This American Life – Episode 878: New Lore Drop

Date: January 11, 2026
Host: Ira Glass
Producers/Reporters: Ben Austin, Aviva DeKornfeld
Theme: Unexpected revelations (“lore drops”) that radically reframe how people see their own lives or relationships.

Overview of the Episode

This episode explores the idea of “lore drops”—moments when surprising new information or backstory reshapes your understanding of your family, yourself, or your past. Borrowed from video game culture, a lore drop is when new facts illuminate the previously mundane, giving your personal narrative a twist worthy of fiction. Through three acts, the show shares stories of people who discover hidden depths in their own histories, from secret agent parents to misunderstood bullies and smut-loving grandmas.

Act 1: Spy Parents – “My Parents Work for the Government”

Reporter: Ben Austin
Main character: Pete
Key Segment: [00:36–10:39]

Main Storyline

• The “Drive” Reveal:
  Pete recalls a pivotal moment at age 18 when his quiet, seemingly “completely mundane” government-worker parents abruptly change his worldview. His dad takes him for an unusual one-on-one drive ([00:43]–[02:13]).

  • Quote:
    “He says to me, Peter, it’s time to tell you about the family business—espionage.” —Pete ([02:13])

• Truth Unveiled:
  Pete’s dad hands him a resume revealing both parents are undercover CIA officers, not State Department workers, which explains years living abroad and their odd secrecy ([03:12]).

  • Quote:
    “On the sheet of paper listed all the different countries that Pete had lived with his parents...I’m seeing, like, counterintelligence and counterinsurgency and deputy chief, chief of station, case officer. I didn’t know what to ask next.” —Pete ([03:22])

• Discovering Mom’s Secret Life:
  Pete learns his mom is also CIA, which stuns him more due to her outgoing, direct demeanor ([04:16–04:42]).

  • Quote:
    “It just seemed like you were getting exactly what you got. She just didn’t really seem like somebody who could deceive. But I guess she was.” —Pete ([04:32])

• Field Work & Undercover Details:
  The parents were field agents, sometimes undercover with false passports, not desk jockeys; they recruited foreign spies and lived double lives ([05:09]).

• Looking Back – The Clues:
  Pete, reflecting, realizes there were clues:

  • Multilingual mom

  • Numerous international moves

  • Code words for emergencies (e.g., “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” as a safety password when picked up from the mall) ([06:31], [07:22])

  • Lived right across from CIA headquarters ([07:45])

  • Quote:
    “Maybe the biggest clue of all is that we lived right across the street from the CIA headquarters.” —Pete ([07:45])

• Reprocessing the Revelation:
  Pete’s awe at his parents’ secretive yet extraordinary lives is offset by the realization of their successful deception.

  • Quote:
    “Like, the rug just got pulled from under me. Everything I know is a lie. But then when that wears off, it’s kind of like, well, it’s still just mom and dad.” —Pete ([09:45])

  • Humorous Moment:
    “The one thing I know about spies from movies is that they’re all really, really hot. Were your parents really hot?” —Ben Austin ([08:32])
    “Yeah, they were… My mom was like… she’s just beautiful… And your dad… Yeah, handsome guy.” —Pete ([08:47], [09:03])

Takeaway

The lore drop transforms Pete’s view of his family from boring suburbia to globetrotting intrigue, but ultimately, they remain his parents.

Act 2: Book Club with Grandma – “Save the Drama for Your Grandmama”

Reporter: Aviva DeKornfeld
Main character: Jake
Key Segment: [12:33–27:27]

Main Storyline

• Nostalgic Connection through Books:
  Jake recalls daily calls with his beloved, blunt grandmother after moving away as a child, initially to keep in touch after her cancer diagnosis. They form a nightly “book club,” reading and summarizing books for each other ([13:43]).

  • Quote:
    “I loved that I had that experience with her.” —Jake ([14:53])

• Editing the Truth:
  As he grows older and becomes aware of his sexuality, Jake hides the fact he’s reading “girly” books—like “Twitches”—by changing details and genders in his summaries for grandma ([17:53]–[19:19]).

  • Quote:
    "I was a pretty effeminate child. So at this point, I was already getting called gay...I remember in Twitches, I think I changed their gender...just going to change the details around to make it a little bit more masc." —Jake ([18:46]–[19:25])

  • Memorable Analogy:
    “It’s like you’re wearing a fake mustache, but it’s actually askew and you have no idea. And everyone’s like, that’s not a real mustache.” —Aviva DeKornfeld ([19:57])

• Grandma’s Own Secrets (“Smut!”):
  As an adult, Jake discovers, posthumously, that his grandmother’s favorite books were actually romance novels full of explicit sex scenes that she’d filtered when summarizing back to him ([21:45]-[23:36]).

  • Quote:
    “She literally had to make up so much plot...the whole book is just her wanting to have sex with this man. That’s the entire book.” —Jake ([23:11])

  • Reading a Sex Scene Excerpt:
    “She looked at his mouth in the mirror and wondered what it would be like to kiss him, wondered how his mouth would feel on other parts of her body.” —Jake ([24:39])

• Bond Built on Mutual Translation:
  Jake realizes both he and his grandmother were simultaneously editing out parts of themselves in the name of connection.

  • Quote:
    “It’s just like two people translating what’s going on in their lives for the other person, you know?” —Jake ([25:31])

• Bittersweet Legacy:
  Jake warmly discovers a piece of shared family identity:

  • “I come from a line of people who enjoy this...Not that I’m thinking...let’s be clear to the listener, I’m not thinking about my grandma necessarily when I’m watching a lot of those scenes. But...the gene that makes me like this comes from her.” —Jake ([26:44]-[27:06])

Takeaway

Sometimes the most enduring connections are forged through reciprocal little lies—mutually performed edits on reality to keep the relationship comfortable and loving.

Act 3: Eddie and Ben – “Bully Pulpit”

Reporter: Ben Austin
Main characters: Ben Austin (host/reporter), Eddie (childhood classmate, now a rabbi)
Key Segment: [29:21–57:58]

Main Storyline

• A Facebook Message Changes Everything ([30:32]):
  Ben hears of a beloved teacher’s passing and, breaking his usual rule, sends friend requests to childhood classmates—including Eddie, about whom he recalls a rumor that their school transfer had something to do with Ben ([31:03]).

• Long-Simmering Grievance:
  Eddie’s reply is a lengthy, emotional note about childhood bullying—he describes feeling “verbally and at times physically threatened” by Ben, so much that he invoked Ben in his bullying lessons to his own children ([32:00]-[33:07]).

  • Quote:
    “When I teach my own children...about bullying, the image in the deepest recesses of my mind is the memory of feeling threatened by you.” —Eddie ([32:37])

• Ben’s Mixed Feelings:
  Ben doesn’t recall being a bully but acknowledges that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. He crafts a careful “non-apology apology,” reflecting on a childhood memory involving a dog in a park ([34:35]-[36:06]).

  • Quote:
    “I can’t think of something that I did to him... At the same time...that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.” —Ben ([33:45])

• Eddie’s Relief and Ben’s Doubts:
  Eddie is grateful, feeling released from the burden, even quoting a Hebrew prayer ([36:53]–[38:09]). Ben, meanwhile, is left wondering: Did I actually do these things, or is it a misperception?

• Visiting the Past, Face-to-Face:
  Ben visits Eddie (now Rabbi Eddie) in Florida to revisit old memories directly ([38:57]). Eddie’s laid out old school photos and recalls specific incidents:

  • Ben’s teasing (“Eddie Spaghetti” nickname) ([43:17])
    • Quote:
      “Every time you called me Eddie Spaghetti, I burst into tears. The rest of the class would laugh...I was the one everyone made fun of in class.” —Rabbi Eddie ([43:27])
  • A playground incident where Ben physically hit Eddie after a lunchbox accident ([45:57]).

  Ben is both embarrassed and defensive—unable to recall the events, struggling with how to be accountable for childhood moments.

• Differing Memories, Different Worldviews:
  Rabbi Eddie brings up the same dog story Ben recounted, but with the perspective that Ben was the ringleader of his torment ([49:17]-[51:11]).

  • Quote:
    “My memory...was being teased by you. And at some point, that became layered on my dog phobia. And so, in a way, you became the dog.” —Rabbi Eddie ([50:52])

  • Both realize that their memories are colored by time, trauma, and narrative self-protection.

• Resolution and Reflection:
  Eddie expresses that, while Ben’s apology may not have been whole, it was enough; adults are allowed to actively revise their histories ([52:49]-[54:50]).

  • Quote:
    “But we as adults have a right to change the narrative.” —Rabbi Eddie ([54:50])

  • Ben’s final reflection:

    • “Eddie and I didn't know each other well as kids and certainly not as adults either...I do feel responsible for my past actions, even the ones from way back that I can't remember. As far as what to do about that, we now know each other at least better. That feels real. Maybe at this point in our lives, it's about the best we can do. Amen.” —Ben ([57:58])

Notable Quotes and Moments

• “Using boringness as a kind of deception.” —Pete ([06:08])
• “The one thing I know about spies from movies is…they’re all really, really hot. Were your parents really hot?” —Ben Austin ([08:32])
• “It’s like you’re wearing a fake mustache, but it’s actually askew and you have no idea.” —Aviva DeKornfeld ([19:57])
• "I was a pretty effeminate child. At this point, I was already getting called gay." —Jake ([18:46])
• “And so, in a way, you became the dog.” —Rabbi Eddie ([50:52])
• “But we as adults have a right to change the narrative.” —Rabbi Eddie ([54:50])
• “Maybe at this point in our lives, it’s about the best we can do. Amen.” —Ben Austin ([57:58])

Important Timestamps by Segment

• Pete’s CIA Family Story: [00:36–10:39]
• Jake’s Book Club with Grandma: [12:33–27:27]
• Ben & Eddie’s Bully Pulpit: [29:21–57:58]

Episode Takeaways

• Sometimes, the wildest truths sit right under your nose, unexamined until fate hands you a “lore drop.”
• Family connections, even those built on filtered realities, are still real—and so are the wounds and misunderstandings of childhood.
• Memory is slippery—what’s clear for one is blurred or benign for another; growing up means sitting with that ambiguity and finding new compassion for others’ stories.

This summary captures the heart, tone, and moments of surprise of “New Lore Drop,” offering both a guide for those who didn’t listen and a thoughtful reflection for those who did.