My Favorite Murder: 10 Year Anniversary Special!
Episode 515 | Airdate: January 15, 2026
Hosted by Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark | With guest Steven Ray Morris
Episode Overview
In this special episode, Karen and Georgia celebrate a full decade of “My Favorite Murder,” looking back at the evolution of the show, their partnership, the cult community of Murderinos, and the milestones that turned their true crime hobby into a pop culture powerhouse. Longtime producer Steven Ray Morris joins in to count down listener-chosen “Top 10 Moments” from MFM history, share personal stories, and reflect on the ways the show—and its fans—have grown over the years.
Main Themes
- Nostalgic reflection on MFM’s 10-year journey
- The evolution of podcasting & the true crime comedy genre
- The growth of the Murderino community and its cultural impact
- Behind-the-scenes insights on creating and running a hit podcast
- The unbreakable partnership between Karen and Georgia
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. 10 Years of MFM: Gratitude, Growth, and Surreal Moments
Timestamps 02:17–09:58
- Karen and Georgia reminisce about starting the podcast in 2016—surprised and grateful for its longevity and cultural impact.
- They swap stories about life changes and milestones prompted by the show, including how their unexpected success unfolded:
“We just kept saying yes to things and they kept happening. And that’s what has brought us here today. From my apartment to the pod loft to Carnegie Hall...” (Georgia, 02:47)
- Karen shares an emotional story about her mother’s passing days before the podcast began, reflecting on “woo woo” ideas of destiny:
“If anyone’s watching over me and helping me make my dreams come true, it’s my mom.” (Karen, 04:12)
2. The Enduring Partnership
Timestamps 07:09–09:58
- Karen and Georgia open up about the unique pressures and rewards of being in a decade-long creative partnership:
“You and I are the only ones who know what this has been like in this way, this firsthand way. It’s really weird because it is this very singular experience... there’s just this other person in the world that’s also like, yep, I was there too.” (Karen, 07:09)
- They express gratitude for the support systems that got them here—family, friends, and the listeners.
3. From Hobby to Network: Building Exactly Right
Timestamps 10:15–15:04 / 50:26–54:24
- The journey from casual hobbyists to responsible “network owners” is filled with hard lessons and funny self-awareness:
“We’ve had to become responsible podcasters. They gave us a network. It only took us a decade.” (Karen, 10:25) “They thought we were just gonna churn out a bunch of My Favorite Murders to make them a shit ton of money. And I think we pissed off a lot of people because that’s not what we want to do.” (Georgia, 52:09)
- They discuss their approach to curating new podcasts, championing creative freedom and the importance of media literacy.
4. Community & Listener Appreciation
Timestamps 09:08–09:58 / 82:16–86:59
- Both hosts repeatedly emphasize how the MFM fanbase (“Murderinos”) have shaped the show and their lives:
“The amount of people and the love and passion with which they talk to us... it’s just an incredible gift.” (Karen, 09:36)
- They reflect on the sincerity and warmth of their fan interactions, both online and in person, debunking the stereotype of celebrity “weird fans”:
“I have never fucking not felt awesome after meeting a person who comes up to me in public 100%. It’s never been anything but fucking cool.” (Georgia, 82:40)
5. Special Guest: Steven Ray Morris & MFM Top 10 Moments
Timestamps 15:16–77:09
- Steven, MFM’s original engineer/editor, joins to banter, reminisce, and reveal the “listener-chosen” Top 10 MFM milestones.
- The countdown covers:
- #10: Steven joining the team:
“You did it all for us, Steven. Yeah, you really did.” (Karen, 17:09)
- #9: Blending True Crime and Comedy
“It was never, like, let’s report on it. It was almost like, let’s just gossip...let’s get this out of our brains, where it’s not doing any good to anyone.” (Georgia, 22:14)
- #8: MFM in Pop Culture (Simpsons, Yellowjackets, Jeopardy)
“To see yourself simpsonified is wild… It was really the craziest honor.” (Karen, 28:56)
- #7: Writing “Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered”
“Writing a book is something I’d always wanted to do…sometimes I’m like, I feel lazy or I haven’t done anything. And then I’m like, you wrote a book.” (Georgia, 35:35) “Paul Giamatti in the audiobook. What more do you want?” (Karen, 36:50)
- #6: Touring
“The fun part about, especially that first year of touring, was we were out with a bunch of people who were friends with us. And so it really was like, you just went and did a live show with all your friends in the audience…” (Karen, 41:08)
- #5: Creating the Exactly Right Network (see above)
- #4: Favorite Episodes & Hometowns
“Mary Vincent’s story is just...that’s the one I see mentioned online more than any other one.” (Georgia, 62:42) “No one likes the death part. That’s not what we’re doing. We’re talking about those things going, this happened. It’s so awful. We’re together.” (Karen, 65:14)
- #3: Catchphrases & MFM-isms (“Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered” / “Fuck Politeness”)
“Do you remember the first time someone ever yelled stay sexy at me out of a car in San Francisco?” (Georgia, 71:37) “We didn’t do it on purpose…just, people get it, like, down to the bone.” (Karen, 74:29)
- #2: The Pet Parade & Fan Art
“It’s so crazy that that is a part of the podcast, you know, like Elvis meowing at the end…Now… I have so much fan art of my animals and, like, it brings me so much fucking joy.” (Georgia, 77:18)
- #1: The Murderino Community (see above and below)
“We would not be anywhere without the people that listen. Not only listen…but cared enough to send us that stuff. Be on that Facebook page every morning posting memes, come to live shows.” (Karen, 82:25)
- #10: Steven joining the team:
6. Paul Holes Surprise!
Timestamps 57:38–60:30
- Legendary investigator Paul Holes sends a congratulatory message, reminiscing about his first surprise appearance on MFM:
“As you know, I don’t listen to podcasts, especially when I was still active, but obviously fate ended up intervening…I blame you two.” (Paul Holes, 58:22) “At the time, Karen, you and I sort of had a little bit of an online relationship going on…Karen, Georgia was in on it the entire time. I don’t know if she’s ever divulged that.” (Paul Holes, 59:29)
7. Podcasting as Partnership & Therapy
Timestamps 66:34–70:53
- Karen and Georgia get candid about their friendship, times of disagreement, and the ongoing magic:
“We’re each other’s perfect audience…come along with me where I bring you into my British Victorian 1800s thing that you don’t [care about], but I’m gonna make you care about it.” (Karen, 67:17)
- Both host’s backgrounds in sisterhood and how it’s mirrored in their creative friction and reconciliation:
“No little sister wants to be older-sistered by somebody else.” (Karen, 68:45)
8. “Then and Now”—Listener Stories
Timestamps 92:34–96:07
- Karen and Georgia read listener submissions on how their lives have changed over the past decade:
“I was in cancer treatment when I found you in 2016. Now I’m 10 years cancer free.” (Listener: Elastamom 417, 93:18) “In a cult versus not in a cult. What a change.” (Listener: Christina K, 95:31)
- The hosts riff and marvel at the wild, profound, and relatable stories.
9. Looking Forward: Netflix and Beyond
Timestamps 97:28–98:10
- Big news for MFM: The video podcast is now available (and exclusively!) on Netflix.
“This podcast, as a video podcast, is going to be on Netflix.” (Karen, 97:35) “It happened really fast, so I didn’t really have a lot of time to absorb it. And I was like, oh, we’re just our videos moving to Netflix. But the amount of people I know that reached out…like, Netflix, congratulations. It’s Netflix.” (Georgia, 97:46)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “It’s a decade of podcasting. Totally unnatural. It doesn’t make sense.” (Karen, 02:44)
- “We just kept saying yes to things and they kept happening. And that’s what has brought us here.” (Georgia, 02:47)
- “If anyone’s watching over me and helping me make my dreams come true, it’s my mom.” (Karen, 04:12)
- “You and I are the only ones who know what this has been like in this way, this firsthand way. It’s really weird…” (Karen, 07:09)
- “We adapted on the fly. And I think that’s really a big part of this. But obviously the biggest part is our listeners and you guys...going on this crazy, yes, I’ll say it—journey.” (Georgia, 09:15)
- “We will eat up all of the advertising…in sales, it doesn’t work that way…We got to build our own Marvel universe.” (Karen, 51:07)
- “Mary Vincent’s story is just—that’s the one I see mentioned online more than any other one.” (Georgia, 62:42)
- “No one likes the death part. That’s not what we’re doing. We’re talking about those things going, this happened. It’s so awful. We’re together.” (Karen, 65:14)
- “We’ve told you literally everything about ourselves.” (Georgia, 86:03)
- “It wasn’t our doing. We were doing this thing over here, and they [the fans] showed up, assembled themselves, started doing subgroups…People basically organize themselves, meet up, later after shows, now are friends for life.” (Karen, 85:34–85:40)
- “We appreciate you guys so much. So do us a favor and stay sexy and don’t get murdered.” (Georgia, 98:32)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 02:17 — Reflections on 10 Years
- 03:49 — Founding of the podcast, links to family & fate
- 07:09 — Partnership and the pressures of co-creating
- 10:15 — MFM becomes a podcast network
- 15:16 — Introduction of Steven Ray Morris
- 21:48 — Top 10 Moments begins (#9: True crime + comedy)
- 25:11 — MFM in pop culture (#8)
- 33:36 — Writing the book (#7)
- 38:22 — Touring stories (#6)
- 50:26 — The birth of Exactly Right network (#5)
- 57:38 — Paul Holes surprise message
- 62:21 — Favorite episodes and story selection (#4)
- 71:33 — Origin and impact of catchphrases (#3)
- 77:18 — Pets as podcast personalities (#2)
- 82:16 — Murderino community (#1)
- 92:34 — “Then and Now” listener stories
- 97:28 — The leap to Netflix
Tone and Language
The episode is heartfelt, irreverent, and peppered with the hosts’ signature humor and candid relatability. The camaraderie between Karen, Georgia, and Steven shines through both in deep moments (“You and I are the only ones who know…”) and in mischievous asides (“The decade anniversary gift is tin or aluminum. What the fuck does that even mean?” — 06:48). The tone is equal parts gratitude, nostalgia, and playful self-deprecation.
Final Thought
This milestone episode is both a love letter to the fans and a self-aware celebration of what makes “My Favorite Murder” unique: the alchemy of friendship, honest storytelling, imperfect but passionate creation, and a fan community that’s every bit as vibrant as its hosts.
“Stay sexy, and don’t get murdered.”