Is it evil… or just excellent branding? This week, Amanda & Reese are joined by writer and podcaster Sarah Marshall (You’re Wrong About) to descend into The Cult of Satanism: The spooky, sexy, misunderstood belief system that terrified suburban moms everywhere. We’re talking devilish imagery, political theater, and the delicious irony of a religion that doesn’t actually believe in the Devil. From Anton LaVey’s campy theatrics to the Wayfair trafficking conspiracy, we’re unpacking how Satanism became the perfect scapegoat for America’s moral panic and how the real horror show was the Satanic Panic itself. So light your black candles, clutch your pearls, and prepare to sell your soul (metaphorically, of course). Because when it comes to culty influence, the devil’s in the details. 😈🔥📜 Listen to The Devil You Know wherever you get podcasts! https://link.mgln.ai/Eg9XvP  Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles.  Thank you to our sponsors! Head to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CULT Go to https://Quince.com/slac for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.  London! Come see Sounds Like A Cult LIVE!! November 24th at Bush Hall. Get tickets before they're gone!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the low, low price of $19.99, you too can manifest love, money, or maybe just a little chaos. On this Halloween flavored episode of Sounds Like A Cult, we are diving broom first into The Cult of Etsy Witches, the booming online marketplace where spirituality meets capitalism and hexes come with free shipping. From TikTok witchfluencers to hexed baseball teams to real life political curses, host Amanda Montell explores how witchcraft became one of the internet’s most aesthetic and suspiciously profitable belief systems. Joined by practicing witch and author Mya Spalter (@mya.spalter), we’re unpacking what the Cult of Etsy Witches reveals about our craving for magic, meaning, and maybe a bit of manipulation Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles.  Thank you to our sponsors! Head to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CULT Go to https://HelloFresh.com/SLAC10FM now to Get 10 Free Meals + a Free Item for Life!  London! Come see Sounds Like A Cult LIVE!! November 24th at Bush Hall. Get tickets before they're gone!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Bow down, because we're about to cover one of the most powerful, mysterious, and meticulously choreographed cults in modern pop culture: The Cult of Beyoncé. This week, Chelsea is joined by journalist and cultural critic Kathleen Newman Bremang (@kathleennb), to help break down how the Beyhive became less of a fandom and more of a faith. From the Church of Lemonade to the gospel of Renaissance, Beyoncé has crafted not just a career but a belief system, complete with rituals, relics, and sermons that make you cry in formation. But how did one woman become both artist and ideology? And when does admiration turn into devotion? Whether you’re a casual listener or a card carrying member of the Hive, this episode unpacks the genius, the grandeur, and the glorious groupthink of pop’s most divine following. 👑🐝 Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles. Thank you to our sponsors! Earn points on rent and around your neighborhood, wherever you call home, by going to https://joinbilt.com/culty London! Come see Sounds Like A Cult LIVE!! November 24th at Bush Hall. Get tickets before they're gone!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Whether it’s the sweat-drenched ten-hour rehearsals, the spine-tingling halftime shows, or the communal showers and gym floor sleepovers… marching bands aren’t just extracurriculars…they’re high-control communities with ritual, hierarchy, and loyalty that rivals religion. In this episode, Amanda & Chelsea are joined by listener Chelsea McFarland, a music educator, marching band alum, and band director, for a deep dive into the glittering, horn-blasting world of band culture. From high school field shows to the cultier-than-thou universe of Drum Corps International (DCI), we ask: is it all just school spirit… or something a little more orchestrated? Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles.  Thank you to our sponsors! Head to ⁠⁠https://www.squarespace.com/CULT⁠⁠ to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CULT Get 50% + FREE SHIP ONLY at ⁠⁠⁠https://Adamandeve.com⁠⁠⁠ and select any one item. Just enter offer code SLAC at checkout. Please consider donating to those affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Team SLAC are donating to the PCRF, a nonprofit organization providing vital medical care, food, and humanitarian aid to children and families in need. London! Come see Sounds Like A Cult LIVE!! November 24th at Bush Hall. Get tickets before they're gone!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s not just a chicken sandwich, it’s a ca-ca-calling  This week, host Amanda and special guest Carys Kolb (⁠@carys.avooca⁠), former employee and the pod's very own sister-in-law, dig into the waffle-fried, lemonade-sweetened, suspiciously polite world of Chick-fil-A. It's the fast-food chain that’s managed to turn fried chicken into both a lifestyle brand and a moral battleground. From the addictive sauce and cult-like customer service to the company’s controversial history of funding anti-LGBTQ+ causes, Chick-fil-A devotees don’t just crave the food… they defend the brand like it’s a religion (and it is???). What makes devotees line up around the block for a sandwich closed on Sundays? And how do you reconcile nuggets with nationalism? Grab your waffle fries and your cognitive dissonance, we’re serving up a saucy dip into one of America’s tastiest cults. Our pleasure!!! Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles.  Thank you to our sponsors! Go to ⁠https://Quince.com/slac⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.  Go to ⁠https://Headspace.com/SOUNDSLIKE⁠ to unlock all of Headspace FREE for 60 days. Please consider donating to those affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Team SLAC are donating to the PCRF, a nonprofit organization providing vital medical care, food, and humanitarian aid to children and families in need. London! Come see Sounds Like A Cult LIVE!! November 24th at Bush Hall. Get tickets before they're gone!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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This week, Amanda is joined by vaccine scientist Dr. Peter Hotez and cultural critic Jane Borden (@janebordan) to unravel the misinformation machine and identity politics that keep this movement alive. Together, we break down not only how the anti-vax community functions like a high-control cult, with its own martyrs, prophets, and sacred texts (looking at you, “do your own research”), but also what vaccines actually are and how they work, cutting through the noise of pseudoscience and fearmongering. Why do some people reject mountains of evidence in favor of YouTube rabbit holes? How did “mommy Facebook groups” metastasize into a full-on political identity? And what can we do to push back against the dangerous myths fueling this movement? From myth-busting to meaning-making, this episode pulls back the curtain on one of the most harmful cults of our time. Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles.  Thank you to our sponsors! Earn points on rent and around your neighborhood, wherever you call home, by going to https://joinbilt.com/CULT Head to ⁠https://www.squarespace.com/CULT⁠ to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CULT Please consider donating to those affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Team SLAC are donating to the PCRF, a nonprofit organization providing vital medical care, food, and humanitarian aid to children and families in need. The Big Magical Cult Show is coming to Just For Laughs Toronto on September 27th. Get your tickets before they sell out!  London! Come see Sounds Like A Cult LIVE!! November 24th at Bush Hall. Get tickets before they're gone!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

She survived the Great Depression, she fought for women's suffrage, and for many of us, she was our first window into what it meant to be American. This week, Amanda and Chelsea are joined by culture writers and co-editors of An American Girl Anthology, Justine Orlovsky-Schnitzler (@justineodashs) and KC Hysmith (@kchysmith), to unpack the cult of American Girl Dolls. Because these weren’t just toys… they were identity-shaping, history spinning, $120 personality tests. And behind the tiny teeth and perfect braids are much bigger questions: Who gets to be American? Whose stories are worth telling? And what does it mean when those stories are written by a brand who's bottom line is trying to sell you tiny matching accessories? From revisionist history to real emotional impact, this episode explores how American Girl Dolls didn’t just reflect American girlhood, they quietly helped define it. Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles.  Thank you to our sponsors! Right now save 20% on your FIRST order and get a free cat toy at ⁠https://PrettyLitter.com/CULT Go to https://HelloFresh.com/SLAC10FM now to Get 10 Free Meals + a Free Item for Life!  Find exactly what you’re booking for at https://Booking.com, Booking.YEAH! Please consider donating to those affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Team SLAC are donating to the PCRF, a nonprofit organization providing vital medical care, food, and humanitarian aid to children and families in need. The Big Magical Cult Show is coming to Just For Laughs Toronto on September 27th. Get your tickets before they sell out!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get in losers, we’re going…who knows where?! If you’re anything like us, dear cultie, then the current state of the world might have you feeling a wee bit…lost? Well, this week's cult will have you “finding yourself” and dangling the /real/ ticket to true freedom and oneness with the earth. That's right, the cult of #VanLife promises salvation can be yours at the low low price of a down payment on a Sprinter — so long as you can hang when your pee bucket overfloweth. The Pandemic:tm: instilled an unshakeable sense of wanderlust and affinity for faux-sipping-coffee-in-nature-candids in both the social media feeds and hearts of THOUSANDS, but as the #VanLife trendscape begins to skew towards de-influence (and even sometimes *warnings*), we can’t help but wonder if life on the wide open road is as freeing as it looks, or if culty secrets lie in wait just beyond the interstate… Amanda and Reese enlisted IRL Van Lifer Bella Janssen (@thelonesol) to hop in the driver’s seat and reveal the reality of living on the road. Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles.  Thank you to our sponsors! Go to https://LIQUIDIV.COM and get 20% off your first order with code CULT at checkout. Head to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CULT Please consider donating to those affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Team SLAC are donating to the PCRF, a nonprofit organization providing vital medical care, food, and humanitarian aid to children and families in need. The Big Magical Cult Show is coming to Just For Laughs Toronto on September 27th. Get your tickets before they sell out!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

They've got devotion in their eyes, American flag throw pillows on their couches, and a framed photo of Donald Trump in their prayer corner. This week, Amanda and Chelsea are joined by iconic advice columnist, author, and certified legend E. Jean Carroll (@ejeancarroll1), to unpack the wildly culty world of MAGA Wives: the loyal ladies of the far-right who will defend their orange king until the bitter, gold-plated end. From standing by their man (even when he’s been indicted four times) to reposting QAnon memes between Bible verses, MAGA wives operate like a sisterhood of true believers. Why do so many of them double down on submission and conspiracy as lifestyle brands? What do they get out of aligning themselves with an ideology that, let’s be real, doesn’t seem to like women very much? Grab your pearls and your Mar-a-Lago merch...we’re diving into the red-lipped, red-pilled cult of conservative wifedom. 💋🇺🇸🍊 Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles.  Thank you to our sponsors! Earn points on rent and around your neighborhood, wherever you call home, by going to https://joinbilt.com/CULT Get 50% + FREE SHIP ONLY at ⁠https://Adamandeve.com⁠ and select any one item. Just enter offer code SLAC at checkout. Please consider donating to those affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Team SLAC are donating to the PCRF, a nonprofit organization providing vital medical care, food, and humanitarian aid to children and families in need. The Big Magical Cult Show is coming to Just For Laughs Toronto on September 27th. Get your tickets before they sell out!  Visit E. Jean's substack for more delicious calls to action and check out her new book Not My Type: One Woman vs. A President.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bless up, culties. We descend from the heavens in tandem with the reign of Backflippin’ Benson Boone and Ordinary Alex Warren to share with you an episode to lift your spirit and put music in your soul! But not just any music, these tunes must be self deprecating, they’ve gotta be anthemic, they need building major chords and choral vocal FX like you’ve never seen before. Get stomping and clapping, it’s time to discuss Christian Pop Music. Whether you were a Point of Grace stan since before that was even a thing, jammed to Flyleaf during carpool growing up, or have cried melodramatically to a Switchfoot at some point in your life, there’s no denying Christian music’s massive reach has undoubtedly changed the landscape of pop music and influenced countless lives. This week, Amanda and Reese are breaking down the worship-to-radio pipeline, the blurred lines between faith and fame, and why so many of these bops SLAP (even if you’re not saved). Helping them navigate the not so pure world behind the pearly gates of the christian music industry is former Christian pop DIVA, current philanthropist and founder of the organization This Is What Happens When Women Read, Julianna Glasse (@juliannaglasse), ANDDDD author of the fresh-off-the-gutenberg ’90s/’00s Christian cultural autopsy Jesusland, Joelle Kidd. Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles.  Thank you to our sponsors! Go to https://Quince.com/slac for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns. Please consider donating to those affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Team SLAC are donating to the PCRF, a nonprofit organization providing vital medical care, food, and humanitarian aid to children and families in need. The Big Magical Cult Show is coming to Just For Laughs Toronto on September 27th. Get your tickets before they sell out!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 Is it a free language learning app... or a feathered dictator in your pocket? In this episode, Amanda and Chelsea are joined by Zaria Parvez (@zariaparvez), the social media mastermind behind that chaotic green owl, to unpack the potentially culty world of Duolingo. We’re talking guilt-trippy push notifications, leaderboard anxiety, and the question on everyone’s mind: why does Duo feel more like a clingy ex than a study buddy? Whether you're on a 1-day streak or a 1,000-day emotional journey, this one’s for you. UPDATE: So, our Duolingo episode was recorded before the company’s AI controversy made major headlines but wow, I guess we found the scandal that could kneecap duo 👀🦉Not to mention our angelic guest quit the company just before this was released!!! WILD TIMES. Do you think Duo is a Live Your Life, Watch Your Back, or a GTFO? Comment below! Quartz: Duolingo CEO still battling backlash over ‘AI-first’ plans Adweek: Duolingo Social Media Guru Zaria Parvez Exits Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles.  Thank you to our sponsors! Head to ⁠https://www.squarespace.com/CULT⁠ to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CULT Get this new customer offer and your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at https://MINTMOBILE.com/cult Right now save 20% on your FIRST order and get a free cat toy at https://PrettyLitter.com/CULT Please consider donating to those affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Team SLAC are donating to the PCRF, a nonprofit organization providing vital medical care, food, and humanitarian aid to children and families in need. The Big Magical Cult Show is coming to Just For Laughs Toronto on September 27th. Get your tickets before they sell out!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you overwhelmed by the amount of ‘side hustles’ being advertised to you on social media? Feel undue pressure to ‘build passive income,’ even if you aren’t entirely sure what that means, or how to do so? Maybe the siren song of ‘digital assets’ and ‘financial freedom’ gives you déjà vu—  haven’t we heard these buzzwords before? But maybe you’re just getting your first taste of the #GirlBoss side of the internet, which is so very wide and full of opportunity, after all. And justttttt maybe, this digital marketing course is the key to your transcendent financial future!…..Yeah, no. This week on Sounds Like a Cult, Reese and Amanda take a scroll through the beige world of the cult of Digital Marketing and all of its malicious tactics, from emojis to emotional manipulation. Follow us as we ask: do these courses actually teach anything useful? WTF even is a digital asset? Are these just MLMs in trendy Gen-Z clothing? If you couldn’t tell, we aren’t exactly ~math experts~ over here, so joining us to help debunk some of the hashtaggable rhetoric of digital marketing are Maggie Patterson (@bsfreebusiness) and Michelle Mazur (@drmichellemazur), cohosts of Duped: The Dark Side of Online Business. Log into your Canva account and get ready to (L)earn!  Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles.  Thank you to our sponsors! Earn points on rent and around your neighborhood, wherever you call home, by going to https://joinbilt.com/CULT   Go to https://ThriveMarket.com/SLAC to start saving. The sale ends 8/31—don’t miss it   Go to https://Quince.com/slac for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns.    Please consider donating to those affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Team SLAC are donating to the PCRF, a nonprofit organization providing vital medical care, food, and humanitarian aid to children and families in need. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Chelsea, Amanda, and Reese dive headfirst into the wide-eyed, snaggletoothed, pastel-smeared world of Labubu…the culty vinyl toy phenomenon taking over your explore page and possibly your wallet. What started as a mischievous creature from the mind of Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung has exploded into a full-blown lifestyle, complete with blind box rituals, resale hierarchies, and people tattooing their favorite figures like emotional support goblins.  This week, we’re exploring why Labubu has become the new “plastic crack” for millennials and Gen Z…maybe a soft, silent symbol of comfort in chaotic times? Labubu’s got a grip. And it’s cute. And it’s a little creepy. And it might be the face of late-stage capitalism. Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles. Thank you to our sponsors! Head to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CULT Go to https://Adamandeve.com and select any one item. Enter offer code SLAC at checkout. This is exclusive offer specific to this podcast so be sure to use this code SLAC to get your discount, 100% Free Shipping and get it fast with Rush Processing - Code SLAC! Please consider donating to those affected by ICE activity in the LA Area. Team SLAC are donating to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, an LA-based immigrant rights organization providing legal services, policy advocacy, and direct aid to those most impacted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"I GOT A TEXT!!!!" Get ready, culties, because a hot new bombshell has just entered the villa. Grab your neon string bikinis, your mic necklaces, and a whole lot of self tanner and join us at the fire pit because we are finally covering the cult of Love Island. From its devoted followers to its culty 24/7 production, Amanda and Reese are joined by comedian Jo Firestone and Love Island Australia Season 6 winner Em Miguel-Leigh (@dragonsweep) to unpack the chokehold this show has the world in, the rituals, the lingo, the public shaming, and the very real psychological toll it can take on contestants. Why do so many viewers treat the show like a sport? What does it say about our obsession with romance, status, and hotness-as-currency? Tune in as we recouple with one of the most cultishly chaotic franchises in reality TV history. Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles. Thank you to our sponsors! Go to https://Quince.com/slac for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns.  Please consider donating to those affected by ICE activity in the LA Area. Team SLAC are donating to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, an LA-based immigrant rights organization providing legal services, policy advocacy, and direct aid to those most impacted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ahoy, Culties! This week we’re resurfacing one of our most popular episodes from last summer: The Cult of Cruise Ships. While we cook up some fresh new episodes for you (we see you, Labubu), we’re revisiting this sea-sickeningly good deep dive into the bizarre, floating world of loyalty tiers, all-you-can-eat  shrimp, and high-seas herd mentality. But wait! Don’t set sail just yet. We’ve added a brand new intro with some juicy updates: from Carnival’s controversial new loyalty program to Netflix’s Trainwreck: Poop Cruise, the cruise cult has only gotten wilder since this episode first aired. So grab your towel animal, your lanyard, and your Dramamine… and let’s get back on board. Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles. Thank you to our sponsors! Head to ⁠https://www.squarespace.com/CULT⁠ to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CULT Start paying rent through Bilt and take advantage of your Neighborhood Benefits™ by going to ⁠https://joinbilt.com/CULT Please consider donating to those affected by ICE activity in the LA Area. Team SLAC are donating to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, an LA-based immigrant rights organization providing legal services, policy advocacy, and direct aid to those most impacted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Once hailed as a feminist rebellion on wheels, modern roller derby spins a complicated web of DIY empowerment, body-positivity, and community. From punny alter egos and glitter-soaked uniforms, to initiation rituals and injury worship, we unpack how the derby track became a sacred stage for self-invention. Rachel Rotten (@rachtilldeath), a longtime skater and derby lifer, joins us to share what it’s really like on the inside: the unspoken rules, the identity shifts, and the brutal beauty of a sport that demands your body, your weekends, and possibly your soul??? Join us in our exploration of the cult-like sisterhood of Roller Derby! Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles. Thank you to our sponsors! Download Cash App Today: https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/st3nalv7 #CashAppPod. As a Cash App partner, I may earn a commission when you sign up for a Cash App account. Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Visit cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures. Go to https://Quince.com/slac for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Please consider donating to those affected by ICE activity in the LA Area. Team SLAC are donating to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, an LA-based immigrant rights organization providing legal services, policy advocacy, and direct aid to those most impacted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Chelsea, Amanda, and guest Sarah Hartshorne (@sarahbhartshorne) dig into the high-gloss, high-drama, and disturbingly high-control world of America’s Next Top Model. Once hailed as a launchpad for aspiring models, the long-running franchise masked emotional manipulation and identity erasure beneath a veneer of empowerment and fashion fantasy. From Tyra Banks’ god-like authority to the cultish language of “smize” and “booty tooch,” we explore how ANTM built a reality TV empire on forced makeovers, psychological pressure, and spectacle disguised as self-improvement. Sarah, who rose to fame as the only plus-size contestant on Cycle 9, joins us to expose what really went down behind the catwalk, drawing from her upcoming memoir You Wanna Be On Top? Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles. Thank you to our sponsors! Head to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CULT Start paying rent through Bilt and take advantage of your Neighborhood Benefits™ by going to https://joinbilt.com/CULT Right now save 20% on your FIRST order and get a free cat toy at https://PrettyLitter.com/CULT  Please consider donating to those affected by ICE activity in the LA Area. Team SLAC are donating to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, an LA-based immigrant rights organization providing legal services, policy advocacy, and direct aid to those most impacted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What happens when a billionaire tech mogul starts to look less like a CEO and more like a modern-day messiah? This week, Chelsea, Amanda, and Reese team up with historian and authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat (@ruthbenghiat) to explore the cult of personality surrounding Elon Musk. The man behind Tesla, SpaceX, X, and a growing empire of followers who treat his every post like prophecy. From the mysterious emerald mine origin story to estranged family ties, secret children, and that whole “saving humanity by going to Mars” thing, we unpack how Musk has cultivated a mythos that feels more like a belief system than a business plan. What does it mean when a company’s success is inseparable from the quirks of its leader? And how does social media supercharge a fanbase into a digital congregation? We’re breaking down the doublethink, the brand loyalty, and the bizarre Twitter-era sermons that keep the cult of Elon alive. Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles.  Thank you to our sponsors! Download Cash App Today: https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/st3nalv7 #CashAppPod *Referral Reward Disclaimer: As a Cash App partner, I may earn a commission when you sign up for a Cash App account.   Head to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CULT Please consider donating to those affected by ICE activity in the LA Area. Team SLAC are donating to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, an LA-based immigrant rights organization providing legal services, policy advocacy, and direct aid to those most impacted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices