Silvio Berlusconi’s Story Is Probably Even Wilder Than You Remember - Vanity Fair

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You might think you know “bunga bunga.” The simple phrase, which seems to have originated with a century-old racist joke, is now inextricably associated with Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister whose spectacular downfall is owed, at least in part, to his “bunga bunga” parties with young women.

But you probably don’t really know “bunga bunga,” at least not the way the people at Wondery do. Their new podcast, Bunga Bunga, hosted by Whitney Cummings, tells Berlusconi’s story, from his stint as a cruise ship singer to his post-scandal resurrection. “Silvio Berlusconi is the epitome of the kind of unbridled, selfish, power-hungry people that are all being put under a microscope right now—the kind of people who, pre-Twitter, could get away with literally anything,” Cummings said.

Elected to national office with zero political experience but a background in trashy television and gaudy real estate, Berlusconi bears an undeniable resemblance to Donald Trump, which makes his rise to power—and his downfall—even more fascinating to consider. “The parallels between Berlusconi and Trump are also truly incredible,” Cummings said. “So the series points a little toward historical patterns, human nature, the ability to brainwash and influence masses, how power corrupts humans, and what it takes to restore a civilization to sanity and justice.”

Written by Benjamin Gray with additional reporting by Giulia Alagna, Bunga Bunga offers a crash course for non-Italians in how a man who produced the most shameless television imaginable became the country’s leader—and why the scandal that surrounded him was such a subject of international fascination. If all you remember from the whole thing is the phrase bunga bunga, that’s okay. Cummings, before she became the show’s host, was right there with you—and in learning about Berlusconi, she came to understand both the comic absurdity of his story and the real harm he caused. “I had only recently heard of him because of the Ronan Farrow book and the story of Ambra [Battilana Gutierrez],” she said. “What he did to her is so incredibly shocking and angering that I did a deep dive after that and just felt overwhelmed by the powerlessness I felt—the fact that powerful men can just trash girls’ lives whenever they want, take advantage of their desire to be employed and make something of themselves, then just ruin their lives because they had self-respect. it just pissed me off.”

For Americans burned out by the Trump years, Berlusconi’s story as told in Bunga Bunga might offer some catharsis, the story of a seemingly untouchable man who did, eventually, face consequences. It’s also, like so many great podcasts, a bit of a mystery. What is “bunga bunga” anyway? They’re not giving away the answer just yet, but Cummings suggests it will be worth the wait. “I feel like it’s pretty hard to make me blush—but Silvio found a way! Bunga Bunga is the only time all of a sudden I get very shy and don’t know what to say!”

The eight-episode series Bunga Bunga debuts on September 8, wherever you get your podcasts.