Episodes

  • Viktor Orbán

    Viktor Orbán
    Jun 21 2026
    ***TICKETS TO OUR JULY 2 SHOW IN CHICAGO ARE ON SALE! GET YOUR TICKETS NOW BY CLICKING HERE!!!!*** While natalism as a political project has its proponents, few heads of state have been willing to attempt to use the full force of the state to raise birth rates. However, one leader does stand out: Hungary's recently-ousted prime minister, Viktor Orbán. This week, June and Josh take a look at Orban's 16-year term as PM, the effects of his policies, and the ways that right-wing authoritarianism in Europe both mirrors and partners with similar movements in the United States. ***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived!*** ***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to illconceivedpod@gmail.com*** EPISODE ART: Viktor Orbán, the former prime minister of Hungary. AUDIO CLIPS: 1:08:34 – Marco Rubio speaking in Budapest in February 2026, declaring a "golden era" in relations between Hungary and the United States1:14:09 – JD Vance calling Donald Trump at an April 2026 Viktor Orban election rally in Budapest SOURCES: How Viktor Orban hollowed out Hungary’s democracyHow Viktor Orbán’s Hungary Eroded the Rule of Law and Free MarketsHungary’s opposition struggles to beat Viktor Orban’s stealth autocracyHome Building Allowance for FamiliesViktor Orban’s pro-natalist policies are not workingIn a state of necessity. How has Orban changed HungaryHungary passes constitutional amendment to ban LGBTQ+ public eventsHungary Ends Legal Recognition for Transgender and Intersex PeopleHungary’s ongoing demographic decline: an increase in birth rates is the only hopeAuthoritarian Populism in Disguise: Orbán’s Anti-Worker ‘Pro-Worker’ RegimeHungary races to build border fence as migrants keep comingOrbán rejects the European Union’s migration agreement and defends keeping asylum seekers out of EU territoryConference of U.S. conservatives opens in Orban’s HungaryHungary offered €30,000 to couples having 3 kids—but its birth rate has still fallen to a record monthly lowVance, after rallying in Hungary for Orban, says he wasn’t surprised by the autocrat’s defeatHungary: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced a seven-point family protection action planHungary’s New Leader Reveals Viktor Orbán Was Paying CPAC Here's why American conservatives are heading to Hungary for a big conferenceAt CPAC, Hungary’s Orban decries LGBTQ+ rights, migration What one country's experiment says about attempts to boost birth rates Farewell To Hungary, And To Europe FOLLOW THE SHOW: Website: illconceivedpodcast.comBluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.comTumblr: @illconceivedpod FOLLOW JOSH: Website: joshboerman.comBluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.worldOther podcast: The Worst of All Possible WorldsStream: Traditional Scrench FOLLOW JUNE: Bluesky: @junlper.beerOther podcast: Kill The ComputerWriting: June's Substack ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)
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    1 hr and 32 mins
  • Simone & Malcolm Collins: The B-Side (PREVIEW)

    Simone & Malcolm Collins: The B-Side (PREVIEW)
    Jun 7 2026

    THIS IS A PREVIEW OF A BONUS B-SIDE EPISODE. For access to the full length version of this and every other biweekly bonus B-side, go to Patreon.com/illconceived

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    We weren't able to cover everything we wanted to discuss about the Collins family in the main episode, so this week we dug in for a look at the Based Camp Discord community, the Collins Institute's bespoke homeschool learning management system Parrhesia.io, and Malcom's attempt at crafting a core family theology.

    Plus, we read your letters about:

    • Josh blowing it on knowing anything about Lord of the Rings

    • The sociopolitical context of the University of St Andrews in Scotland

    • The creative output of genetic dead-enders like us
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    40 mins
  • UPDATE: Chicago Live Show Postponed to July 2

    UPDATE: Chicago Live Show Postponed to July 2
    Jun 2 2026

    Josh got sick and had to go to the hospital, so we're postponing our Chicago live show to Thursday, July 2. Here's the link to the new event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ill-conceived-podcast-live-in-chicago-one-night-only-70226-tickets-1990032806695?aff=oddtdtcreator

    Previous ticket buyers should have already received a refund and a link to rebook their tickets; please let us know if you experience any issues with that. Thank you for your understanding and we'll see you in a month!
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    1 min
  • Simone & Malcolm Collins

    Simone & Malcolm Collins
    May 30 2026
    In mainstream media coverage of natalism, one specific couple keeps popping up. Their eccentric appearance and apparent ironclad commitment to the principles of tech natalism make them catnip to curious reporters, who have profiled them exhaustively. But who are Simone and Malcolm Collins, and what are they actually trying to sell you? This week, Josh and June do their best to find out. ***GET TICKETS TO JOSH'S SHOW IN CINCINNATI HERE AND THE ILL CONCEIVED JUNE 4TH LIVE SHOW IN CHICAGO HERE!!!*** ***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived!*** ***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to illconceivedpod@gmail.com*** EPISODE ART: Malcolm and Simone Collins in a press photo by Hannah Yoon AUDIO CLIPS: 18:35 – Simone Collins in a YouTube video entitled "Are You an Ambivert?" originally uploaded in November 201124:15 – Simone performing a cover of the Firefly theme song in a video originally uploaded to YouTube in July 201146:59 – Simone introduces Malcolm to the channel in a video originally uploaded to YouTube in November 2014 1:00:08 – Malcolm and Simone discuss "A Pragmatist's Take on the Red Pill" originally uploaded to YouTube in March 20201:16:46 – The introduction to the Based Camp episode "One Conspiracy Explains All Modern Culture (This Explains EVERYTHING)" originally uploaded to YouTube in May 20261:20:09 – The Bort license plate scene from "Itchy And Scratchy Land" (The Simpsons, S06E04) SOURCES: "How I Proposed to My Girlfriend on Reddit" by Malcolm Collins (Huffington Post, August 6, 2013)ArtCorgi's profile on Crunchbase"Why Many Entrepreneurs Are Turning to a ‘Search-Fund’ Model" by Glenn Hunter (D Magazine, January 9, 2017)"Scoop: Dialog, a secretive forum, plans D.C.-area campus" by Mike Allen (Axios, August 7, 2025)Simone's LinkedIn profileMalcolm's LinkedIn profileSimone's Reddit accountMalcolm's Reddit account"Meet the ‘elite’ couples breeding to save mankind" by Io Dodds (The Telegraph, April 19, 2023)"About Simone and Malcolm Collins’ Smear Campaign Against Me" by Lyman Stone (Medium post, October 22, 2024)"America’s premier pronatalists on having ‘tons of kids’ to save the world: ‘There are going to be countries of old people starving to death’" by Jenny Kleeman (The Guardian, May 25, 2024)Based Camp on YouTube FOLLOW THE SHOW: Website: illconceivedpodcast.comBluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.comTumblr: @illconceivedpod FOLLOW JOSH: Website: joshboerman.comBluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.worldOther podcast: The Worst of All Possible WorldsStream: Traditional Scrench FOLLOW JUNE: Bluesky: @junlper.beerOther podcast: Kill The ComputerWriting: June's Substack ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)
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    1 hr and 59 mins
  • ANNOUNCEMENT: Ill Conceived Gives You The Talk

    ANNOUNCEMENT: Ill Conceived Gives You The Talk
    May 22 2026

    Thursday, June 4 at 7pm / Lincoln Lodge, Chicago

    $20 per ticket / 50 tickets only

    https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ill-conceived-podcast-live-in-chicago-one-night-only-60426-tickets-1990032806695?aff=oddtdtcreator
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    2 mins
  • JD Vance: The B-Side (PREVIEW)

    JD Vance: The B-Side (PREVIEW)
    May 16 2026

    THIS IS A PREVIEW OF A BONUS B-SIDE EPISODE. For access to the full length version of this and every other biweekly bonus B-side, go to Patreon.com/illconceived

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    The natalist arguments of people like JD Vance are increasingly being used to defend new laws rolling back bodily autonomy, and in Wyoming, a newly signed "fetal heartbeat" bill has made this connection explicit. We're talking about it, plus we read your mail about:

    • The tendencies of fundamentalist Catholicism vs. more mainstream Catholicism and the people they tend to attract

    • The varying cultural tendences of different ethnic Catholic traditions

    • JD's connection to Erika Kirk and her whole deal
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    28 mins
  • JD Vance

    JD Vance
    May 9 2026
    The Vice President of the United States and his wife Usha are expecting their fourth baby, setting an apparent example for their fellow natalists. But just how intertwined is JD Vance with the natalist movement overall and what does it have to do with Usha’s new podcast about children’s books? This week, June and Josh dig into JD Vance’s history with conservatism and Catholicism to try to figure it out. ***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived!*** ***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to illconceivedpod@gmail.com*** EPISODE ART: JD Vance in a press photo by Niall Carson for Getty Images. Born in Middletown, Ohio, Vance graduated from Ohio State University and Yale Law School, eventually working under Peter Thiel at Mithril Capital. After being elected to the United States Senate in 2022, Vance was selected by Donald Trump to serve as his running mate for the 2024 presidential election. AUDIO CLIPS: 18:51 – Donald Trump reading from 2 Corinthians as part of the America Reads the Bible special event24:51 – JD Vance referring to Democratic opposition as "childless cat ladies"59:39 – Usha Vance reading The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter for her podcast Storytime with the Second Lady SOURCES: J. D. Vance and the Right’s Call to Have More BabiesThe troubling history behind JD Vance's natalismJD Vance And Peter Thiel: What To Know About The Relationship Between Trump’s VP Pick And The BillionaireWhat have I done? I forced my kid to listen to Usha Vance’s podcast - now she’s a fanJD Vance Repeats ‘Anti-Family’ Criticism of Democrats on Sunday Morning News Show TourBaby Bonuses and Motherhood Medals: Why We Shouldn’t Trust the Pronatalist MovementTrump May Soon Offer a Motherhood Medal, an Idea Popularized in Nazi GermanyRepublicans Are Right: One Party Is ‘Anti-Family and Anti-Kid’Usha Vance and JD Vance, Pronatalism’s Poster Couple, Are Having a 4th KidJD Vance’s Approval Rating Plunges to New Historic LowMayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul Announce First Four Communities to Receive Free 2-K SeatsDemocracy | Of Childless ‘Psychopath’ Women and ‘Replacement’: JD Vance’s Birthrate and Immigration Obsessions Have Shared HistoryAn Analysis of Happy No Snakes Day and the Deeper Implications on the Horizon for Children’s Literature and Christian Nationalist Policies in the Public School SystemBeyond the Nuclear FamilyThe Role of the Nuclear Family in CapitalismWith Defense of ICE, JD Vance Clarifies His Next Target: YouJ.D. Vance Used to Be an Atheist. What He Believes Now Is Telling.Gold Mother's CrossWikipedia: Order of Maternal GloryWho in the USSR was awarded the ‘Mother-Heroine’ title?National Conservatism: A Statement of Principles5% of People Detained By ICE Have Violent Convictions, 73% No Convictions FOLLOW THE SHOW: Website: illconceivedpodcast.comBluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.comTumblr: @illconceivedpod FOLLOW JOSH: Website: joshboerman.comBluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.worldOther podcast: The Worst of All Possible WorldsStream: Traditional Scrench FOLLOW JUNE: Bluesky: @junlper.beerOther podcast: Kill The ComputerWriting: June's Substack ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)
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    1 hr and 39 mins
  • Ballerina Farm / Hannah Neeleman: The B-Side (PREVIEW)

    Ballerina Farm / Hannah Neeleman: The B-Side (PREVIEW)
    Apr 18 2026

    THIS IS A PREVIEW OF A BONUS B-SIDE EPISODE. For access to the full length version of this and every other biweekly bonus B-side, go to Patreon.com/illconceived

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    Fox News has reported on the "problem" of teenagers not getting pregnant anymore. We're talking about it, and reading your letters because it turns out that a lot of you had a lot to say about Hannah Neeleman, including:
    • The cultural specifics of Mormonism and how they're reflected in Ballerina Farms
    • The sinister overtones of her husband's whole deal
    • The economics of farm tourism vs. functional scale farming
    • Natural births and why many people prefer them
    • Ballerina Farm-style natalism as a reflection of European settler-colonialism

    As always, our babies stay winning!
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    23 mins