Stocks? The economy?? Don't get us started! Look, any industry that allowed the biggest Ponzi scheme in history, aka Bernie Madoff, to literally *thrive* is an automatic sounds like a cult to us. Members willing to "sell their soul" to Wall Street in exchange for the American Dream enter a world ripe for corruption, deception, and exclusivity, and this week, ... Show More
Sep 1
The Cult of Bellum Entertainment
This week, Chelsea and Iman investigate The Cult of Bellum Entertainment, the true crime production company whose founder, Mary Carol McDonald, allegedly spent years building a very different kind of crime empire behind the scenes. True crime podcaster Jami Rice (@jamionair) join ... Show More
59m 22s
Aug 25
The Cult of Celebrity Wellness Brands
This week, Reese dives into The Cult of Celebrity Wellness Brands, where skincare, mental health, spirituality, supplements, and good old-fashioned celebrity worship have melted together into one extremely Instagrammable belief system. From Goop and Rhode to Rare Beauty, Kardashi ... Show More
1h 7m
May 2023
The Meme Stock Cult [TEASER]
In 2021, scrappy young investors from across the world joined forces to buy GameStop stock, aiming to take down greedy hedge funds. What came next was tragedy, injustice, and a conspiratorial internet cult so stupid we had to do an episode about it.To hear the rest of the show, s ... Show More
19m 38s
Sep 2024
The Fate of the Finance Bro
From classic eighties films like “Wall Street” to Bret Easton Ellis’s 1991 novel “American Psycho,” the world of finance has long provided a seductive backdrop for meditations on wealth and power. On this episode of Critics at Large, Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Sc ... Show More
53m 42s
Sep 2021
Girlbossing Too Close to the Sun
In this episode, the ladies break down multi level marketing businesses, how they prey on the loneliness of women, and explain why they're basically all cults. Digressions include why men need to stop overstaying their welcome, the rich cosplaying as poors, and a special birthday ... Show More
1h 8m
Oct 2022
855 - The Cult of Entrepreneurship
When you think of a cult, you might conjure some very specific imagery. Groups of people dressed in white, huddled around a charismatic, long-haired leader. Glasses of red fruit punch, mixed with other things, in the background. And a general sense of impending doom as the leader ... Show More
22m 51s