The Cult of My Mafia Dad: “An Offer He Couldn’t Refuse”

Was I In A Cult?

PodcastOne

True Crime, Comedy, Talk Radio

4.4 • 3.1K Ratings

🗓️ 8 September 2025

⏱️ 67 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A limo to Atlantic City. Pizzerias with back rooms. Garbage bags vanishing across boroughs.

Comedian Barry Rothbart grew up believing his dad didn’t just live large—he made life larger. Then the tapes surfaced.

This isn’t a mob story. It’s what happens when your identity is forged from someone else’s legend—only to discover the legend was a lie. As Barry unravels the mythology, his father’s world curdles into something darker… and uncomfortably familiar to our show.

For the full, uncut conversation, hop over to our Patreon.

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SUPPORT THE SHOW:

Barry’s dad kept his money in stacks above the bed. We prefer Patreon. If this episode hit you—or made you think twice about charisma, cons, or cult leaders—share it and then leave a review (but take the cannoli).

A huge thank you to our Patreon members—your support keeps us making episodes like this one. Want ad-free shows & exclusive extras? → Join our Patreon.

CHECK OUT BARRY:

Barry Rothbart’s investigative series Searching for Allan Rothbart is exclusively on Audible. It’s equal parts mob tale, family reckoning, and cult-like indoctrination story. Don’t miss it.

You can also follow Barry on social media → @barryrothbart

HAVE A CULTY STORY? We wanna hear it.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Your first great love story is free when you sign up for a free 30-day trial at audible.co.
0:05.5	That's audible.co.uk slash Wondery.
0:11.4	The views, information, or opinions expressed by the guest appearing in this episode solely belong to the guest and do not represent or reflect the views or positions of the hosts, the show,
0:21.6	podcast one, this network, or any of their respective affiliates.
0:33.1	Welcome to Was I and a cult, the podcast, obviously.
0:37.0	I'm Tyler Meeson.
0:38.1	And over here, I'm Liz Yakutsi.
0:41.0	You're...
0:41.8	Liz Yakutsi.
0:43.6	What?
0:44.8	Elizabeth Yakutsi.
0:46.6	Yes.
0:48.4	That's how you pronounce my name the correct way.
0:52.9	If you were in Italy, that's how you would say my name, because my dad is from Sicily. Yeah. They changed it. When he moved here, none of his teachers could say Yakutsi, so they made it phonetic. I-A-C-U-Z-I-Y-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-C-U-C-E. And your dad, because he's from Sicily, he's obviously in the mob.
1:14.0	Mm-hmm.
1:14.8	Raised me in the mob.
1:18.5	No.
1:20.1	No.
1:21.0	I've met your father.
1:23.0	He's not in the mob.
1:24.8	No, he's not the mob.
1:26.6	He is an artist, my father. who's a graphic designer by trade.
	...

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