MANHATTAN, NEW YORK — The lights inside the Broadway Theater were still dim when Gillian Pensavalle walked onto the stage in April 2022. Rows of velvet seats stretched before her, empty except for a few crew members preparing for sound check. It wasn’t her first time performing, but this was different. She wasn’t acting, dancing, or playing a part. She was standing as herself, co-host of True Crime Obsessed, the first podcast ever to perform live on Broadway.
She paused for a breath, letting the weight of the moment settle around her.
“We actually created a new Equity contract to bring in union dancers,” Pensavalle explained when we sat down for an interview about her career. “Two of them made their Broadway debuts that night, along with us!”
The show sold out and became a milestone for an industry still defining itself. But for Pensavalle, the achievement wasn’t about breaking records. It was about connection. “It wasn’t just performing,” she said. “It was about creating opportunities for people to shine.”
That instinct - to turn every platform into a place for others to belong - runs through everything she touches. Over the past decade, Pensavalle has quietly become one of the most recognizable voices in podcasting. Her work spans entertainment, pop culture, and true crime, yet at its core, it’s all about humanity.
As the co-creator and co-host of True Crime Obsessed, Gillian Pensavalle and her co-creator Patrick Hinds have built one of the most successful true crime podcasts in the world, amassing more than 200 million downloads since launching in 2017. Their approach is unorthodox: they recap documentaries like The Jinx, Scamanda, and Class Action Park with a mix of empathy, humor, and righteous fury.
“We cover all the documentaries you’re obsessed with,” she said, “but we also call out garbage criminals, crooked cops, and shady lawyers. We always champion the victims and the advocates doing the right thing.”
Their listeners are drawn not just to the stories but to the feeling of sitting across from two friends who see the absurdity and heartbreak of the world and decide to confront it with laughter. That tension between humor and humanity is Pensavalle’s sweet spot.
“Podcasting is such an intimate medium,” she said. “You’re in someone’s ears, literally. If they trust you, they’ll let you in.”
The trust they’ve built is palpable. True Crime Obsessed has toured the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Fans fill theaters to laugh, cry, and occasionally gasp along with Pensavalle and Hinds. Yet she remains disarmingly grounded, balancing confidence with humility. “Success for me is walking out of the recording booth and feeling proud of the work I’ve done,” she said. “If I’ve told the story honestly and with care, I can feel good about it.”
She’s also unafraid of conflict when it serves the story. When the pair covered Netflix’s Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, one of the most requested documentaries in the show’s history, they had vastly different opinions on how it was made. Instead of editing out their disagreement, they leaned in.
“It was important to show how we could respectfully disagree about something we both felt strongly about,” she said. “It ended up being one of our longest episodes, and I’m proud of that.”
For Pensavalle, disagreement isn’t division. It’s dialogue; a reminder that learning and empathy can coexist even when perspectives don’t. In her opinion, healthy conflict resolution is a trait that separates strong collaborators from the rest. It’s not about always agreeing, she believes, but about knowing how to listen, respect differing viewpoints, and move forward together.
“You don’t grow by surrounding yourself with people who think exactly like you,” Pensavalle shared. “You grow when you can have hard conversations and still walk away with mutual respect.”
Long before True Crime Obsessed filled stadiums and playlists, Pensavalle was immersed in the entertainment world. She grew up in New York City, studied communications and film in college, and spent her early years working in radio and on sets.
“I loved being on a set, surrounded by people who were great at what they did,” she said. “Those experiences taught me how to bring my authentic self into every recording.”
Her first breakout came in 2016 with The Hamilcast: A Hamilton Podcast, which she launched at the height of the Broadway phenomenon. What began as a fan-driven project evolved into an intimate archive of conversations with cast, crew, and creatives, including Lin Manuel Miranda himself twice. She is wrapping up the podcast in January 2026 after reaching 500 episodes. The final guests include Renee Elise Goldsberry and Leslie Odom Jr., both original cast members, along with all four members of the Cabinet returning for the closing episodes: Lin Manuel Miranda for a third appearance, Alex Lacamoire, Andy Blankenbuehler, and Thomas Kail.
“I never imagined Lin would come on the show,” she said, smiling. “The Hamilcast community is warm, generous, and welcoming. They’ve made lifelong friendships because of it. Watching that unfold has been one of the most beautiful experiences of my life.”
Those friendships became a chosen family of sorts, one built through shared passion and creativity. “We all came together because of a piece of art we loved, and it turned into something bigger than all of us,” she said.
It also sharpened her storytelling instincts. "What started as a show about a show, eventually grew into a show about artists and the human experience."
Her background as an actor and editor helped her navigate both sides of the mic. She’s worked as a performer, producer, and showrunner, often alongside her husband, Michael Paul Smith. Together they created The Residuals, a comedy series inspired by their experiences auditioning for commercials in New York City. Later, she executive-produced Ted and Michael Read Sketches into Microphones, her husband’s sketch comedy podcast.
“I’ve always loved making things,” she said. “You can wait around for someone to give you permission, or you can just make your own thing.”
In an era where every public figure lives under scrutiny, Pensavalle approaches criticism with perspective. “Criticism and misinformation are two very different things,” she said. “If it’s constructive and respectful, I welcome it. Some of those conversations have genuinely changed how I think and how I view the world."
But she draws a firm line at online hostility. “We live in a time when people thrive on misinformation because it fuels hate,” she said. “I don’t give my energy to that. There’s no point in engaging.”
Her calm resolve comes from experience and upbringing. “I get my work ethic from my dad,” she said. “I combine that with the need to show up honestly. The audience deserves stories told with respect.” She also believes it is important to acknowledge that the victims and survivors deserve respect as well.
That respect carries through every project she touches.
In 2022, she hosted and produced Let The Women Do The Work, a limited interview series amplifying the voices of women in true crime who are often overlooked. “It’s a phrase we say a lot on True Crime Obsessed,” she said. “It felt right to dedicate a whole show to the women who are actually doing the work.”
Research and accuracy, she said, are nonnegotiable. “These are real stories that happened to real people. They need to be handled with care,” she said. “Sometimes documentaries leave out details, and it’s important to fill in those gaps when we can.”
After years of success, it’s tempting to label Gillian Pensavalle as a podcasting powerhouse, but she prefers to see herself as a storyteller and a student. “There’s always something new to learn,” she said. “My goal is to keep doing good work and to have my intentions be heard.”
That humility has earned her something money and downloads can’t buy: trust. Her listeners don’t just tune in for entertainment; they come for connection.
“I want our audience to know I’m doing my best to put good work out into the world,” she said. “I want them to feel that I’m thoughtful, respectful, and that I’m there to keep them company when they need it.”
At home in Manhattan, her life is simple. She records, edits, produces, and spends time with her husband, Mike and their dog, Fiona. “Most importantly,” she added with a grin, “please tell your dog I said hi.”
It’s a line she delivers often, almost like a signature, a wink to the listener, a reminder that behind the global reach and millions of downloads is a woman who just really, truly loves what she does.
And maybe, just maybe, that’s the secret to her success.
“At the end of the day, I just love creating,” she said, her smile gentle but sure. “If it reaches one person in the right way, that’s enough for me.”
