Playboy Payola: Jack Kershaw, Pt. 2

Playboy Payola: Jack Kershaw, Pt. 2

From Weird Little Guys by iHeartPodcasts and Cool Zone Media

April 9, 2026 · 44 min

About this episode

The episode explores Jack Kershaw's controversial legal representation of James Earl Ray and the fallout from a payment he received from Playboy magazine.

Decades before he sculpted a Confederate general out of old bathtubs, Jack Kershaw briefly represented his most famous client - Martin Luther King Jr's assassin, James Earl Ray. The relationship soured after Ray discovered his lawyer had pocketed a payment from Playboy magazine. Sources: James McKinley, "Playboy Interview: James Earl Ray," Playboy Magazine, September 1977 https://www.nytimes.com/1977/08/09/archives/polygraph-indicates-ray-lied.html https://www.nytimes.com/1977/10/25/archives/james-earl-ray-wants-mark-lane-to-replace-his-tenth-lawyer.html https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/28/sports/the-barkley-marathons-few-know-how-to-enter-fewer-finish.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Hosts: iHeartPodcasts, Cool Zone Media

Topics covered

  • true crime
  • legal ethics
  • historical figures
  • media influence
  • civil rights

Keywords

  • Jack Kershaw
  • James Earl Ray
  • Playboy
  • legal representation
  • civil rights
  • true crime
  • media

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Playboy, Playboy Magazine

More episodes of Weird Little Guys

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Weird Little Guys podcast page.