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Gerbil

The Hollywood Reporter 3 Episodes Oct 8, 2026

The Richard Gere gerbil rumor refuses to go away. Investigative reporter Allen Salkin spent six years reviewing documents and interviewing Hollywood players, doctors, and others involved to find out whether a movie star really showed up at a hospital in the 1980s with a rodent inserted for sexual pleasure. The podcast examines the evidence behind the long-standing Hollywood legend. It also explores why this bizarre story still matters more than ever. New episodes are released every Thursday.

Episodes

5 - Without a Base, Without a Trace Oct 8, 2026 2750 Is "gerbiling” actually a real thing? Between a bestiality investigator's case file, a 2024 FBI report, and doctors who've seen things, we go looking for the line between urban legend and actual medical phenomenon.

4 - Tail Between His Legs Oct 1, 2026 2803 In the 1980’s after Rock Hudson's death, Hollywood's homophobia is in full panic mode, and American culture is whispering about – and mocking – the sexuality of leading men. Plus: another newsman, another gerbil rumor, real damage, and the case for "Gerbil Rumor Infection Syndrome."

3 - Sex Object Sep 24, 2026 2776 Playing pimps and hustlers, attacking the press, projecting an unreadable sexuality — welcome to early Richard Gere. Bret Easton Ellis, Karina Longworth, and journalist Michael Gross help explain how the star became the perfect vessel for a rumor this sticky, and Howard Stern asks Sylvester Stallone if he started it. 

2 - The Philadelphia Gerbil Panic of 1985 Sep 17, 2026 3092 Could Jerry Penacoli — Philly's golden-boy newsman, be the Gerbil rumor's actual patient zero? Eyewitnesses and archival tape tell a wilder, sadder story than anyone remembers. Did the rumor jump cities before it infected Gere?

1 - The Word Sep 17, 2026 2456 Say "gerbil" to someone and watch their face. Everyone's heard the rumor. Nobody knows where it came from. Reporter Allen Salkin isn't sure he should be the one to dig into it, but a tip from the daughter of an '80s ER doctor changes his mind.

Gerbil: Inside Hollywood’s Most Unkillable Rumor - Trailer Sep 15, 2026 92 The Richard Gere gerbil rumor won’t die. Why? Did a movie star really show up at a hospital in the 1980s with a rodent in his rectum he’d inserted for sexual pleasure? Investigative reporter Allen Salkin spent six-years examining documents and interviewing Hollywood players, doctors and everyone involved to answer everything — including why it matters more than ever. The Hollywood Re

Gerbil

Episodes

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