A podcast about the modern-day “cults” we all follow. Each episode asks the culty questions we’re all wondering… Do you think SoulCycle... more
Buy tickets to The Big Magical Cult Show in Vancouver, Canada on February 21, 2025! Time for Part 2! Father... more
Buy tickets to The Big Magical Cult Show in Vancouver, Canada on February 21, 2025! Father is back!!! No, not Father... more
It's officially Countdown to Cultmas! Make yourself a falalatte and keep your expectations for plot continuity ho-ho-low because this week,... more
~A cosmic new episode of Sounds Like a Cult lies in your near future, Virgo~ No? Capricorn? Pisces, maybe? Whatever... more
Brew yourself a giant pot of Luke's coffee because we’re diving deep into the fast-talking world of Stars Hollow. That’s... more
Munch on some ice chips and PUSHHHHH (sorry) play on this week's episode, in which we dare to apply our... more
BOO! ‘tis the spookiest time of the year, dear culties, and this year we’ve whipped out our cauldrons to cook... more
Grab your trusty #2 and find the desk with your name tag on it, because class is in session this... more
NOT going to lie, this episode was a wee bit nerve racking to record!!! Despite the, ahem, LARGE number of... more
Who’s your #mommy culties: Taylor or Whitney? That’s right, fresh(ish?) off the release of Hulu’s Secret Lives of Mormon Wives... more
Settle in with a Kirkland brand sparkling water and a rotisserie chicken because this week, Amanda and Chelsea are going... more
We’re baaaAAAAAaaaaack!!! Join us for a 🪐transcendent🪐 new season of Sounds Like A Cult, whose opening episode features Chelsea Charles,... more
This is Sounds Like A Cult, a show with two sparkling new cult leaders, ahem, co-hosts!!!!!! We’ve been keeping this secret... more
New Age love & wellness influencers turned baby NXIVM: That's kinda the best way we can succinctly describe this week’s... more
Pack your hammer and your lack of cultural awareness, because this week on Sounds Like A Cult, we're interviewing Tia... more
Get Tickets to Isa Medina's Live Comedy Show in NYC August 24th! Click Here! Follow Isa on Instagram to... more
Oops a politically flavored episode of Sounds Like A Cult!!!!! Would you believe it if we told you we recorded... more
Learn more about host Amanda's Italian writing "cult" ;) It's a Live Your Life!!! https://trovatrip.com/trip/europe/italy/italy-with-amanda-montell-oct-2024 If you’ve ever seen a... more
From TV executives abusing kids on sets to Scientology's "Celebrity Center," the cult of the entertainment business can getcha from... more
Listen to Isa's new podcast: I'm Right You're Wrong! Isa is the co-creator and former host of Sounds Like A... more
You culties preyed and preyed for us to analyze the cult of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, and at long last,... more
Class is in session and boy oh boy is it perturbing. Teaching is not just a profession, it's a calling... more
Catch Amanda back on tour this summer! July 29: The Age of Magical Overthinking book talk at Elliott Bay Book Company in... more
Listen to Isa Medina NEW PODCAST – I'm Right You're Wrong on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or wherever! Isa Medina... more
Catch Amanda back on tour this summer! July 29: The Age of Magical Overthinking book talk at Elliott Bay Book Company in... more
Catch Amanda back on tour this summer! July 29: The Age of Magical Overthinking book talk at Elliott Bay Book Company in... more
Catch Amanda on tour! First of all, we are downright GIDDY to share two iconic voices on this week’s episode—not... more
Hi Culties <3 Isa Medina here, former host and co-creator of Sounds Like A Cult! With a special announcement.... My New... more
Catch Amanda on tour! Lace yourselves up for this haunting and twinkle-toed episode covering one of our most consistently requested... more
Introducing the Magical Overthinkers podcast, a show for thought spiralers, exploring the subjects we can't stop overthinking about. Host Amanda... more
For our ~true followers~, behold a wee bonus episode to tide you over during our mid-season break, while host Amanda... more
You culties have been THIRSTING after this episode, and it’s finally here! With the help of the piss-your-pants funny duo... more
Host Amanda's new book The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality is out TODAY!!! Get your copy wherever you... more
Order a copy of Amanda's new book The Age of Magical Overthinking! Catch Amanda on tour!!! Stereotypes say that homeschool... more
Order Amanda's new book! https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Age-of-Magical-Overthinking/Amanda-Montell/9781668007976 Get ready to live, laugh, love, and possibly get into an “aisle fight” over this... more
Come party with Amanda on tour!!! Ahoy, and welcome to our first ever "Interview a Listener" episode of Sounds Like... more
It's a cult of one dynamic almost too frightful for this show. When your very own caregiver poisons, manipulates, exploits,... more
First of all, what the hell is going on with culty leggings companies that have too many Ls in their... more
You're invited to The Big Magical Cult Show!!! Catch host Amanda on tour this April to celebrate her new book,... more
Would you sacrifice your phone, passport, dignity, and freedom to move into an isolated pod for 10 days and compete... more
Grab your rosary and slap on your plaid skirt (although you WILL need to recite six “Our Fathers” if it... more
We have NEVER had such a hard time finding a guest brave enough to appear on the show than we... more
Sorry in advance for all the crack vs. quack wordplay coming in this week's episode, which we already know will... more
A clandestine society aimed at indoctrinating a fleet of nationalist spies with an extensive entrance process, aliases, secretive language, isolation... more
Welcome baaaAAAAaaaAAaack, culties!! Time to *ascend* to the 2024 era of Sounds Like A Cult 👽 Kicking off with a... more
Florals for spring may not be groundbreaking, but you know what is? Today’s brain-tingling interview with possibly the single best... more
Wowowow, today’s episode featuring Jill and Derick Dillard (whom you might recognize from TLC’s 19 Kids & Counting!!) has been... more
Sounds Like A Cult has covered doomsday cults, political cults, religious cults ... and this week is where they all... more
ChatGPT could never!!! Over the past year or so, A.I. buzz has obviously risen to cult status, but if you... more
iF yOuRe rEaDiNg thiS yOuRe iN tHe CuLt o.0 This week we are covering the most meta cult yet and... more
It’s me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me, here with an update to one of our most-streamed episodes of all... more
At long last, the man/myth/legend, Amanda's dad, Craig Montell, whose riveting stories of his childhood spent in the Synanon cult... more
If you've been paying attention at all, you know that this weeks cult is growing at a mighty pace. The... more
Behold, a re-air of our most popular episode of 2023—The Cult of Momfluencers—which takes on new relevance, thanks to the... more
Anyone who grew up evangelical Christian and/or plugged into teen celebrity news circa 2008 will be familiar with today's cult:... more
The Cult of Bachelorette Parties is one we have all been a part of, whether from an observational distance or... more
To his fanatics, he's an inspiring businessman, marketing guru, tough-love motivational speaker, and blue-collar-masculine embodiment of the American Dream; but,... more
Why does it seem like certain "life coaches" are exactly the kinda folks who shouldn't be giving life advice? The... more
Strap on your steampunk lewks and get ready to blast off to the dusty, glittery, and undeniably culty alternate universe... more
Before we return with regularly structured episodes next week (stay tuned for the "cult" of Burning Man!), here's another ad-free... more
A heavily controlled, totally isolated group of women who worship one "charismatic” male figure and aren’t allowed to read magazines,... more
Time to spill some never-before-heard culty tales: This week, Amanda and Isa are reacting to shocking cult stories submitted by... more
For an episode spicier than an inflight bloody Mary, Isa and Amanda are joined by comedian and frequent flyer Fumi... more
~Join us~ as Isa and Amanda unpack the "cult" of the Peace Corps—its peculiar rituals of initiation, close-knit camaraderie that... more
Get ready for some no holds barred sh*t-talking, culties, because this week, Amanda and Isa are joined by the hosts... more
You're sure to *devour* this week's episode analyzing four generations of wealthy men who, in our little opinion, represent a... more
It sounds like an episode of Black Mirror: 18-year-old kids are sacrificing their futures and signing their incomes away for... more
Volunteering to subject yourself to isolation, starvation, and desperation on a remote island under high-pressure circumstances, all in pursuit of... more
The Hippocratic Oath says do no harm. Explain elitism, secret societies, and debilitating physical and mental exhaustion to the point... more
America's favorite buxom, rhinestone-clad Southern songstress, Dolly Parton, has a "cult following" like no other celebrity. Thanks to her unmistakable... more
This *highly* requested topic has all the makings of a modern-day cult: mystery, unquestioned loyalty, and the future of children's... more
What began as a Woodstock-esque alt music fest in the '90s for fans of indie electronica to get freaky in... more
One of our fav episodes to date tbh. The promises include acceptance, stability, and fertility, but the reality = rigidity,... more
It's time to dynamically synergize mission-critical alignments. Let's go ahead and fungibly communicate client-centric potentialities. If you can even half-way... more
Fame, wealth, fraud, backstabbing, plastic surgery, hidden power hierarchies... are we talking about one of reality television's most successful franchises... more
Pinkies up and wallets out for this week's quaffable "cult": the elitist, jargon-packed, ritual-soaked world of fine wine. Amanda and... more
Stocks? The economy?? Don't get us started! Look, any industry that allowed the biggest Ponzi scheme in history, aka Bernie... more
Kayaking, friendship bracelet making, and oh yeah, threats of eternal damnation! What better way for a kid to spend the... more
As Keenan Thompson said in a recent SNL parody of the Miss Universe pageant, "Welcome back to Miss Universe, one... more
Did the first episode of HBO Max's Sex And The City reboot turn you off of Peloton? That makes one... more
Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore, and Daniel Radcliffe are all survivors of today's "cult," and so is our guest, Mara Wilson,... more
In 2005, this week's guest Sarah Edmondson joined what she thought was a personal development program devoted to helping her... more
Allegations of right-wing dogma, unquestioned power dynamics, charismatic leaders, freaky rituals, and physical abuse... are we talking about a serious... more
Motherhood is hard, lonely, and exhausting... except, apparently, if you're a momfluencer. Since the mid-2000s, a crop of seemingly perfect,... more
The end of the world... but make it cute and consumerist! "Preppers" are the latest iteration of doomsday survivalists, who... more
The stigma around the green text bubble alone could ruin a man's life. How has Apple's secretiveness, superiority complex, and... more
We’re baaaaaaack! We can barely record an episode of this podcast without a snack, so how are millions of people... more
Remember the Juniper Latte? Wasn't it just about the strangest thing you ever tasted? Yet, you still came back. Some... more
A cabal of black-robed elites who preside, unquestioned, over all our rights and freedoms… hmmm… sounds like a dang cult... more
Happy Cultyweeeeeeen! Our favorite holiday at Sounds Like A Cult is here, and to celebrate the spooky season, we’re asking:... more
I was never good at telling jokes but the punchline goes: If Taylor told her Swifties to kill a man,... more
Summer 2022, it seemed like everyone and their cult leader was *devouring* the TV show The Bear: an inside look... more
Cults tend to thrive during times of broader cultural questioning and turmoil, when institutional support seems to be failing so... more
We've all joked about Gwyneth Paltrow's *candle.* But does this boho Hollywood elitist girlboss ever go too far? (As in,... more
If you don’t worship at the altar of this week’s “cult,” then simply sashay away! One of the most intense,... more
Did you know Dr. Phil is not actually a medical doctor?? When “physicians” like Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, and Dr.... more
Weddings: Filled to the brim with ritualistic ceremonies, patriarchal traditions, power abuse, bank-breaking costs, conformist uniforms, and false promises galore...sound... more
Welcome to our life-changing, missional, intentional ministry for young people from all walks of life to strengthen their faith in... more
The Kardashians: a harmlessly entertaining reality TV family or a dynastic conformist controlling cabal of K-named cult leaders? In this... more
We’re in for a shocking one this week: The Troubled Teen Industry has for decades promised parents to reform their... more
For the last week of Cult Girl Summer, another juicy bonus episode: This time, Isa and Amanda are listening and... more
A much-requested Part 2 to continue Cult Girl Summer. Our 12-Step Program episode sparked much debate, and we quickly determined... more
How much would you risk in pursuit of perfection? It’s another installment of “Cult Girl Summer” bonus content. This week,... more
A flirty little topic for another installment of Cult Girl Summer: five weeks of bonus episodes where Isa and Amanda... more
Welcome to Cult Girl Summer, five weeks of bonus episodes where Isa and Amanda are sharing unfiltered cult convos, footage... more
Known to her loyalists as the “spiritual catalyst” but to her critics as the “suicide catalyst,” New Age influencer Teal... more
From his Jesus-like hair, erratic on-set antics, and fanatical 30 Seconds to Mars music fandom to his glazed-over sexual assault... more
From The Yale Whiffenpoofs to Pitch Perfect’s Barden Bellas, a cappella groups are not just your average band, they are... more
Anonymity, prayers, sitting in a circle and sharing your deepest secrets and traumas, an intimate mentor program… is it a... more
From voraciously consuming gruesome podcasts by the dozen to amateur sleuthing gone wrong to fetishizing dangerous killers, the world of... more
Fast Fashion (think: brands like Forever21, Zara, and Shein) could be described as an industry that takes high-end clothing designs... more
Co-host Isa joined the “cult” of stand-up comedy four years ago in LA but didn’t realize until we started this... more
The New York Times described him as “at once a capitalist hero, a glossy magazine celebrity and a bomb-throwing troll.”... more
POV: You work at Denny's. It's 12 AM. You want to go home. And from outside you hear it... your... more
Lavender can cure headaches and tea tree oil can clear your acne (and heal Covid/your whole life)? The cult of... more
The life-changing magic of tidying up gave a shiny new rebrand to age-old ideas that owning less stuff can be... more
Did you know PhD actually stands for “Probably Heavily in Debt” and “Pretty Heavily Depressed”? Jk (or are we?). This... more
Blackout dates, Genie lines, Magic Keys, Storyliving, DCP, D23... If any of these terms got you feeling some kind of... more
Serums, lasers, influencer skincare routines, oh my! There seems to be no end to how many expensive products and techniques... more
Veganism isn’t just a diet, it‘s not just a lifestyle, it’s a whole identity, aesthetic, community, religion, and even a... more
POV: You work at Denny's. It's 12 AM. You want to go home. And from outside you hear it... your worst nightmare:... more