Wondery tweeted: “We have decided to part ways with Mike Boudet and Sword and Scale.” The tweet was posted on March 9, 2019.
Sword and Scale is a true crime podcast. It is described on iTunes as “an immersive audio experience covering the dark side of humanity and human nature. Our stories delve into the worst of the worst and include murder, rape, dismemberment and cannibalism. No crime is too brutal and no victim is too pure. The worst monsters are real.”
Sword and Scale was first hosted on Wondery in 2014. It is unclear exactly why Wondery decided to part ways with Mike Boudet and the Sword and Scale podcast. Wondery’s tweet did not provide any background information.
That being said, The Wrap appears to have some ideas about what may have caused Wondery to part ways with Sword and Scale.
According to The Wrap, Mike Boudet posted something offensive on Instagram which included a derogatory word that some people use when they want to say something mean about a woman – or women in general. The now deleted post on Instagram was posted on International Women’s Day.
But, we cannot conclude, for certain, that the Instagram post was what made Wondery part ways with the podcast. The Wrap has provided additional examples of Mike Boudet making derogatory or sexist comments. One can only speculate about what offensive comment was the last straw for Wondery.
The Wrap reported that Mike Boudet responded to Wondery’s decision in a Soundcloud file. He said that Sword and Scale will move to its own platform behind a paywall.