Scam Goddess — "The Necklace Caper That Sparked a Revolution"

Host: Laci Mosley
Guest: Vic Michaelis
Release Date: October 14, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Scam Goddess dives into the wild and historic tale known as "The Diamond Necklace Affair"—a legendary scam at the French royal court that tarnished the monarchy’s reputation and helped spark the French Revolution. Host Laci Mosley and comedian/improviser Vic Michaelis unpack the juicy details of this 18th-century caper, exploring themes of gender, power, high society, and, of course, scheming. The show keeps its signature comedic edge, mixing sharp contemporary commentary with period drama gossip, and draws parallels between courtly intrigue and today’s celebrity culture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Scam Goddess Welcomes Vic Michaelis

[03:04–07:31]

• Laci introduces Vic, highlighting their big improvisational/comedy backgrounds and mutual admiration.
• Light banter about nail art, hair, and beauty loyalty.
• Vic shares an early scam: at a megachurch (unnamed), the pastoral family ran a scam, embezzling church funds. The scandal peaked when the pastor allegedly put out a “hit” on his son-in-law and a journalist. The fallout? The pastor left to start a (God-themed) podcast.
• Notable Quote:
  • “It’s crazy how you gonna be the man of God and you’re like, well I’m gonna send you to meet him.” – Laci ([07:50])

2. Relationships with Scams and Schemes

[05:19–08:47]

• Vic expresses love for scams and cults, noting how thin the line is between community and cult.
• Laci and Vic riff on church dynamics, particularly the difference between true support and organized racketeering.

3. Schoolyard Scams & AI Skepticism

[10:21–11:51]

• Vic recounts “scamming” her Christian school by submitting corrupted doc files to avoid writing essays.
• Both bash AI and “large language models” for being energy-wasting, non-intelligent scams.
• Notable Quote:
  • “Large word models... It literally is a scam.” – Vic ([11:29])

4. The Diamond Necklace Affair: Breakdown of the Caper

[15:25–64:45]

A. Setting the Stage — France, 1785
[15:25–17:45]

• Middle-aged jewelers Boehmer and Bassenge create an ornate, 284-carat diamond necklace, hoping to sell it to royalty.
• Marie Antoinette repeatedly refuses to buy it, calling it ugly and preferring funds go to warships.
• Laci and Vic riff on the necklace’s gaudy style, imagining who could actually wear it, and comparing it to giant jewelry at Claire’s or on The Rock.

B. Introducing the Players
[27:20–33:36]

• Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Rémy (Countess de la Motte), comes from scandalous noble blood, but grew up poor. Vic dubs her “Countess Little Boobs”—mocking the shallow way history described her.
• The Countess aims for a luxurious life, has multiple lovers, and becomes involved with Cardinal de Rohan (“the court ho”).
• Cardinal is desperate to rehab his image at court, having been ostracized for being a notorious womanizer.

C. The Scam
[37:53–42:38]

• Countess de la Motte convinces Cardinal de Rohan that Marie Antoinette secretly wants the necklace but must acquire it discreetly.
• She forges letters from the Queen and arranges for the Cardinal to meet a prostitute, disguised as Marie, at night in the gardens of Versailles. The Cardinal is duped completely.
• Cardinal signs contract with jewelers on behalf of the Queen, and the Countess escapes with the necklace (breaking it up and selling the diamonds across Europe).

D. The Fallout
[42:42–55:50]

• When jewelers ask Marie Antoinette for payment, she is baffled and says she never ordered it.
• The Cardinal is arrested, tried, but ultimately acquitted (though exiled).
• The Countess is sentenced to public whipping, life imprisonment, and branded as a thief. She later escapes, writes scandalous memoirs trashing the Queen, and becomes a proto-tabloid queen.
• Notable Quote:
  • “She escaped from prison dressed as a boy—okay, see, those little boobs came in handy!” – Laci ([53:41])
• Laci and Vic draw parallels to today’s culture: Hulu docs as branding for criminals, and how public scandal works.

E. Social and Political Impact

• The necklace incident worsened the monarchy’s reputation, playing into anti-Marie Antoinette sentiment (she was already much disliked as a foreign queen).
• The spectacle further undermined the king's authority, contributing to revolutionary fervor and Marie Antoinette’s eventual execution.
• “So all of this basically got ramped up because of Countess Little Boobs and her scam.” – Laci ([61:20])

5. Modern Resonances

[46:38–47:51, 58:07–59:48]

• Discussion veers into community, protest culture, and the importance of mutual aid and solidarity—contrasting modern and historic responses to crisis.
• Vic and Laci joke about the contemporary equivalents of branding major fraudsters (“now, Hulu puts out a doc about you”).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “A cult is in the eye of the beholder. Right? Because if you’re kind of successful at the cult, it doesn’t feel like a cult.” – Vic ([05:53])

• “He was like, buy this necklace or I’m gonna kill myself. That’s wild.” – Laci ([25:51])

• “She left dressed as a boy. She fled to England and published scandalous memoirs. Shit talking the Queen. I love this person so much.” – Laci ([53:41])

• “Did Marie Antoinette say, let them eat cake? Maybe not, but she is like, I don’t know, I was really hoping for a red warship, and they only have it in silver.” – Vic ([58:07])

Key Segments & Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------|-----------| | Meet the Guest & Opening Banter | 03:04–07:31 | | Megachurch Scam Story | 06:47–08:47 | | School-Age Scams & AI Chat | 10:21–11:51 | | Historic Hoodwinks: Diamond Necklace Caper Begins | 15:25 | | Description of the Necklace/Failed Sales | 17:45–22:23 | | Introducing the Main Scammers & Victims | 27:20–33:36 | | The Con: Faked Queen, Forged Letters | 37:53–42:38 | | Cardinal’s Arrests & Countess’s Imprisonment | 42:42–55:50 | | Memoir & Public Opinion Fallout | 55:50–58:03 | | Marie Antoinette’s Reputation & Revolution | 58:07–61:27 | | Modern Parallels & Closing Thoughts | 62:17–66:52 |

Tone and Style

• Comedic, sharp, and irreverent: Laci and Vic balance historical storytelling with a healthy dose of sarcasm, pop culture analogies, and self-aware asides.
• Contemporary parallels: Regularly draw lines between 18th-century hijinks and modern scams—be it MLMs, church scandals, or influencer culture.

Closing & Plugs

[65:31–67:51]

• Vic plugs supporting local and LGBTQIA+ organizations, highlighting the Transgender Law Center.
• Laci plugs her social handles, the Scam Goddess book, show, and more.
• Both joke about hobbies-as-personality and the endurance of scam culture.

Final Takeaways

This episode brilliantly marries the outlandishness of 18th-century court intrigue with the modern scammer’s mindset (“Stay scheming!”). The hosts’ banter transforms a dry historical scandal into a hilarious and insightful lesson on power, scandal, and societal collapse—a warning and a wink to anyone paying attention to today’s headlines.

Recommendation:
If you want to understand how a scam can topple a monarchy—and how gender, rumor, and clout-chasing was as explosive centuries ago as it is now—this is your episode. The comedic chemistry between Laci and Vic makes the lesson land with both laughter and consequence.

Signature quote:
“Countess Little Boobs dressed as a boy, escapes prison, and drops a gossip rag—truly, a bad bitch you could never kill.” – Laci ([53:41])