It's a cult of one dynamic almost too frightful for this show. When your very own caregiver poisons, manipulates, exploits, and lies to you for personal gain... it's the cult of Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome, a nightmare phenomenon made internationally famous by the notorious (iconic?) Gypsy Rose Blanchard, a victim of child medical abuse, who played a role i ... Show More
Oct 13
The Cult of Influencer Snark
When does hate following become its own kind of devotion? This week, Amanda and Iman descend into the anonymous world of influencer snark, where strangers gather to dissect creators’ relationships, bodies, businesses, politics, and every perceived inconsistency in real time. They ... Show More
1h 7m
Oct 6
The Cult of Dancing With The Stars
This week, Reese and Iman cha cha slide straight into the surprisingly culty world of Dancing With the Stars, where celebrities come for career rehab, pros become stars in their own right, and millions of viewers suddenly believe they are qualified to critique a Paso Doble from t ... Show More
42m 52s
Jan 2024
Who's Afraid of Gypsy Rose?
The girlies dissect the case of America's newly freed sweetheart, Gypsy Rose Blanchard. Julia puts her PhD studies to use and guides us through the history of Munchausen by proxy, opening up an exploration of why people make themselves and others sick, and how the "bad mom" trope ... Show More
1h 17m
Jan 2024
LSD Children Cult
In the 1960’s, Elites from Australia’s Political, Medical, Psychiatric, and Academic circles, joined a Cult. They stole children and subjected them to unimaginable horrors, drugging them with LSD to create a supposed master race. The children endured a life of isolation and abuse ... Show More
1h 24m
Sep 2023
cultish, a talk with amanda montell [video]
[video available on spotify] today i present to you, amanda montell: a writer, linguist, and fellow podcast host. amanda has written three books. one of them, the age of magical overthinking, is about to come out. today i want to zoom in on one of our many common interests. she w ... Show More
50m 33s
Oct 2022
Cults: Manipulation Tactics, Celebrity Involvement, Escape w/ Lola Blanc + Meaghan Elizabeth
Joining the Deux U classroom this week are Cult survivors Lola Blanc and Meaghan Elizabeth. On their podcast, Trust Me, they talk to fellow survivors, former and current believers, experts, and everyone in between to try to get to the bottom of how extreme belief happens, who's s ... Show More
1h 5m