In August 2022, at a packed school board meeting in Grapevine, Texas, a mom approaches the microphone and describes the exact nightmare that Republican politicians have been warning about. She accuses a teacher of convincing her child to change genders. As a result, she says, “I lost my son.” But when NBC News reporters Mike Hixenbaugh and Antonia Hylton look into this mother’s allegations, they find a different story: of a transgender child desperately wanting to be heard, a mother determined to put God first — and an English teacher caught in the middle. And they discover this isn’t just a story about one broken family. It’s also a story about a fringe religious movement wielding newfound power and the revival of a long-simmering quest by evangelicals to remake American education based on their version of biblical values. From NBC News Studios and the team behind the Peabody Award-winning series Southlake, Grapevine is a podcast about faith and power — and what it means to protect children — in an American suburb.
Dateline anchor Lester Holt interviews individuals about life-altering moments and their journeys of resilience and rebuilding.
27 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT
Dateline Presents: An all-new season of ‘Dateline: Missing In America’
Correspondent Josh Mankiewicz interviews loved ones and investigators about compelling new missing person cases in this trailer for Dateline: Missing In America Season 5.
8 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT
Dateline Presents: Five Miles From Home
Keith Morrison investigates the disappearance of Micaela Costanzo, uncovering betrayal and rage in a Nevada casino town.
10 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT
Dateline Presents: Trace of Suspicion
As a bonus for Grapevine fans, we’re sharing the trailer for Trace of Suspicion, an all-new original podcast series from Dateline and Josh Mankiewicz.
After seemingly healthy 23-year-old Marine Todd Sommer dies unexpectedly, his widow Cindy’s lavish spending, cosmetic surgery, and wild partying raise investigators’ suspicions. They accuse her of poisoning him with arsenic for his life insurance, setting off a criminal case that takes a stunning turn... Josh Mankiewicz sits down with the woman at the center of it all in Dateline’s newest podcast.
If you like what you hear, just search Trace of Suspicion to listen to the first two episodes now, completely free. Or subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or DatelinePremium.com. Subscribers get early access to new episodes and can listen to all Dateline podcasts ad-free.
2 Dec 2025
Dateline Presents: Something About Cari
As a bonus for Grapevine fans, we’re sharing the trailer for Something About Cari, an all-new original podcast series from Dateline and Keith Morrison.
In this podcast Keith Morrison takes us to America’s heartland, where single mom Cari Farver disappears just weeks into a new romance. What follows is a series of strange and terrifying events, including taunting texts and threatening emails to Cari's boyfriend and his ex that escalate to stalking, arson and murder. But nothing could prepare friends, family, and investigators for the mind-bending twist that would come next…
If you like what you hear, just search Something About Cari to listen to the first two episodes now, completely free. Or subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or DatelinePremium.com. Subscribers get early access to new episodes and can listen to all Dateline podcasts ad-free.
4 Nov 2025
NBC News Studios Presents Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder
Hey Grapevine fans! As a bonus for you, we’re sharing a special preview of Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder, an all-new original podcast series from NBC News Studios.
Unfolding over 12 richly told episodes, the podcast will explore, in intimate detail, the twists and turns of this fascinating and confounding case as it hits its milestone 50th anniversary. Built upon a decade of original reporting, the series features multiple exclusive interviews with Michael Skakel, whose conviction for the killing was overturned and who is speaking publicly about the case for the first time ever.
To start listening, search “Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder” and follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, for new episodes every week.
28 Oct 2025
Introducing Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder
Hey NBC News Studios fans! As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer for Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder an all-new original podcast series from NBC News Studios.
Hosted by veteran journalist Andrew Goldman, Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder, is sure to hook listeners, in the vein of Serial and Making a Murderer. Unfolding over 12 richly told episodes, the podcast will explore, in intimate detail, the twists and turns of this fascinating and confounding case as it hits its milestone 50th anniversary. The series is built upon a decade of original reporting, brand new investigative information, firsthand voices, and a half century of archival audio – as well as multiple interviews with Michael Skakel, who is speaking publicly for the first time ever.
To start listening, search “Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder” and follow for new episodes every week.
6 Oct 2025
Introducing: The Last Appeal
Hey Grapevine fans! As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer for The Last Appeal an all-new original podcast series from Dateline and Lester Holt.
In this series, Lester Holt takes listeners inside the urgent case of Robert Roberson, a Texas father set to be executed on October 16th for the 2002 death of his 2-year-old daughter. Lester is on the ground in Texas, where he examines the evidence against Roberson and talks to the people closest to the case, including the lead detective, who now believes he helped put an innocent man behind bars. Lester’s exclusive interviews reveal critical information the jury never heard. This series will confront listeners with questions about justice and truth, and perhaps the most haunting question of all: Is an innocent man about to be put to death?
To start listening, just search “The Last Appeal”. And remember to follow for new episodes releasing each day this week. For ad-free listening, subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or DatelinePremium.com.
14 May 2024
They Came for the Schools
In an exclusive audio excerpt from Chapter 1 of “They Came for the Schools: One Town's Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America's Classrooms,” author Mike Hixenbaugh uncovers Southlake’s history, demonstrating how policies meant to protect the town from outside development a half-century ago helped plant the seeds for conflicts over diversity, equity and inclusion—conflicts that are now tearing apart suburbs across the nation.
For more details and to purchase the book, on sale May 14, 2024, follow this link: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/they-came-for-the-schools-mike-hixenbaugh?variant=41284682088482 (https://www.harpercollins.com/products/they-came-for-the-schools-mike-hixenbaugh?variant=41284682088482)
26 Mar 2024
Dateline presents: Murder in the Hollywood Hills
As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer for Murder in the Hollywood Hills, an all-new original podcast series from Dateline.
In this story Keith Morrison takes us to the city of dreams, where a smooth-talking predator lured young women into a nightmare with promises of fame and fortune. He evaded justice for years, but when a group of women banded together, they fought to lock him up for life.
If you like what you hear, you can listen to Murder in the Hollywood Hills for free each week. Or, subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or DatelinePremium.com (http://DatelinePremium.com) to unlock new episodes one week early: https://link.chtbl.com/mithh_fdlw (https://link.chtbl.com/mithh_fdlw)
20 Oct 2023
A Final Lesson
Grapevine goes to the polls in a contentious school board election driven by the fight over the role of religion and LGBTQ inclusion in public schools. As the dust settles, Ren reflects on the impact of her mother’s allegations. And, after months of feeling as if she’s had to erase herself, Em Ramser reclaims her voice.
18 Oct 2023
Open The Floodgates
Evangelical activists open a new front in their campaign to impose their version of biblical morality in public schools — at the Texas statehouse. While legislators debate bills requiring the Ten Commandments and banning mention of gender identity in classrooms, three nonbinary students share the trauma they’ve endured at Grapevine High. Meanwhile, a coalition of progressive parents and disillusioned conservatives pledge to retake control of their school system.
13 Oct 2023
A Raging Fire
Weston Brown, 28, sees a video of his homeschooling mother calling for dozens of books on sexuality and gender to be banned from public schools in another Texas school district. To counter her political activism, Weston publicly shares his story of growing up gay in a fundamentalist Christian family. Feeling pressured by parents and school officials, Em Ramser removes LGBTQ symbols from her classroom and no longer recognizes the teacher she’s become.
11 Oct 2023
A Harvest Is Coming
Amid a growing anti-trans backlash, Ren devises a plan to get out of Texas — and away from her mother. In Grapevine, Sharla’s claim that teacher Em Ramser “infected” her child with lies about gender triggers online attacks, leading Ramser to consider leaving the profession.
4 Oct 2023
The Seven Mountains
Conservatives are gaining power in Grapevine, fueled by a once-fringe movement that calls on evangelicals to control the seven key “mountains” of American society — including education. A cellphone company with a Christian nationalist agenda heeds that call and sets its sights on winning school board seats in Grapevine, following an example set a year earlier in the neighboring city of Southlake.
CORRECTION (Oct. 4, 2023, 08:40 p.m. ET): A previous version of this episode misstated the amount of money Patriot Mobile Action spent in school board elections in North Texas in spring 2022. It was nearly $500,000, not $600,000.
4 Oct 2023
The Girl And The English Teacher
A mother named Sharla publicly accuses a high school teacher in Grapevine, Texas, of using a graphic novel called “The Prince and the Dressmaker” to convince her child to change genders. Reporters Mike Hixenbaugh and Antonia Hylton set out to investigate the allegation. Sharla’s child, Ren, and Ren’s English teacher, Em Ramser, tell them a different story.
26 Sept 2023
Introducing: Grapevine
Two years after conservative activists turned critical race theory into a right-wing rallying cry, the political fight has shifted. The team behind the Peabody Award-winning podcast Southlake tells the story of one family broken apart in the midst of a new anti-LGBTQ culture war, and the high school English teacher caught in the middle.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.3 / 5
729 ratings
Spotify
4.5 / 5
188 ratings
Contact Grapevine
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Grapevine
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes monthly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Grapevine take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Where can I read transcripts?
4 of 17 episodes have a transcript on Pod Engine. Full transcripts are available with a Pod Engine plan.
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