Sit Down with Michael Franzese

Michael Franzese
  • 4.8 (74)
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From a high-ranking member of the Colombo crime family to a man transformed by faith, Michael Franzese shares his extraordinary journey like no one else can. In Sit Downs with Michael Franzese, Michael dives into raw, unfiltered stories from his life in the mob, his path to redemption, and the lessons he’s learned about faith, family, and overcoming life’s struggles. With gripping interviews and practical insights, this podcast will inspire, challenge, and entertain

  1. 21H AGO

    The Time a Jewish Scam Almost Took Down the Italian Mob

    🍷 Have you tried my wine yet?: https://yt.franzesewine.com/ 💪🏼 Join Franzese Family: https://michaelfranzese.com/family/ Giuliani looked me in the eye in that courtroom and said, "Franzese, if I convict you on this case, you're getting 100 years." I looked right back and said, let's go for round five. This is the case nobody ever talks about — one of the very first RICO trials ever used against the mob, before the famous Commission case, before any of it. I was a defendant. I know exactly what happened. Now there's a book written about it — Wise Guys, Rabbis and the FBI by Mel Cooper — and I'm giving you my side of the story. The backroom deals, the FBI undercover agent who told the truth, the defendant who walked out of prison by mistake on a 30-year sentence, and the moment I called my future wife and said pack your bags, we're getting married in Vegas. It's all here. Get the book on Amazon. Then come watch this. The Time Jews and Italians Got Indicted Together — My Wildest Case Ever The Time The Italian Mob Got The Upper Hand on Jewish Scammers The Time a Jewish Scam Almost Took Down the Italian Mob 🤝 Book 1 on 1 Call With Me: https://michaelfranzese.com/book-1-on-1-call/ 🔥 Check out my store: https://store.michaelfranzese.com/ 🎙️ Michael Franzese Podcast on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3Eo39qb 📧 Interested in partnerships? partnerships@michaelfranzese.com 00:00 - Welcome + Easter Blessings 01:07 - The Book: Wise Guys, Rabbis & the FBI 01:44 - Arrested Off His Own Plane 02:16 - "Why Are We Going to Manhattan?" 03:46 - Giuliani Threatens Him With 100 Years 04:00 - "Let's Go Round Five, Rudy" 04:29 - Michael Goes to the Prosecutor Himself 05:36 - Seven Italians, Eight Jews on Trial 06:04 - Reading From the Book 08:19 - Giuliani's First Ever RICO Case 09:29 - The Defendant Who Walked Out Free 11:05 - The Italians Walk, The Jews Convicted 11:26 - The Tape That Cost One Man Seven Years 13:35 - Reading the Verdict — All Counts 14:39 - The Jury Decided in the First Hour 15:48 - Acquitted — "Pack Your Bags, We're Getting Married" 16:22 - Michael's Real Involvement With Mel Cooper 18:07 - The FBI Boxing Sting — Don King & Michael 20:32 - The Undercover Agent Michael Never Knew 21:12 - The Agent Who Told the Truth 22:13 - Al Sharpton: Mob Payroll to FBI Informant 24:38 - The John Riggy Window Case 26:15 - Michael Takes the Weight for a Friend 27:38 - Sent Back to Prison for Loyalty 28:22 - Senate Hearings Are a Dog and Pony Show 29:36 - Read the Book — Final Recommendation 30:07 - Final Thoughts + God Bless 31:30 - Join michaelfranzese.com/family Backbone Media Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    35 min

  2. 5D AGO

    Former Mob Boss Gives His Verdict on Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man

    🍷 Have you tried my wine yet?: https://yt.franzesewine.com/ 💪🏼 Join Franzese Family: https://michaelfranzese.com/family/ I’ve lived the life Tommy Shelby is trying to escape — and I’m telling you, this movie hits different when it’s not fiction to you. Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man just dropped on Netflix and I gave it a full breakdown — the father and son tension, the Nazi counterfeit scheme, the demons that follow you when the life is over. I take you through my ten biggest takeaways from the film, and I get personal about what Tommy Shelby’s story actually reflects about my own life, my own father, and what it really costs when you walk away from all of it. Watch the series first if you haven’t. Then come back and watch this. You’ll understand why. Former Mob Boss Gives His Verdict on Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man 🤝 Book 1 on 1 Call With Me: https://michaelfranzese.com/book-1-on-1-call/ 🔥 Check out my store: https://store.michaelfranzese.com/ 🎙️ Michael Franzese Podcast on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3Eo39qb 📧 Interested in partnerships? partnerships@michaelfranzese.com 00:00 - Welcome + Peaky Blinders Movie Review01:28 - The Series, Cast & Backstory02:07 - Nazis, Counterfeit Money & Britain's Economy03:01 - What Does "The Immortal Man" Mean?03:36 - Full Cast Breakdown05:12 - Takeaway #1: Curse or Gift?06:17 - Michael's Demons Come Out at Night07:22 - Can You Ever Escape Your Past?08:06 - Can a Criminal Ever Truly Retire?09:09 - Takeaway #2: The Next Generation Takes Over09:46 - Why His Son "Duke" Sided With the Nazis10:05 - Michael's 10 Years Without His Father11:06 - Takeaway #3: Crime Threatens an Entire Nation12:00 - Takeaway #4: Family Loyalty vs. Self-Destruction12:36 - Takeaway #5: The Moral Compromise14:17 - Takeaway #6: Haunting, Melancholy, and Dark15:21 - Takeaway #7: Revenge and Final Reckoning15:43 - Takeaway #8: Cinematic Upgrade — Real Movie Feel16:39 - Takeaway #9: End of an Era18:03 - My Verdict18:20 - Is Blood Really Thicker Than Water?21:05 - Two Brothers Who Killed Their Father21:44 - Father and Son — A Reconciliation22:10 - Watch the Movie AND the Series23:16 - Final Thoughts Backbone Media Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    29 min

  3. MAR 31

    They’re Planning A Fake Alien Invasion - UFO Expert EXPOSES The Truth

    🗝️ Go to my sponsor https://venice.ai/franzese and use code franzese to enjoy private, uncensored AI. Using my code will get you 20% off a pro plan. 🍷 Have you tried my wine yet?: https://yt.franzesewine.com/ 💪🏼 Join Franzese Family: https://michaelfranzese.com/family/ I sit down with one of the most controversial and fascinating guests I’ve ever had on this channel — Dr. Steven Greer, the world’s leading UFO disclosure expert, retired physician, and founder of the Disclosure Project. Dr. Greer has spent 33 years briefing CIA directors, senators, and presidents on what he calls the biggest cover-up in human history. He told me straight out that this operation would make the mafia look like nothing — and coming from me, that’s saying a lot. What you’re going to hear in this conversation is going to challenge everything you think you know. Dr. Greer claims that JFK was assassinated because he was getting too close to the truth, that Marilyn Monroe was killed for the same reason, that there are living extraterrestrials in captivity right now, and that a covert group has been planning a fake alien invasion for decades — and Trump may be the only person standing in the way of it happening. Is it real? I let him talk. I asked the hard questions. Then I give you my honest take at the end. You make up your own mind. They’re Planning A Fake Alien Invasion - UFO Expert EXPOSES The Truth 🤝 Book 1 on 1 Call With Me: https://michaelfranzese.com/book-1-on-1-call/ 🔥 Check out my store: https://store.michaelfranzese.com/ 🎙️ Michael Franzese Podcast on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3Eo39qb 📧 Interested in partnerships? partnerships@michaelfranzese.com 00:00 - If They Were Hostile, We'd Already Be Gone 01:22 - Welcome + 2 Million Subscriber Goal 02:11 - Michael's Take: Do UFOs and ETs Actually Exist? 04:46 - Meet Dr. Steven Greer — Briefing the CIA for 33 Years 05:20 - Did Obama Just Accidentally Admit Aliens Are Real? 06:08 - Trump's Executive Order and the Files They're Hiding 07:21 - "This Would Make the Mafia Look Like Nothing" 10:46 - Man-Made, Extraterrestrial, and Extra-Dimensional — Three Different Things 13:13 - Covert Programs and Criminal Enterprises Since the 1950s 15:33 - The CIA Document That Proves They Staged Alien Abductions 16:38 - $12 Trillion Missing From the Pentagon — Here's Where It Went 17:24 - The Free Energy Technology They've Been Suppressing for 80 Years 19:03 - Who's Really Behind This? The Consortium Nobody Can Name 19:31 - They Killed Kennedy Over This 23:20 - Marilyn Monroe Was a Hit — What She Knew Got Her Killed 24:32 - Senior Military and Law Enforcement Finally Want Answers 31:09 - He Was Offered $2 Billion to Stay Quiet — He Said No 31:42 - Black Sites, Underground Bases, and the GPS Coordinates 33:26 - Rumsfeld Said $2.3 Trillion Was Missing — The Day Before 9/11 34:07 - Lockheed Skunk Works: "Anything on Star Trek, We Already Have It" 38:10 - Will Trump Succeed? Or Is This the Epstein Situation All Over Again? 39:38 - The World's Largest RICO — Using the Same Law That Took Down the Mob 40:14 - Hard Evidence: Over 1,000 ET Craft Retrieved, Bodies in Storage 42:34 - What Do They Actually Look Like? 69 Species Catalogued 44:56 - Why Aren't They Hostile? The Physics Argument That Changes Everything 47:40 - Our Technology Is Way Ahead of Our Spiritual Development 48:29 - The Buga Sphere: A 12,560-Year-Old ET Artifact Found in Colombia 51:21 - CE5 Contact: How Greer's Team Communicates With ET Civilizations 54:24 - Living Extraterrestrials in Captivity — Greer Asked Trump to Free Them 55:27 - "They're Closer to Gandhi or Christ Than Anything We Are" 57:55 - A Greater Threat Than China, Russia, or Iran 58:28 - We're Out of Time — The Three Scenarios That Could End Everything 59:17 - They Can Fill the Sky With Man-Made UFOs and Fool Everyone 1:00:25 - Gulf of Tonkin. 9/11. COVID. The Pattern You Need to See 1:01:11 - Wernher von Braun's Deathbed Warning About the Alien Hoax 1:02:09 - The 70-Year Plan to Stage a Fake War and Install Totalitarian Control 1:04:14 - Trump Is the Only Thing Standing Between Us and a Fake War of the Worlds 1:05:10 - Joe Rogan Buried This. Sean Ryan's Family Was Threatened. 1:06:48 - "If I Get Threatened, This Interview Airs" 1:08:36 - Michael's Personal Take: Here's What I Actually Believe 1:11:46 - The Religious Question: What Does the Bible Say About Any of This? 1:14:04 - Final Thoughts — Make Up Your Own Mind Backbone Media Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 21m

  4. MAR 26

    Mexican Presidential Insider Reveals How Cartels Really Run the Country

    🍷 Have you tried my wine yet?: https://yt.franzesewine.com/ 💪🏼 Join Franzese Family: https://michaelfranzese.com/family/ Today I sit down with Enrique De La Madrid – son of a former Mexican president and one of the few people who actually understands how deep the corruption runs. We get into the cartels’ new gas tax scam that mirrors the exact gasoline hustle I ran back in the life, how cartels kidnap opposition and rig elections, why parts of the Mexican government are effectively in business with organized crime, and what that really means for your safety, tourism, and the future of the drug war. This one will change the way you look at Mexico, the cartels, and our own government on both sides of the border. Mexican Presidential Insider Reveals How Cartels Really Run the Country 🤝 Book 1 on 1 Call With Me: https://michaelfranzese.com/book-1-on-1-call/ 🔥 Check out my store: https://store.michaelfranzese.com/ 🎙️ Michael Franzese Podcast on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3Eo39qb 📧 Interested in partnerships? partnerships@michaelfranzese.com 0:00 – Cartels rigged Mexico's elections. Real facts.1:05 – Welcome & introducing Enrique De La Madrid2:11 – Son of a president, ran for office himself6:32 – Mexican government is in bed with cartels7:00 – The cartel gas tax — straight from my playbook9:37 – Witnesses who knew the truth were killed10:14 – Cartels moved way beyond just drugs19:27 – Did Mexico's president take $20M from El Mencho?20:43 – Fentanyl is 1,000x more profitable than cocaine22:43 – Cartels kidnapping politicians to steal elections25:29 – Trump labeled cartels terrorists — was it smart?28:47 – El Mencho dead — what happens to CJNG now?30:35 – Is Mexico actually safe to visit right now?33:19 – Cartels launder money through Puerto Vallarta businesses35:07 – The "narco peace" — what it really means36:26 – I recognize this — it's the mafia's old extortion playbook40:00 – Should US troops operate inside Mexico?43:34 – Why aren't we teaching kids about drugs instead?46:04 – Will Enrique run for president of Mexico again?47:03 – Michael's closing thoughts: this is happening here too Backbone Media Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    56 min

  5. MAR 24

    Ex-Mob Boss & Ex-CIA Agent: Iran, Israel, and Epstein Are All Connected

    🍷 Have you tried my wine yet?: https://yt.franzesewine.com/ 💪🏼 Join Franzese Family: https://michaelfranzese.com/family/ I thought I understood Epstein, Israel, and the war in Iran… until this conversation. In this sit down, CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou walks me through why he believes Epstein was working as an access agent, how Israel and Mossad might sit at the center of more than we think, why the Kennedy files still aren’t fully released 60 years later, and what’s really behind the Iran war and Trump’s decisions. I don’t say this lightly: this one actually made me rethink some things. Ex-Mob Boss & Ex-CIA Agent: Iran, Israel, and Epstein Are All Connected 🤝 Book 1 on 1 Call With Me: https://michaelfranzese.com/book-1-on-1-call/ 🔥 Check out my store: https://store.michaelfranzese.com/ 🎙️ Michael Franzese Podcast on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3Eo39qb 📧 Interested in partnerships? partnerships@michaelfranzese.com 00:00:00 – Introduction: Epstein Was A Mossad Spy?00:01:03 – Meet Ex-CIA Agent John Kiriakou00:06:15 – How Epstein's Spy Network Worked00:14:07 – 3 Million Documents Still Being Hidden00:20:09 – The CIA's Secret Kill List00:22:55 – Is The Iran War Israel's War?00:25:15 – Netanyahu Threatened Trump With Nukes00:27:47 – Iran Never Had A Nuclear Program00:32:25 – Why They Won't Release The Documents00:36:12 – JFK Files They're Still Hiding00:41:31 – 10,000 Documents All Point To Israel00:42:40 – Why Israel Wanted Kennedy Dead00:43:06 – How Israel Controls American Politics00:49:00 – Inside The Prison Epstein Died In00:55:23 – Mossad's Blackmail Files On Everyone00:57:47 – CIA Agent: Epstein Was Murdered00:58:20 – Did America Bite Off Too Much?01:02:20 – Why NATO Won't Join The War01:05:04 – Bill Clinton & The Epstein Deposition01:06:52 – The Truth They'll Never Tell Us Backbone Media Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 16m

  6. MAR 19

    Ex-Mob Boss cooks chicken Parmesan (Secret Franzese Family recipe)

    🍷 Have you tried my wine yet?: https://yt.franzesewine.com/👨🏻‍🍳 Get The Exclusive Mafia Apron Here: https://franzesewine.com/apron 💪🏼 Join Franzese Family: https://michaelfranzese.com/family/ I’m back in the kitchen people. And today I’m making one of my favorite old-school Italian-American dishes: chicken parmesan. This is the kind of meal that brings back memories of family, tradition, and the simple way we used to eat at home, and I’m showing you how I make it step by step the way it should be done. I’m keeping it simple, fresh, and delicious — just like the best family recipes always are. Along the way, I share a few stories, a few tips, and a little of the history behind the food, the wine, and the way we grew up around the table. Get The Chicken Parmesan Recipe Here: https://franzesewine.com/chicken-parm-recipe Ex-Mob Boss Cooks Real Chicken Parmesan (Secret Franzese Family Recipe) 🤝 Book 1 on 1 Call With Me: https://michaelfranzese.com/book-1-on-1-call/ 🔥 Check out my store: https://store.michaelfranzese.com/ 🎙️ Michael Franzese Podcast on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3Eo39qb 📧 Interested in partnerships? partnerships@michaelfranzese.com 00:00 – Introduction: I’m back! 02:27 – Cooking brings back memories 03:16 – My grandfather made wine 05:00 – My onion trick in sauce 06:03 – Fresh basil brings memories 08:20 – Organic is the way to go 08:56 – My grandma’s meatballs set the bar 10:28 – Step 1: Always Pound the chicken thin 11:47 – The Paul Castellano chicken story 15:47 – Flour, eggs, breadcrumbs 16:48 – Stories of My Grandparents 18:03 – My grandfather Was A Racist? 21:11 – Tootie the Lion: My Other Grandfather 22:23 – Step 2: Fry The Chicken 23:14 – Chicken parm isn’t from Italy 23:34 – Mozzarella, not parmesan 24:00 – I always drink wine with food 24:42 – Our 50th anniversary wine 25:28 – Europe makes healthier wine 27:54 – Step 3: Pasta has to be al dente 29:27 – Step 4: Sauce, cheese, and oven 31:20 – Food brings people together 34:19 – Step 5: Into the oven it goes 35:48 – My made-man anniversary 38:04 – The pairing is perfect 39:27 – Cherry wine grew on me 42:27 – Which Wine Pairs Better? 44:56 – Whats Next on Cooking With Michael? Backbone Media Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    50 min

  7. MAR 17

    Anabel Hernández: The Woman the Cartels & Mexican President Want Dead

    🍷 Have you tried my wine yet?: https://yt.franzesewine.com/ 💪🏼 Join Franzese Family: https://michaelfranzese.com/family/ The rule of law doesn’t exist in the shadows. We’ve all seen the headlines about El Mencho, El Chapo and the cartels, but the headlines are just the “front.” For twenty years, Anabel Hernández has been digging into the basement of the Mexican government—and what she found is a virus that’s reached the highest levels of power. She’s survived raids, assassination attempts, and a life in exile for one reason: She knows where the bodies are buried. And more importantly, she knows who gave the order to dig the graves. In this sit-down, we aren’t talking about “street crime.” We’re talking about the business of a failed state. This is the reality they don’t want you to see. This is the truth that costs lives. Anabel Hernández: The Woman the Cartels & Mexican President Want Dead 🤝 Book 1 on 1 Call With Me: https://michaelfranzese.com/book-1-on-1-call/ 🔥 Check out my store: https://store.michaelfranzese.com/ 🎙️ Michael Franzese Podcast on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3Eo39qb 📧 Interested in partnerships? partnerships@michaelfranzese.com Backbone Media Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 5m

  8. MAR 12

    John Gotti: The Reason We Still Talk About the Mob

    🍷 Have you tried my wine yet?: https://yt.franzesewine.com/ 💪🏼 Join Franzese Family: https://michaelfranzese.com/family/ John Gotti turned murder into a media moment and a crime family into his personal stage. From the shots outside Sparks Steakhouse to a life sentence in a concrete box, this doc walks you through how a kid from Brooklyn with a chip on his shoulder became the last great “celebrity gangster” – and how that fame turned into a loaded gun pointed at his own head. You’ll see the real power struggle with Castellano, the truth behind the “Teflon Don” trials, what it meant when Sammy flipped, and why the old‑school mob quietly died in Gotti’s shadow. This isn’t about glorifying the life. It’s about showing you exactly how it ends. John Gotti: The Reason We Still Talk About the Mob 🤝 Book 1 on 1 Call With Me: https://michaelfranzese.com/book-1-on-1-call/ 🔥 Check out my store: https://store.michaelfranzese.com/ 🎙️ Michael Franzese Podcast on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3Eo39qb 📧 Interested in partnerships? partnerships@michaelfranzese.com 00:00 – The Sparks Steakhouse hit on Paul Castellano 00:35 – John Gotti seizes the Gambino family 01:00 – From mob boss to folk hero 01:41 – Michael’s intro and purpose of the series 02:22 – Why John Gotti and Al Capone stand above the rest 03:32 – “He was who he was” – Gotti’s attitude toward being a mobster 03:52 – Why RICO, not Gotti, really killed the Mafia 05:05 – The best Gotti movie Michael recommends 05:38 – Gotti’s hungry beginnings: Bronx and Brooklyn 06:03 – Seeing wiseguys as “the way out” 07:05 – Young Gotti’s brutality, charisma, and explosive temper 08:22 – First big step into the Gambino family under Carmine Fatico 09:09 – Carlo Gambino orders the McBratney hit 09:31 – Gotti shoots in public and gets caught 10:05 – Neil Dellacroce becomes Gotti’s powerful mentor 10:40 – Gambino picks Castellano over Neil – the family splits 11:24 – Gotti the neighborhood hero and the tragedy of his son Frank 12:31 – White‑collar Paul vs blue‑collar John – two mobs in one family 14:07 – Tapes, drugs, and why Gotti knew it was “him or Castellano” 15:28 – December 16, 1985: Castellano and Bilotti are murdered 16:22 – Gotti becomes boss and embraces full‑blown celebrity 17:36 – Beating RICO and becoming the “Teflon Don” 19:22 – FBI bugs the Ravenite – the beginning of the end 21:39 – Sammy the Bull flips and the government’s case locks in 23:01 – Guilty on all counts – the Teflon is gone 24:04 – Life in Marion: 23‑hour lockdown and losing control 26:00 – Throat cancer, Springfield, and Gotti’s final years 27:30 – Death, funeral, and the end of the celebrity gangster era 29:34 – How Gotti’s fall helped transform organized crime 30:10 – Michael’s final warning: no glory in this life Backbone Media Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    33 min
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4.8
out of 5
74 Ratings

About

From a high-ranking member of the Colombo crime family to a man transformed by faith, Michael Franzese shares his extraordinary journey like no one else can. In Sit Downs with Michael Franzese, Michael dives into raw, unfiltered stories from his life in the mob, his path to redemption, and the lessons he’s learned about faith, family, and overcoming life’s struggles. With gripping interviews and practical insights, this podcast will inspire, challenge, and entertain

Information

  • Creator
    Michael Franzese
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    130
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Michael Franzese. All Rights Reserved. "Sit Down with Michael Franzese".
  • Show Website
    Sit Down with Michael Franzese

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