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American Hysteria
American Hysteria
chelsey weber-smith

American Hysteria explores how fantastical thinking has shaped our culture – moral panics, urban legends, hoaxes, crazes, fringe beliefs, and national misunderstandings.... more

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Episodes

David Lynch's Mulholland Drive with 'You Are Good' Podcast

RIP David Lynch, beloved director and otherworldly weirdo. The You Are Good feelings podcast about movies graciously invited me to... more

24 Feb 2025 · 1 hour, 31 minutes
Invasion of the Drones with Podcaster Gabe Lenners

Gabe Lenners is the host of the new podcast Obscurum: Invasion of the Drones, which explores a mysterious wave of... more

17 Feb 2025 · 1 hour,
The Jersey Devil

This Urban Legends Hotline episode features listener Brandon's inquiry about the legend of the Jersey Devil, a cryptid that has... more

10 Feb 2025 · 55 minutes
Context Clues: The Devil Went Down to Jersey

The famous cryptid known as the Jersey Devil will be the focus of our upcoming Urban Legends Hotline investigation. This... more

03 Feb 2025 · 53 minutes
You Just Lost The Game with 'Spirits' Podcast

Julia Schifini and Amanda McLoughlin are the hosts of the podcast Spirits, a history and comedy show focused on mythology,... more

27 Jan 2025 · 1 hour, 16 minutes
Chicken Soup for the Soul pt. 2 with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

Sarah Marshall and I are back for a second helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul, the 1993 best-selling collection... more

20 Jan 2025 · 1 hour, 37 minutes
Chicken Soup for the Soul pt. 1 with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

Many of you will remember the 1993 best-selling book of inspirational stories, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and its bite-sized,... more

13 Jan 2025 · 1 hour, 24 minutes
(Throwback) An Irresistible Movement with Reproductive Justice Activist Loretta J. Ross

Since the 1970s, Loretta J. Ross has been an instrumental activist in the fight for 'Reproductive Justice', a framework she... more

06 Jan 2025 · 53 minutes
In Pursuit of Pardons with Podcaster Shannon Lynch of 'The Alley: DC’s 8th and H Case'

Shannon Lynch is the host of the podcast The Alley: DC’s 8th and H Case, a detailed look at the... more

30 Dec 2024 · 1 hour, 6 minutes
(Throwback) The Horror of Hallmark with Podcasters Sarah Marshall and Alex Steed of 'You Are Good'

Because so many Hallmark writers and directors also make horror movies, I called in podcasters Sarah Marshall and Alex Steed... more

23 Dec 2024 · 1 hour, 4 minutes
Beyond Belief: Fiction or Fiction with Guide to the Unknown Podcast

Remember the late '90s mystery show Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction? where you had to figure out which stories were... more

16 Dec 2024 · 1 hour, 13 minutes
The Great Glawackus Hoax with Pat and Val of Connecticut Cryptids

Patrick Scalisi and Valerie Ruby-Omen are the creators of the 2023 book Connecticut Cryptids: A Field Guide to the Weird... more

09 Dec 2024 · 59 minutes
The Donner Party with 'You're Wrong About'

This is a special episode I did for the podcast 'You're Wrong About' in 2022, and I wanted to finally... more

02 Dec 2024 · 1 hour, 12 minutes
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

For the 100th anniversary of the Macy's Parade, we are looking at the chaos energy that has always animated this... more

26 Nov 2024 · 58 minutes
Context Clues: All the World Loves a Parade

This episode will give some context for our upcoming episode about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, its unbelievable chaotic origins... more

18 Nov 2024 · 47 minutes
Artificial Unintelligence with Perry Carpenter

Perry Carpenter is the author of the new book FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes,... more

11 Nov 2024 · 1 hour, 22 minutes
Falling for Fascism (re-release)

This episode was originally released right before the 2020 presidential election and is even more relevant as we face the... more

04 Nov 2024 · 30 minutes
Buried Alive!

In the 19th century, America and Europe experienced a panic over premature burial, believing that anyone could be accidentally declared... more

28 Oct 2024 · 1 hour,
Presenting: “Candyman: The True Story Behind the Bathroom Mirror Murder”

This is a preview for "Candyman: The True Story Behind the Bathroom Mirror Murder." On April 22, 1987, 52-year-old Ruthie... more

27 Oct 2024 · 7 minutes
Context Clues: Grave Mistakes

'Buried Alive,' our upcoming Halloween special, looks at the American fear and fascination with premature burial. We'll explore the panic... more

21 Oct 2024 · 49 minutes
A MASSIVE SEANCE Live Show Tour with YOU'RE WRONG ABOUT

What could possibly go wrong when two skeptical podcasters try to summon a ghost? Join Sarah Marshall of You're Wrong... more

18 Oct 2024 · 1 minute
I Was a Teenage Poltergeist with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

Today Sarah Marshall transports us to the old world of British Hysteria to reveal the mysterious story of the Enfield... more

14 Oct 2024 · 1 hour, 38 minutes
Skibidi Toilet

Generation Alpha has made the uncanny, creepy, and chaotic YouTube series 'Skibidi Toilet' into a viral YouTube sensation, so much... more

07 Oct 2024 · 1 hour, 4 minutes
Listen Now: MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries

The human body is a miracle. But when it’s not working, it can be the stuff of nightmares. On this new... more

07 Oct 2024 · 32 minutes
Context Clues: Brr Skibidi Dop Dop Dop Yes Yes

Our upcoming episode is about the massively successful and deeply uncanny YouTube series Skibidi Toilet, the first content that Generation... more

30 Sep 2024 · 1 hour, 4 minutes
The Untold History of the NYPD with Chenjerai Kumanyika of Empire City

Dr. Chenjerai Kumanyika is a Peabody Award-winning audio journalist and an assistant professor of journalism at New York University. His... more

23 Sep 2024 · 1 hour, 3 minutes
Taylor Swift Decoded with Pop Music Journalist Brittany Spanos

Brittany Spanos is a senior writer for Rolling Stone Magazine who has taught a course at NYU called Topics in... more

09 Sep 2024 · 1 hour, 4 minutes
Elvis is Alive!

The life of the conspiracy theory that claims Elvis Presley faked his death is an almost unbelievable journey through gimmick-crazy... more

02 Sep 2024 · 1 hour, 11 minutes
Context Clues: The King is Dead Probably

The idea that Elvis Presley did not die in August of 1977, that he instead faked his death, has become... more

26 Aug 2024 · 55 minutes
The Disney Gimmick That Conjured a Ghost with Jim Perry of Euphomet

Our paranormal correspondent Jim Perry is back to tell us about his recent ghost hunt inside the Queen Mary ship,... more

12 Aug 2024 · 58 minutes
Tarantism: Dancing Mania pt. 2 with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

For part two of our series, we are returning to the phenomenon called 'Tarantism' that began in the Middle Ages... more

05 Aug 2024 · 1 hour, 22 minutes
Tarantism: Dancing Mania pt. 1 with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

The phenomenon called 'Tarantism' began in the Middle Ages in southern Italy where the bite of a local spider caused... more

29 Jul 2024 · 1 hour, 5 minutes
Spider Slander: Confronting the Myths with Expert Rod Crawford

Rod Crawford is the curator of the arachnids and related research collections at Seattle’s Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.... more

22 Jul 2024 · 46 minutes
The Average Person Swallows Eight Spiders a Year in Their Sleep

For this Urban Legends Hotline episode, we are dissecting the myth that the average person swallows a certain number of... more

15 Jul 2024 · 1 hour, 1 minute
Rewind: Believing in the Blair Witch (Updated!)

This is an update on the new developments surrounding one of my favorite movies of all time, The Blair Witch... more

24 Jun 2024 · 24 minutes
Pretendians: Indigenous Identity Fraud with Robert Jago and Angel Ellis

For this episode, the hosts of the new podcast Pretendians, Robert Jago and Angel Ellis, explain Indigenous Identity Fraud, the... more

17 Jun 2024 · 53 minutes
A Terrorist Attack on the Furries with Nicky Woolf

Fur and Loathing is a new investigative podcast from Nicky Woolf about an unsolved 2014 chlorine gas attack on the... more

10 Jun 2024 · 52 minutes
Long Live the Ray Cat with Emperor X and Matt Kielty

Reporter and Radiolab producer Matthew Kielty and musician Chad Matheny (AKA Emperor X) were both part of a 2014 episode... more

20 May 2024 · 58 minutes
Talking to the Future: Nuclear Semiotics

How do we warn people 10,000 years in the future about nuclear waste sites that will remain extremely dangerous for... more

13 May 2024 · 1 hour, 7 minutes
Context Clues: Going Nuclear

For some context for our upcoming series that we have not yet revealed, we will revisit excerpts from our past... more

06 May 2024 · 43 minutes
Magical Overthinking with Amanda Montell

Amanda Montell is the host of the podcast Sounds Like A Cult as well as the author of the new... more

29 Apr 2024 · 1 hour, 5 minutes
Francine and the Wolves of Wall Street with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

Sarah Marshall joins me to chat about how, in 1968, one unsuspecting young woman’s bustline almost caused a stock market... more

22 Apr 2024 · 1 hour, 17 minutes
The Society for Indecency to Naked Animals

In the late 1950s, an organization known as SINA started a campaign with the mission of clothing naked animals for... more

01 Apr 2024 · 1 hour, 6 minutes
When Conspiracies Aren't Just Theories with Journalist Tom Risen

Journalist and author Tom Risen is here to tell me about some of the real conspiracies that the CIA and... more

25 Mar 2024 · 1 hour, 16 minutes
Bigfoot's Big Adventure with Author John O'Connor

John O'Connor is the author of The Secret History of Bigfoot: Field Notes on a North American Monster, a cross-country... more

18 Mar 2024 · 53 minutes
Gang Initiations pt. 2

For the second part of this Urban Legends Hotline episode, we are continuing to explore various tall tales of ruthless... more

04 Mar 2024 · 54 minutes
Gang Initiations pt. 1

For this Urban Legends Hotline episode, we are answering a listener message about a story of street gangs initiating wannabes... more

26 Feb 2024 · 1 hour, 1 minute
Context Clues: Ganging Up

'Gang Initiations' is the topic of our upcoming series, and this episode will provide extra context using excerpts from three... more

19 Feb 2024 · 37 minutes
Alligators in the Sewer with 'You're Wrong About' [Live at SketchFest]

Live at SF Sketchfest, Sarah Marshall tells me about the urban-legendary alligators in the sewers of New York City. But... more

12 Feb 2024 · 1 hour, 14 minutes
The Paranormal Entertainment Industry with Sapphire Sandalo and Jim Perry

Today I'm joined by paranormal corespondent Jim Perry of the podcast Euphomet and Sapphire Sandalo of the podcast Stories With... more

22 Jan 2024 · 56 minutes
The Indiana Cyclone: America's First Munchausen Case with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

In this episode I tell podcaster Sarah Marshall a truly wild story I uncovered about the first recognized case of... more

15 Jan 2024 · 1 hour, 15 minutes
We Are All Pro Wrestlers with Entertainment Journalist BJ Colangelo

Pop culture correspondent and major Pro Wrestling fan BJ Colangelo and I discuss the quirky history of this manly soap... more

08 Jan 2024 · 1 hour, 13 minutes
Talking Crap with Historian Wendy Woloson

Author of the book Crap: A History of Cheap Stuff in America, historian Wendy Woloson joins me to discuss the... more

27 Dec 2023 · 1 hour, 11 minutes
Sea Monkeys

The novelty pets known as Sea Monkeys have delighted and disappointed millions of American children since they were first marketed... more

18 Dec 2023 · 59 minutes
Hallmark Christmas Movies [rewind]

This is a rerelease of last year's holiday special! Find our new merch at americanhysteria.com/merch They usually go something like this:... more

12 Dec 2023 · 1 hour,
The Many Lives of a Carnival Corpse | Subscriber Sneak Peek

This is a story from a recent episode of our exclusive Patreon/Apple + talk show Hysteria Home Companion, where producer... more

27 Nov 2023 · 26 minutes
Marilyn Manson's Rib Removal

(explicit content warning) This *Urban Legends Hotline* episode dives deep into the viral myth that 90s shock rocker Marilyn Manson... more

20 Nov 2023 · 52 minutes
...And This is American Hysteria [Five Year Anniversary Special]

To celebrate five long years of American Hysteria, our producer Miranda Zickler interviews Chelsey about the origins of the podcast... more

13 Nov 2023 · 57 minutes
Our Dearest Fears with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

For our very special two-part Halloween conversation, Sarah Marshall and I are going to be sharing the less serious things... more

30 Oct 2023 · 1 hour, 16 minutes
The 12 ft. Skeleton

Home Depot's 12 ft. Skeleton decoration first premiered in the fall of 2020 and sold out immediately, the nationwide obsession... more

23 Oct 2023 · 1 hour, 1 minute
American Hysteria
The 12 ft. Skeleton
American Hysteria
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Listen now on

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Description

Home Depot's 12 ft. Skeleton decoration first premiered in the fall of 2020 and sold out immediately, the nationwide obsession fueling an... more