about war, chemicals, and the dark engine of American progress.

Next Time

Episode 653 will cover the Du Ponts through the Jazz Age, the Great Depression, World War II, atomic weapons, Teflon, and more—without losing track of the human and planetary costs behind every innovation and armament.