Rogers vs. Rogers

10 snips

Oct 6, 2025

Michael Healey, an acclaimed playwright known for blending theatre with political themes, dives deep into the tumultuous saga of the Rogers family. He explores the absurdities behind this Canadian drama, from Ted Rogers' questionable legacy to the chaotic power struggles within the family. Healey reveals how a butt dial exposed a secret coup attempt and discusses the pivotal role of Matthew Boswell in the failed Shaw merger. Tune in to discover why this compelling story deserves a dramatic spotlight and how it reflects broader issues in Canadian governance.

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INSIGHT

Canadian Stories Don’t Become Blockbusters

The Rogers family saga had blockbuster potential but became a Canadian one-man-play subject instead.
Michael Healey framed the story as national drama filtered through Canadian reticence.

ANECDOTE

Playwrights Love Bureaucratic Tension

Michael Healey writes theatre mostly about public service and politics.
He says those tensions between service and reelection supply drama, comedy, and tragedy.

INSIGHT

Control Versus Professionalization Clash

Ted Rogers combined family-control ambitions with desires to professionalize his company.
That contradiction seeded the later succession and governance struggles at Rogers.

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The Rogers family drama was epic. An imperious and secretive billionaire telecom overlord clan loathed across the nation, a ne’er do well heir to the throne and his fashionista wife hanging out at Mar-a-Lago, his secret scheme to seize control of his dead father’s empire exposed by an errant butt dial.

If that had happened anywhere else, you bet they'd make a movie about it. But it happened in Canada, eh. So instead of a blockbuster they made a one man play about it. Playwright Michael Healey wrote that play and he joins us today to survey the saga that was Rogers vs. Rogers.

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor & Technical Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)

Featured Guest: Michael Healey

Fact checking by Julian Abraham

Additional music by Audio Network

More information:

Rogers v. Rogers — Crow’s Theatre
The Rogers Family Compact — CANADALAND

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