Mar 2024

Brainwashed Introduces: Who Replaced Avril Lavigne?

Avril Lavigne was a punk pop sensation who topped the charts in the early noughties, and she still performs to sold-out crowds today. But what if the Avril we’ve been following all these years is not the same Avril we fell in love with? What if — as a curious theory claims — Avri ... Show More

33m 36s

Mar 2026

Brainwashed Introduces: The Jaclyn Ferland-Smith Case

Someone Knows Something is the investigative true crime series by award-winning documentarian David Ridgen. In Season 10 of Someone Knows Something, host David Ridgen investigates the sudden 2021 disappearance of Jaclyn Ferland-Smith, a Canadian expat living in Playas del Coco, a ... Show More

37m 56s

May 2024

Brainwashed Introduces: The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam

It was the biggest gold discovery in history...until it wasn’t. In 1995, Canadian mining company Bre-X announced to the world it had found a significant amount of gold deep in the jungles of Indonesia. Stock prices soared as investors worldwide fought to stake their claim. But wh ... Show More

40m 52s

Sep 2020

S8 "Brainwashed" E6: Never too late to say sorry

MKULTRA has entered popular culture, becoming the butt of jokes, television plot points, and the darling of internet conspiracy theorists. At the very least, the secrecy that still surrounds MKULTRA, or the CIA’s post-9/11 programs, sows distrust of governments, and medical profe ... Show More

34m 9s

Mar 2020

Chapter 7: Madness

When a sketch of a suspect is released, conspiracy theories spread. The families, looking for an arrest, take their case to the national media. As the investigation goes quiet, the noise of speculation grows louder.To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn. ... Show More

42m 22s

Jun 2021

Psychology of Conspiracy Theories Pt. 2

When do conspiracy theories stop being theories? Today’s episode visits real accounts of deadly misconduct committed at scale by governments and businesses. Poisoned alcohol, contaminated medicine, mind control experiments — in every case, the truth came out… eventually. Learn mo ... Show More

38m 3s

Aug 2025

CONSPIRACY THEORIES: MK-Ultra

Mind control. LSD. Government cover-ups. In this episode, "Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes" investigates Project MK-Ultra, the CIA program that secretly tested drugs and psychological torture on U.S. citizens. Find out why decades later we still don’t know the full truth. Co ... Show More

39m 14s

Aug 2025

Introducing: CONSPIRACY THEORIES, CULTS, AND CRIMES

From Jonestown to Heaven’s Gate, to the Octopus Murders and the Waco Siege, the world is full of deception, manipulation, and destruction. Listen to Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes every Wednesday as we explore the real people at the center of the world’s most shocking sec ... Show More

8m 6s

Sep 2023

Ella's list | Hoaxed Ep 2

Seized upon by conspiracy theorists, Ella’s list of alleged cult members spreads like wildfire across the Internet. Hampstead parents start receiving death threats and lives are torn apart. Listen to the full series today. For the premium Tortoise listening expe ... Show More

41m 1s

Aug 2025

Introducing: CONSPIRACY THEORIES, CULTS, AND CRIMES

From Jonestown to Heaven’s Gate, to the Octopus Murders and the Waco Siege, the world is full of deception, manipulation, and destruction. Listen to Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes every Wednesday as we explore the real people at the center of the world’s most shocking sec ... Show More

7m 58s

Nov 2008

Did the CIA test LSD on unsuspecting Americans?

As more and more time passes, the Freedom of Information Act provides increasingly disturbing stories of illegal CIA operations. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about MKULTRA and illegal CIA operations in the United States. Learn more about your ... Show More

26m 9s

Jun 2021

Psychology of Conspiracy Theories Pt. 1

Reptile overlords. Pizzagate. QAnon. What makes conspiracy theories so alluring, and why are some more unshakeable than others? Today’s episode breaks down the driving forces behind false narratives, and what happens when true believers take extreme actions. Learn more about your ... Show More

49m 41s

May 2023

A Discussion

In this episode, the producers reflect on the impact of their investigation and the real-world implications of their podcast. They discuss the fallout from their reporting and the effects it has had on the individuals and organizations involved. See omnystudio.com/listener for pr ... Show More

26m 12s

Episode 6: NEVER TOO LATE TO SAY SORRY