Are The Jell-O Heirs Cursed? (Reheat)

Are The Jell-O Heirs Cursed? (Reheat)

From The Sporkful by Dan Pashman

May 15, 2026 · 35 min

About this episode

Allie Rowbottom explores the impact of her family's Jell-O fortune on their lives and American society.

Allie Rowbottom’s great-great-great uncle bought the patent to Jell-O from its inventor in 1899 for $450, then sold it in the 1920s for $67 million — nearly a billion dollars in today’s money. Lately, Allie’s been obsessed with how all that Jell-O money shaped America, and her own family. It’s funded generations of Rowbottom women, including Allie, but it’s also been a shadow they can't escape.

People in this episode

Host: Dan Pashman

Guest: Allie Rowbottom

Topics covered

  • family legacy
  • Jell-O history
  • American culture
  • wealth
  • inheritance

Keywords

  • Jell-O
  • inheritance
  • family history
  • wealth
  • American culture

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Jell-O

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